Prayers for the Stolen

To what extent is Ladydi’s professed love for Julio merely infatuation? What life experiences and cultural factors set the tone for their relationship’s power dynamic?

Is Rita a “good mother” to Ladydi? Use evidence from the novel to discuss the complexities of motherhood in the novel, both in terms of protection and violence.

Is Ladydi complicit in Mike’s crimes? Support your answer with evidence from the novel as you decide whether her arrest as an accomplice is justified.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of female-only worlds, such as Chulavista or the prison?

What are the effects of television on women’s lives in the novel?

Discuss the societal and familial dynamics that result in the crimes committed by the women who are held in the Santa Marta prison.

“The desire for revenge ultimately hurts the person who harbors it the most.” In what ways does the novel, particularly in the context of Rita and her resentment at being abandoned by her husband, support or contest this statement?

How are the characters in Prayers for the Stolen influenced by Western standards of beauty and femininity? Does the novel critique or promote these standards?