Horse

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• How effectively does Horse establish continuity between its disparate historical periods? Do any of the three timelines—the 1850s, the 1950s, and 2019—come through as more fully realized or compelling than the others?
• At the heart of the novel are two love stories—one about the romantic love between Jess and Theo, and one about the deep bond between Jarret and Lexington. How do these very different kinds of love drive the narrative in different ways? 

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Connect the book’s themes and characters to personal experiences and perspectives.

• Have you ever discovered a lost or forgotten story from your family or another of your communities? How did the discovery change your understanding of your community’s legacy? How did it challenge the stories you had previously been told? 
• Think of a family heirloom or other artifact that has special meaning for you, as the painting of Lexington has for Jarret and his descendants. What stories and people does the artifact represent? Why is it important? 
• Which character(s) did you feel closest to? How did their experiences resonate with your own? 
• What is a sport, art form, or other aspect of culture that you would like to know more about? How might you begin looking for the hidden stories within this field? What would you expect to find? 

3. Societal and Cultural Context 

Examine the book’s relevance to broader societal issues, cultural trends, and ethical dilemmas.

• How do Theo’s experiences of racism in 2019 echo Jarret’s experiences in the 1850s? What do the novel’s multiple timelines suggest about how systemic racism has changed, or not changed, across nearly two centuries?
• How do the changes in horse racing over the course of the novel reflect broader changes in US culture? How does it reflect changing understandings of race and racism? Changes in the business and culture of sports? 
• What does the novel argue are the ethical responsibilities incumbent on those who undertake historical research, especially research into the histories of marginalized communities? Which characters uphold or fail to uphold those responsibilities, and how? 

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and use of narrative techniques.

• How does Horse use multiple timelines and perspectives to explore the theme of lost stories? What does the novel suggest about why some stories are preserved while others are forgotten?
• To what degree does Lexington function as a fully realized, non-human character? How does Brooks develop Lexington’s unique personality, and how do both Lexington and Jarret contribute to each other’s development?
• How does the past continue to resonate in the novel’s present? What does the novel suggest about how history shapes the present, and how does the novel advance this argument?
• Consider the symbolism of Jess’s work as an osteologist. What parallels exist between her rearticulation of Lexington’s skeleton and the work of other characters in piecing together the past? Is her work also a metaphor for the work of the author? 

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book’s content and themes.

• Imagine that you are curating a museum exhibition dedicated to Lexington’s story. What artifacts, documents, and works of art would you include in this exhibition? What would be the exhibition’s title, subtitle, and themes? What would you seek to convey about Lexington’s impact and about the hidden stories of the horse racing world?
• Imagine how the story might continue if Theo did not die. How might his relationship with Jess develop? What new insights might they discover together as they continue to work on piecing together the story of Lexington’s legacy?

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