Noughts & Crosses Read-A-Long Discussion!

Noughts And Crosses Read-a-long

This month, as you may know, I have been hosting a Noughts and Crosses read-a-long with the aim of reading the whole series in a month! However, I’ve also said it’s okay just to read one book (or even just two or three!).

Timeframe
March 1st – 7th; Read Noughts and Crosses
March 8th – 14th; Read Knife Edge
March 15th – 22nd; Read Checkmate
March 23rd – 31st; Read Double Cross

Discussions
On the last day of the books being read (7th, 14th, 22nd, 31st), I’ll be posting discussion questions (and answers) for all the participants to talk about the books – if they wish! It is not a mandatory aspect of joining the read-a-long.

Twitter
Throughout the month, we can all communicate with each other via the hashtag; #readosandxs

Discussion

Now, as the first week of March is over and it is the 7th, it is time to discuss the first book in the Noughts and Crosses series!

Below I have posted some questions that you can all answer in the comments below! Also, feel free to respond to other people’s comments as well. Let’s make this into a proper discussion!

*NOTE*
Any and all deflamatory, derogatory, or just plain insulting comments will be removed from this blog.
I know discussions can get heated, but I will not tolerate abuse at me or at other people.

Questions

1. What are your initial thoughts on the book? If it’s your first time reading it, did you enjoy it? If you’ve read it before, was the experience and emotions you felt different this time?
2. Sephy makes a lot of decisions she regrets throughout the book, what did you think about her actions as she did them? What do you think they say about her?
3. Callum changes throughout the story, how did you find his character development?
4. Noughts and Crosses is about a world without equality. Looking at the world today, can you see any similarities or differences?
5. Do you think this book teaches the reader anything?
6. If you haven’t yet read it, what are your predications of what will happen in Knife Edge?
7. Anything else you’d like to add?

My Answers

1. I really loved re-reading this book. There are so many things that I remember from when I first read it and being able to re-live them again was just so great. It reminded me, once more, how talented Marlorie Blackman is and I just fell in and out of love with all the characters all over again. I still got emotional and there were some scenes that were more emotional because I knew what would be coming next. It wasn’t like the first time, but it was still just as good.
2. Sephy’s actions, to me, were brave and were all done with compassion and love. You could see that she just wanted to show everyone that colour didn’t matter to her. However, I did find myself cringing at times over her actions because she didn’t truly think them through. But this just made me like her as a character more because she just wants the world to be better and all she really wants, at the end of it, is to be able to live in a world of peace without hate and prejudice. It shows that she’s a strong character and I truly respect that.
3. Heart-wrenching. There are no better words to describe it. It was so hard to see how much he changes. I felt like I really just wanted to save him from himself on so many occasions. He deserves so much more in life and I just wish that it could have happened for him. I could understand why he ended up the way he did but I still just wanted to coddle him and make everything okay. He was an amazingly strong character and I truly love that about him.
4. It seems that living with equality is what we all strive for and I completely agree that this should be the case. Unfortunately, it is also clear that this has not yet happened. While we don’t live in such an oppresive world, there are still prejudicial acts occuring throughout the world between men and women, heterosexuals and homosexuals, different religions, and simply anyone who is a littly different and doesn’t fit within the “norm”. While we are miles better than we have been in history, I still believe we have a long way before everyone will compatibly live peacefully together. I also believe that while we’re not truly equal, we still behave and act better than some of the people in the book.
5. Yes. Definitely. I think it teaches the reader about compassion, oppression, and passion. It shows the reader a world full of destruction and devastation and shows them what could be if we’re not all careful. It reminds us to be thankful for the world we live in but also not to take it for granted. Furthermore, it makes the reader truly look at the world. Is it as peaceful and perfect as it could be? I know there are still hundreds of issues out there, and this book looks at how it feels from both sides of the line. And I think that’s something that’s really important.
6. I’ve read the book so I’ll leave this unanswered.
7. Just that I cannot wait to continue re-reading these books.