Discussion Questions
“If there is anything in the universe that can’t stand discussion, let it crack.”
– Wendell Phillips
1. Have you or anyone you know had any personal, marital, or other conflicts like the ones Lois experienced in the U.S. in the late 1960s?
2. How have U.S. and Canadian slang, fashions, products, attitudes, values, and family relationships changed since the 1960s? Do you consider the changes positive, negative, or neutral?
3. Describe Lois’ motivations, personality, and choices. What do you like and/ or admire about her? What do you dislike and/ or disapprove of?
4. Should immigrant parents encourage their children to learn their parents’ language, follow their customs, and/ or embrace their values? Why or why not? Or should parents dedicate themselves to helping their children integrate into the new culture? Why or why not? What are the benefits and drawbacks for families when children remain faithful to their cultural heritage on the one hand, or become fully assimilated into the new culture on the other?
5. What did Lois like about living in Mexico? What did she perceive as the main drawbacks of living outside of the U.S.?
6. What would the benefits and drawbacks be for you of living in a foreign country for a long period?
7. What differences in attitudes, values, beliefs, and customs between the U.S. and Mexico did Lois encounter? Do you consider the differences to be positive, negative, or neutral?
8. Would the U.S. and Canada benefit from embracing some Mexican customs, beliefs, values, attitudes, laws, or practices? If so, which ones might enhance your life or be good for the country as a whole, and how would they make life better?
9. Would Mexico benefit from embracing some American or Canadian customs, beliefs, values, attitudes, laws, or practices? If so, which ones? How might Mexicans’ lives be better?
10. Do you anticipate any cultural changes as the population of U.S. and Canadian Hispanics grows? If so, what types of changes might occur? Do you think the changes will make life better or worse for you, your descendants, and/ or the country as a whole? In what ways?
