You’ll Never Find Us
The following is an example of discussion questions for book review groups
- What one word would you use to describe this book?
- How effective do you think the weaving of the two stories (kidnapping and backstory) is? Why? Why do you think Jeanne chose to number the kidnapping chapters and name the backstory chapters?
- Initially Klaus appears to be the perfect catch according to Jeanne’s check list. However, he gives some indications that Jeanne ignores that maybe he isn’t “Mr. Right.” If Jeanne had made a plus and minus list, what are some examples of what she could have put on the minus side?
- Jeanne’s relationship with Klaus begins at college in 1965. The women’s liberation movement was in its infancy ignited by Betty Freidan’s The Feminine Mystique which had been published in 1963. What factors were at work in the 50s and 60s that actually encouraged women to go to college to get an Mrs. Degree? How do you relate to Jeanne’s love story (Chapter 6)?
- In the first chapter, we learn that Jeanne and Klaus are no longer together and that he is a kidnapper. How does this impact your feelings for him as you read the backstory chapters? Did you ever feel empathy for him?
- Right up until the actual kidnapping, Jeanne is hopeful that Klaus has changed and allows him to take the children. Though most of us haven’t experienced what Jeanne did, have you had some experiences where your trust in your feelings has been misplaced? What did you learn from the experience?
- Depending on the decade in which you were born, your relationships at eighteen may have been very different than Jeanne’s. What thoughts or memories came up for you when you consider your own experiences of dating and being in a relationship at that age?
- From Day 0 to Day 119, Jeanne gets lots of support and help from many people. If you were in a similar situation, of all the people that Jeanne turned to who would you call on and why? Who would you not call on?
- Jeanne discovered that she had minimal legal recourse to get her children back. In one sense, she also had to be a kidnapper. The Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act was not enacted until 1997. It has subsequently been enacted by all the states starting in 1998 with Oklahoma; Indiana enacted it in 2007. Massachusetts introduced it this year. It’s also interesting to note that it is not possible (at least using Google) to get information on how many children are kidnapped each year until about 2000. What do you think might be the reason for this lack of data, or more importantly, interest in these occurrences?
- In the Aftermath chapter, Jeanne writes: “….I chose to write about the kidnapping and only the kidnapping, rather than include the ensuing years of ongoing drama: a second but thwarted kidnapping, a lawsuit, court scenes, threats, and therapy.” Jeanne has said she is writing another book, the story of the aftermath of the kidnapping. What questions do you have that you hope will be answered in the next book?
- A question for Jeanne: When you look back over the years you spent writing your story and now can hold the published book in your hand, what is it that you consider your greatest reward for taking the journey?