Reading Group Questions for "Shades"

Shades of Gray is a bittersweet story set in Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. A Confederate officer and a young woman share equal conviction and passion for opposing causes; when their paths cross by the fates of war their destinies become entwined forever.

Reading Group Questions for Shades of Gray by Jessica James

1. What do you think the author intended to convey by the title?

2. Both of the characters grow. Which growth do you think was the most profound?

3. What scene surprised you the most?

4. What scene did you find the most poignant?

5. How did this historical fiction novel change your view of the causes of the War Between the States?

6. How did the novel change your thoughts on the men who fought for the Confederacy and today’s use of the Confederate flag?

7. What do you feel is the main theme of this book?

8. Name a few ways in which society differed in the 1860s from now.

9. How did high moral values and honor contribute to the outcome of this story?

10. Would you liked to have seen a different ending? How would you have written it?