I Who Have Never Known Men

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Was this your first experience reading a book in translation? Was there anything different about the style that might indicate it’s a translated work?
• How did you respond to the narrator being unnamed? Did this change the way you viewed her or the story?
• What is your experience reading dystopic works of literature? Did you find the book merely bleak, or were there threads of hope?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

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

• What do freedom and liberty mean to you? Reflect on the women’s experience of gaining freedom after a lifetime of confinement. How does liberation change one’s outlook and life choices?
• How has curiosity about your environment shaped your life or identity? How important do you think it is to ask questions and search for a deeper understanding rather than accept things as they are?
• How does the author envision a world outside the bounds of traditional societal structures and norms? Do these structures feel limiting or supportive to you? 
• How do the women handle situations where they lack information and control? What strategies help you stay grounded during times of uncertainty?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

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

• How does the novel portray human connectivity unbound by gendered societal rules? What assertions does it offer about the nature of female relationships without the presence of men?
• Discuss the novel’s depiction of the controversial topic of assisted death. What is its attitude toward the issue? Why is assisted death often an accepted part of dystopic worlds?
• What does the novel say about the effects of trauma on memory, identity, and group dynamics? Where do you see similar influences at play in the real world?
• One of the hallmarks of dystopias is that they bear some similarities to real-world societies. What elements of the created world of the novel feel close to our own? What elements of our world do you think the novel is critiquing?

4. Literary Analysis

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

• How does the author use the space and confinement of the bunker as a metaphor for psychological and existential limitations?
• What does the motif of bodily needs such as hunger reveal about survival, humanity, and the fragility of existence? Evaluate the narrator’s search for both physical and intellectual sustenance.
• Why is the passage of time a significant motif in the story? How do women’s bodies become clocks in a sense?
• How does the narrator come to understand sexuality, and in what ways is her conception shaped differently due to her environment? How does this evolution contribute to the novel’s overall meaning? 
• Literary critics claim the novel includes some hallmarks of dystopia but defies genre. What elements of the story are dystopic, and what elements subvert the genre?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Imagine you are one of the women who has escaped the bunker. Create a survival plan with strategies for navigating the unfamiliar world outside. What essential skills must you hone to survive, and what supplies will you need?
• If you were to name the anonymous narrator, what would you name her and why? 
• Consider the parts of the story that felt most atmospheric. In what geographic region or specific locale could you imagine the events occurring?

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