Thursday, May 27, 2010

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Discussion Questions for The Lost City of Z*

I hope you're enjoying The Lost City of Z! Without giving too much away, here are a few discussion questions for you to consider. Post a comment about them or just tell us what you think about the book--we would love to hear from you!

How would you describe Fawcett? A rational man of science? A victim of his own obsession? What were his most admirable qualities and what aspects of his character were most troubling?

Does the interweaving of Grann's own story of his search for the truth about what happened to Fawcett add to or detract from The Lost City of Z?

What does The Lost City of Z reveal about the nature of obsession? Why were people fascinated by Fawcett in 1925? Why are people still fascinated by him 85 years after his disappearance?

Does The Lost City of Z remind you of any other books you have read, either fiction or non-fiction?

*Discussion questions courtesy of litlovers.com, murmur.com, and me!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

About David Grann

David Grann is a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine and the author of The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon (2009) and his latest book, The Detective and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession (2010).

Prior to joining The New Yorker, Grann was a senior editior and contributor at The New Republic, and has also written for the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Wall Street Journal.

Grann's stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Best American Crime Writing (2004, 2005, and 2009) and The Best American Sports Writing (2003 and 2006). He lives in New York with his wife and two children.

Be sure to read this interesting interview with David Grann about The Lost City of Z, or listen to his NPR interview on Talk of the Nation!