Book Club Night Kit
They Stole A City
Lauren Collins
Cozy night
A New Yorker writer traces the 1898 Wilmington massacre and coup through four families, turning a buried chapter of American history into an intimate, human story. It rewards a group that likes to sit close, talk gently, and feel their way through hard history together.
Come Sit Awhile With Us
Bring your heart and your appetite for a cozy night of comfort food, warm mugs, and gentle conversation about They Stole A City. No prep or expertise needed, just come as you are.
Reading level: Moderate
Best for: A close-knit club that likes heartfelt history and unhurried, honest conversation
Discussion
Warm-up
- 1.Settle in with your warm drink and tell us: which of the four families did you find yourself worrying about, the way you would a neighbor?
- 2.Was there a small, homey detail (a kitchen, a porch, a street corner) that made Wilmington feel like a real place you could walk into?
Digging in
- 1.The book is deeply about home and belonging. When did a scene make you think about what home has meant in your own family's story?
- 2.Collins holds hard history with a lot of tenderness. Where did you feel her care for these people most, and how did that gentleness land on you?
- 3.So much here is about what gets passed down and what gets hushed. What did the book stir up about the stories your own family keeps or leaves unspoken?
- 4.Which moment moved you enough that you had to set the book down for a minute, and what were you feeling when you did?
Going deep
- 1.Sitting with everything you learned, what will you carry out of tonight's conversation and keep thinking about this week?
- 2.By the last pages, how did living inside these four families change the way you understand the phrase in the title, that a city could be stolen?
On the table & to sip
To eat
Skillet cornbread with honey butter
A warm, Southern staple that grounds the group in coastal Carolina and feels like being fed at someone's table
Low Country shrimp and grits, served family-style
Comforting Wilmington-region cooking meant to be shared from one big pot, matching the book's family-centered heart
Peach cobbler with a scoop of vanilla
A homey Carolina dessert, a little indulgent, perfect for a slow, tender evening
To sip
Spiced sweet tea (non-alcoholic) (no alcohol)
Classic Southern iced (or warmed) tea, gentle and welcoming for the whole table
Warm cider with cinnamon (no alcohol)
A cozy, nurturing mug for a September night of unhurried talk
Bourbon and honey toddy
A soft, slow-sipping Southern nightcap for a relaxed, indulgent close
Run of show
7:00
Warm welcome
Greet everyone with a mug of cider or sweet tea and let the room settle before any talk of the book
7:20
Comfort supper
Serve the shrimp and grits and cornbread family-style so people eat and ease in together
7:45
Warm-up questions
Open gently with the two warm-up prompts to get everyone's voice in the room
8:05
Heart of the conversation
Move through the theme questions, letting silences breathe and no one feel rushed
8:45
Dessert and deeper talk
Bring out the cobbler and slow into the two deep questions over toddies and tea
9:15
Trivia and soft goodbyes
Close with a few trivia cards, hand out bookmarks, and let people linger
Host tips
- Keep the lighting low and the seating soft; comfort invites honesty
- Remind everyone there are no wrong feelings tonight, only shared ones
- Have tissues nearby; this history moves people, and that is welcome
Playlist
Warm, front-porch acoustic and gentle gospel-tinged soul, low and unhurried
- 01 A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
- 02 The Water - Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling
- 03 Carolina in My Mind - James Taylor
- 04 Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss
- 05 Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
- 06 Wade in the Water - Eva Cassidy
- 07 I'll Fly Away - Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss
Trivia
- 1.The author of They Stole A City writes for which magazine? (The New Yorker)
- 2.In what year did the Wilmington massacre and coup at the center of the book take place? (1898)
- 3.In which U.S. state is Wilmington located? (North Carolina)
- 4.How many families does the book follow to tell its story? (Four)
- 5.Wilmington sits along which body of water that shaped its history as a port? (The Cape Fear River (Atlantic coast))
- 6.What is the first name of the book's author, Collins? (Lauren)
- 7.The events of 1898 are often described as one of the only successful what in U.S. history? (Coup d'etat (overthrow of a local government))
- 8.Is They Stole A City a work of fiction or nonfiction? (Nonfiction)
Bookmarks
Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.
“Pull the quilt close; some stories ask to be held.”
They Stole A City
Lauren Collins
bookclubnight.com
“A city remembers what its people try to forget.”
They Stole A City
Lauren Collins
bookclubnight.com
“Four families, one warm table, all our questions.”
They Stole A City
Lauren Collins
bookclubnight.com
Rate the book
How moved I felt☆☆☆☆☆
Warmth of the writing☆☆☆☆☆
Sense of place☆☆☆☆☆
Stayed with me☆☆☆☆☆
Would share with a friend☆☆☆☆☆
One word for how this book left me feeling: ______________________
The moment I will remember most: ______________________
Who at the table I want to talk to more about it: ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming
We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.