57 pages 1 hour read

Drew Gilpin Faust

Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2023

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Essay Topics

1.

Describe Faust’s relationship with her mother. How did it influence her rebellious childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood?

2.

Faust named her memoir after a quote from civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis. What does the phrase “necessary trouble” mean, and how does Faust see it playing out in her life?

3.

How does Faust depict herself in the memoir? What are some of the literary and narrative techniques she uses to promote a certain form of self-presentation?