How to Age Disgracefully

1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• How did you feel about the comic tone of the novel? Do you think you would have a different response to the narrative if Pooley had taken a more serious approach?
• What were your favorite moments from the book? Was there any storyline or character you liked less?
• How does this book compare to other novels you’ve read with older characters or an ensemble cast? Does the book share any similarities with Pooley’s other novels, The Authenticity Project and Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• What did you think of Daphne’s declaration that she intends to age “disgracefully?” What do you think she means by this?
• Many of the characters come to terms with something that happened in the past, but Art truly hurt the people he loved. Do you think Kerry should forgive Art? Who or why not?
• What do you think of the friendships that develop between the seniors and the nursery school children? Did you find this realistic? What do you think Pooley is trying to say about cross-generational friendships? Do you have any cross-generational friendships in your own life?
• Along with repairing the past, the novel also looks at justice. What reparations did you think were the most deserved? Are there any storylines that are left unresolved? Do you think Daphne should have paid for her crimes, or do you like that she escaped?
• Do you feel like Pooley was realistic in her portrayal of the challenges faced by different age groups, from the seniors like Daphne and Art and the middle-aged like Lydia to the teens like Ziggy and the children like Kylie? Whose struggles did you find the most relatable?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• The text suggests that both the young children and the seniors are on the vulnerable fringes of their society. Do you think that is a modern circumstance, or might this always have been the case? What do you suppose makes these groups particularly vulnerable?
• Why might Pooley have chosen to set the novel in London, particularly Hammersmith? Could this book take place anywhere else?
• Pooley notes, and makes fun of, some common assumptions about seniors, such as their supposed struggle with new technologies. Do you think she does a good job upending some of these stereotypes, or does she only reproduce them?

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• What do you think is the novel’s most significant theme and why? How does Pooley develop this theme over the course of the novel? 
• Pooley depends at times on caricature, for example in her portrayal of Anna. Which of her comic figures did you find most enjoyable? Were there any you found less convincing?
• How does the community center function as a symbol? What are the different elements it represents? 
• What did you think of Ziggy’s habit of thinking of his future mapping out like a computer program? Does Pooley give any characters a surprise ending? 

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• What kind of public art would you like to see Ruby, AKA Yarnsy, create next?
• The heist is a motif of the book, including Art and Maggie’s performance. If you were to plan a heist, what would you want to accomplish, and who would you enlist to help you? You can think of real people, including friends, or draw on fictional characters for your “gang.”
• What do you want to happen next for Jeremy and Lydia? If you were to write the next phase of their story as a play, who would you cast for the leads?

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