♦ Growing and sharing food as a path to understanding different cultures is a big part of A Home Like Ours. What are your experiences of sharing food and culture?
♦ Displacement is a big theme in the book. Discuss how each of the main characters experiences displacement.
♦ Racism comes in many forms: overt, cultural, religious, economic and unconscious to name a few. What types of racism do the women in the book experience?
♦ Research on volunteering shows that the volunteer receives more in the way of joy, fulfilment and connection than they give. If this is true, why do you think many voluntary groups struggle to fill positions? What are your experiences with volunteering?
♦ People with a chronic illness/disability often find themselves discriminated against. Does this differ from racism? In what ways?
♦ Homelessness is a human rights issue. Helen can hide her homelessness but Fiza cannot. What do Fiza and Helen share in common? Does this impact on their acceptance in the community?
♦ It’s incredibly challenging to rise out of poverty and wanting it isn’t enough. How many levels of support are necessary to break the poverty cycle? Do you think assumptions are made that well-educated people are protected from poverty?
♦ Tara says in frustration of her friends, ‘If Jon had been diagnosed with cancer, the footy club would hold a fundraiser. If he’d died, our friends would rally around…knowing I’d eventually get back on my feet and there’d be an end date.’ Why do you think chronic illness is treated differently?
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