Walk Worthy Press: Plenty Good Room by Cheri Paris Edwards

Reading Guide Questions

The following list of questions is designed to enhance a group or individual's thinking about or discussing some of the issues we hope you will consider after reading this book. This is designed as a starting point only and is not meant to limit the discussion.

1. What first impressions did you form having read the first anonymous chapter? What do you know about the girl? Why did she run?

2. How do you define friendship? (See Proverbs 17:9,17; 18:24; 27:6.) Does Lynnette fit your definition of a friend thus far? Why or why not—or is it too soon to tell?

3. How would you recommend handling a street-tough, smart-mouthed teenager such as Sienna—especially one who enters your home as a runaway from who knows what past? (See Job 5:17; Psalm 94:12; Proverbs 3:11; 5:23; 6:23; 12:1; 19:18; 29:17. Note: Discipline means "to teach.")

4. Do you know anyone like Tamara—emotionally reserved and slow to anger? Or do you identify with her yourself? If the latter, what is the source of such reserve? If the former, how do you respond to such a person—protectively or antagonistically, with frustration or with admiration—and why?

5. Did Tamara make the right choice in agreeing to take in Sienna? Why or why not? What motivated her agreement?

6. Novels usually give you more clues about a character and that person’s history. In this story, Tamara is presented like a puzzle to solve. What impressions have you formed about her and what motivates her? How does your response to her—a character in a book—compare with how you relate to real people and their real-life puzzles? (See 1 Samuel 16:7.)

7. What experience have you had with the human services system—child protection, family intervention, foster care, etc.? How do you react to stories about parents who use drugs, neglect, abandon, or abuse their children, or commit other crimes that result in incarceration? What role do individual Christians and the church have in dealing with the issues and individuals involved? (See Matthew 25:35ff.)

8. "Was this God’s work…? What did she know about God, really? … Tamara wondered if God even knew she existed." Have you ever had questions like Tamara’s? How do you answer them—from yourself or others?

9. Parents often struggle to know when they should "pick their battles" and when they should "hold their ground" to avoid the appearance of inconsistency or intimidation. How would you characterize Tamara’s choices in her relationship with Sienna?

10. People often cite the proverb "Spare the rod, spoil the child" (Proverbs 13:24) in support of physical correction for children. Where is the line between appropriate "corporal" discipline and physical abuse? How do you draw it?

11. Sissie Bailey had lost all of her children to the system, but was now raising her grandchild without the state’s knowledge. Should a woman with Sissie’s history, age, and health be permitted another chance at raising a biological relative? Why, why not, or under what qualifying conditions?

12. Tamara struggles with strong emotions, perhaps especially anger. What do you think? Are her efforts to harness her anger healthy, even biblical (Proverbs 14:29; 15:18; 16:32)? Or are her friends right to be concerned about her tendency to repress strong feelings (Proverbs 30:33)? What else does Scripture have to say about emotions such as anger? (See Genesis 49:6-7; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 30:5; 37:8; Proverbs 22:8, 24; 29;11; Mark 3:5; Ephesians 4:26,31; 6:4.)

13. The flash insights we get into Sienna’s character reveal the classic profile of many foster kids—a street-smart toughness that is really a fragile outer shell, hiding a scared, insecure child. What would a young teen like Sienna be fearful about—even in a safe home such as Tamara’s? How can a foster parent address those concerns without allowing a child to disrespect people and property?

14. "Would God really want me in his house?" What do you think? How would you answer Tamara’s question? What personal issues are suggested by the question?

15. Have you ever found yourself in Tamara’s position—caught between two (or more) squabbling friends? How do you handle the situation? (See Matthew 5:10.)

16. The human services system often seems to hurt as much as it tries to help families. What better alternatives might there be? What might the church do to help? What can you do?

17. After her confrontation with Sienna during their movie night, Tamara reflects that she was supposed to be in control, establishing boundaries and communicating expectations. What do you think is the source of this difficulty? How might Tamara remedy it?

18. When have you found yourself in a position such as Tamara’s at the teacher conference, where natural uncertainty or embarrassment are exacerbated by finding yourself in a racial (or other) minority? How did you handle the situation? Armed with Scriptures such as Joshua 1:6-7; Psalm 37:23; Romans 8:35-39; and Galatians 3:28, how might you respond in the future?

19. When Joan attempted to rebuke her for her absences from work, Tamara finally stood up for herself. What was the effect of her stand—on her and on Joan?

20. The girl reflects that the woman in her novel doesn’t realize how fortunate she is, compared with the reality the girl herself has faced. How "fortunate" do you consider yourself to be? Why?

21. What memories and emotions were evoked when you read about Tamara doing Sienna’s hair? What is it about such feminine rituals that become so meaningful?

22. Tamara has consistently flinched from the idea of love. Consider the different kinds of love addressed in the pastor’s prayer. How do you respond to each kind of love? How have you experienced them in your life? What is the relationship between the different expressions of love? (See 1 John 4:7-21.)

23. Tamara admits to herself that any kind of strong emotion makes her uncomfortable. Can you empathize with that? How do strong emotions make us vulnerable?

24. Why did Sienna have friends visit in Tamara’s absence—in conscious violation of the household rule? How would you address the underlying issue, as well as the overt disobedience and disrespect?

25. Tamara and Sienna are an unlikely pair—the tough, outspoken teen and the reserved, sensitive woman. What makes them good for each other? How have you experienced God’s knack for bringing together the oddest people to meet just the right need in each other’s life?

26. Tamara discovers a new freedom of expression in dancing. Ecclesiastes 3:4 contrasts the time for dancing with the time for mourning. What does that suggest about the role of dance and physical movement? How does Tamara’s experience bear out that insight?

27. If you were raised without a stable family or a place to call home, what would Jesus’ assurance in John 14:2 mean to you?

28. It’s horrifying to think that a deacon in the church would sexually abuse a child, as described in this novel, but statistics say physical abuse is more common in conservative Christian homes than anywhere else in America. Why do you think that is? How might Scriptures such as Proverbs 13:24 or Ephesians 5:22-24 be misused to justify such abuse? How can the church address such a devastating problem?

29. Isaiah explains to Tamara that love is an action, manifest in what we do. How would you explain Jesus’ life and ministry in terms of his love for us? (Hint: You might start with John 3:16, but don’t stop there!)

30. "For some folks, drugs are a powerful thing. They want to quit, but they just don’t seem to be able to let go of them—or rather, the drugs won’t let them go." What experience have you had with addiction, whether with drugs, another controlled substance, or even a particular behavior? What hope does Scripture offer to individuals captive to addiction? (See Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 7:25.)

31. Mrs. Jackson talks about the relationship between love and trust, and recommends starting to trust by trusting God. How might a growing relationship with God affect your relationship with other people?

32. Based on what Tamara reveals about her lack of friends and nonexistent dating experience, what assumptions might you make about her past?

33. "I know I’ve been a bad mother…but they still my kids…. I did love ’em, you know," Sissie confesses. How do you think Jesus would relate to parents such as Sissie Bailey, Jannice Bailey, and Belinda Smith—whose own troubled childhoods lead to drug addictions and self-destructive or criminal behavior? How can the church achieve a godly balance between compassion, mercy, accountability, and protection of the innocent?

34. How might being picked up by the police have been an answer to the pastor’s prayer for the young girl’s safety?

35. More than once, Tamara has acknowledged a sense of quickening inside her—listening to the prayers, preaching, or songs at the church. What was that quickening? When have you experienced it?

36. Tamara is forced to contrast her feelings for Isaiah with her feelings for Jayson. Which of the men is more your "type"? Based on what factors?

37. Lynnette and Jayson contrast the afterglow of the days immediately following your conversion with the rest of the Christian life. Do you agree or disagree with their assessment? Why might that dynamic be true?

38. Lillian Lewis talks a lot about honor—honorable jobs, an honorable name, the honorable work of fostering children. What does honor mean to you? (See 1 Samuel 2:8; 9:6; 2 Samuel 6:22; 2 Chronicles 1:11-12.) Do you agree that it is a rare commodity in today’s society? Why or why why?

39. Mrs. Jackson has called Satan the master of "what ifs." How do you answer the "what ifs" that arise in your life? What Scriptures do you use to silence the "what ifs"?

40. Tamara’s final blow-out with Sienna illustrates the wisdom of the biblical exhortation, "In your anger, do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). We are all guilty of such explosions of temper at times. How might we avoid them in the first place—and repair the damage in the aftermath? (See Matthew 5:23-24.)

41. Tamara is stunned to learn unexpectedly that Maurice is actually Sienna’s father. What do you think it would mean to a 14-year-old girl to learn about her previously unknown father? How might the adults in her life support her in such a critical time?

42. Tamara reflects that it is difficult to blame anyone involved in the Bailey family for the devastation of that family, but she supposed that Maurice was most culpable. At least he had advantages at birth that the others lacked. Do you agree with her assessment—about assigning blame or culpability? Why or why not?

43. The issues of poverty, addiction, and the heritage of dysfunctional and broken families can be overwhelming. It’s easy to say that any child born in such a context, to such broken people, is a mistake. Tamara can’t quite agree. Can you? Why or why not? How profoundly does Romans 8:28 relate to the dilemma?

44. The anonymous girl finally has a name—Yvette. She also has her freedom—an emancipated minor, alone in the world. How can such freedom seem preferable to the state system intended to shelter her? How can the same system be both protection and imprisonment to a child? What insights does Scripture offer? (See Deuteronomy 26:12-13; Psalm 68:5; Isaiah 10:1-4; Matthew 19:13-14; Matthew 25:35-45.)

45. "I just can’t take it anymore," Tamara sobs helplessly, and it is a prayer. What is it that causes the meltdown? What is "it," do you think, that she can’t take? When have you reached a similar point of meltdown? What ministered to you in that time?

46. Think back on the flashbacks from the anonymous girl’s life scattered through the novel. Knowing now that the girl was Yvette—and that Yvette is Tamara—what do you understand about Tamara’s character? How does it change your opinion of her and her behavior, if at all?

47. Tamara is surprised that, after years of burying her past in shame, expecting people’s judgment or disgust, she is embraced by others’ admiration, compassion, and respect. How often do we needlessly hide behind pride or shame, missing out on the support and compassion of others?

48. Early in the book, Lynn and Jayson fear that Tamara is too fragile, too vulnerable, too weak to take on the challenge of Sienna. Now they realize what strength was concealed in that emotional reserve. How does Tamara’s life exemplify Paul’s declaration in 1 Corinthians 1:27 (or 1 Corinthians 4:10!)?