Betty Before X

Why is the shopping trip Betty’s galvanizing moment that leads her to the Housewives’ League?

Discuss the significance of Kay’s description of her family farm and garden to the Civil Rights Movement. Why does she compare their activism to planting? How does this help her continue to fight for equality, even when there are no visible results?

Discuss the narrative development of Ollie Mae. How does she evolve over the course of the story? Why is it hard for her to be affectionate with Betty, and how does Betty help strengthen their relationship? What does Betty mean when she says it would be easier if she could hate Ollie Mae?

For what reasons might the author have chosen to write a fictionalized account of her mother’s childhood, rather than a memoir or a biography? How might the historical fiction genre better serve the story that the author wants to tell?

Why are Deacon Boyd and Mr. Malloy so divided on the issue of desegregation? How do their views on Thurgood Marshall differ?

Betty has two mothers in the story—Ollie Mae and Mrs. Malloy. How do the two of them treat Betty? In which ways are they similar? In which ways are they different? What role does motherhood play in the story?

Why do Mrs. Peck and Mrs. Malloy place such emphasis on the boycotting of stores that won’t hire people of color to work there? Why do people like Phyllis and her mother resist their efforts?

What role does Betty’s faith play in the story? How does the motif of Betty counting her blessings evolve over the course of the narrative?