Printable: Book Club Questions for The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

In her author’s note, Sue Monk Kidd ponders the question – how would the Western world be different if Jesus had married and his wife was included in the story? What are your thoughts on this?
What are your initial impression of Ana? Let’s talk a bit about how she’s ahead of her time in so many ways.
How does the title relate to the story? What are Ana’s longings?
Sue Monk Kidd said that when she approached writing Jesus that she wanted to focus more on his humanity and portray him as “fully human.” What did you think about how she presented Jesus in this story? Do you think there’s a possibly he could have been married?
Jesus helps Ana and she’s immediately taken with him. Why do you think she was so drawn to Jesus? Let’s talk about their relationship.
Judas has a large role in this story. Why do you think the author decided to make Ana his sister in the story? What was your opinion of how Judas was portrayed?
Ana first sees similarities between Judas and Jesus but she eventually learns that they have very different approach for achieving freedom for their people. Let’s talk about this.
Ana is very close with her aunt Yaltha. On page 84, they discuss knowing the ways of God with her aunt pushing Ana to make her own decisions and not just wait for a sign. Ana thinks to herself, “Could we know the ways of God or not? Did he possess an intention for us, his people, as our religion believed or was it up to us to meanings for ourselves?” Let’s discuss our opinions of what Ana is pondering here.
Ana wants to have a voice and she finds it through writing. Let’s talk about the importance of Ana wanting to write down the stories of women in an era where only men’s stories were told.
What did you think about Ana’s life at Jesus’s home with this family? In what ways did it hold her back a bit when it came to finding her voice?
Ana gets pregnant but the baby dies in childbirth. How would history be different if Jesus did have a child?
The novel is rich with details about daily life in the Roman Empire and a look at the communities in Egypt. Let’s discuss all the different settings of the novel. What are some key areas that stuck out to you?
Let’s talk about the change in Jesus’s and Ana’s relationship when he told Ana that God became a father to him and he decided to follow John the Immerser.
Let’s talk about Ana really found herself and her writing when she was in Egypt.
Ana is there with Jesus during the crucifixion. Let’s talk about our thoughts as we read this scene.
What did you think about the ending of this story?