Lucky Broken Girl

Lucky Broken Girl takes place between the spring of 1966 and the early summer of 1967. What seasonal events or milestones are important to the narrative? What plot points rely on the timing of the seasons, holidays, and school years? Select three to five moments in Ruthie’s healing journey and discuss the ways in which these seasonal events affect them. Support your ideas with quotations and evidence from the novel.

The author, Ruth Behar, uses section and chapter titles to introduce and emphasize events in Ruthie’s story. Choose three section or chapter names to discuss; select ones that preview the events of the chapter particularly well. Discuss the events of each chapter briefly, offering two or three ways in which each reflects its title.

Chicho inspires Ruthie to learn to paint, Joy provides school lessons, and Amara convinces Ruthie she can walk on crutches. In addition to these three mentors, what other characters serve as guides or role models to Ruthie in her healing journey? Choose two or three figures who teach or guide Ruthie in some way and detail their influence based on textual evidence.