55 pages • 1 hour read
Omar El AkkadAmerican War
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Do you find it plausible that the South would secede over the prohibition of fossil fuels? Why, or why not? Why do you think El Akkad chose this as the dominant issue resulting in the Second Civil War?
Given the centrality of race in the first Civil War—along with the role race plays in contemporary America—why do you think El Akkad sets American War in what often appears to be a post-racial society?
The emergence of the Bouazizi Union as a global superpower is, by many measures, a rousing triumph of democratic governance. However, by the novel's end, Bouazizi is guilty of killing 110 million Americans. What does this say about how superpowers behave once they've reached the top of the global pecking order, and what they're willing to do to retain that position?
Why do you think people like Julia Templestowe and Attic join the Rebel insurgent movement despite lacking strong feelings about the Southern cause? What does this say about the relationship between ideology and terror that El Akkad explores throughout the novel?
Despite being a work of speculative fiction, American War suggests a very real connection between the resentments that undergird Islamic fundamentalism and those that fuel modern anti-establishment movements that have emerged in the West. Is that connection a valid one? Why, or why not?
How did the scenes of waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques make you feel? Did these scenes challenge any of your preconceived notions about torture?
During the Reunification talks, why do the Southern delegates care so much more about the wording of the peace settlement, as opposed to more strategic aspects of the agreement? How does the South's obsession with narrative relate to the Lost Cause of the Confederacy movement that emerged in the years following Reconstruction?
Near the end of the novel, Sarat denounces the Southern cause, saying, "Fuck the South" (313). With this in mind, why do you think she carries out the virus attack on Reunification Day?
Despite being a relatively new arrival himself, Benjamin protests the arrival of refugees in New Anchorage. Why does he do this? How do Benjamin's feelings relate to modern anti-immigrant or anti-refugee movements in the United States and Europe?
Do you think El Akkad is ultimately successful in his goal of making readers understand and even empathize with Sarat, even if they don't admire her? Why, or why not?
