From the Desk of Zoe W: Week 4
What is fair and who decides, Secrets, Related books, Discussion Q's
Today we’ll be covering chapters 28-Epilogue
Hello Dear Reader,
This week we talk about the final chapters of From the Desk of Zoe Washington. These last week posts can be a little bittersweet. No matter how excited I am about starting a new book, it’s always sad to say goodbye to the last one. Reading a book is like a good conversation you don’t want to end. Ok, that was a little cheesy. But I told you, these last week posts make me emotional!
What is fair?
After tracking down a potential alibi for Marcus, Zoe and Trevor finally get to talk to Susan Thomas. Of course things don’t go perfectly to plan. The two friends make it back late and they are caught. What follows is (in my opinion) a very harsh punishment from Zoe’s mother. I couldn’t help but wonder about a few things.
What would I have done if I were Zoe’s mother?
Did Zoe deserve the punishment she recieved?
Who decides what punishment is fair?
I am one of three siblings so I remember exactly the feeling of wanting things to be fair. Spoiler- they usually weren’t. In every house or school there can be different rules. Different states and countries can have different rules. Even if there are different rules, there are certain times when we should all be treated fairly. And one of those times is in a court of law. The way the American Justice System was designed to be fair was to give everyone the same rights. But as we learn, and as Zoe learned too, that not everyone is treated the same way and things aren’t always fair. Innocent people are punished. Luckily there are places like The Innocence Project that can correct wrongful convictions. And Marcus was very lucky to be released and be a free man again. However, while there is still bias, and unfairness, people are not always going to be treated equally.
Secrets
One of the big themes in this book is secrets. Zoe keeps a secret from her mother about Marcus’ letter. Zoe’s mother keeps a secret from Zoe about her father writing to her. Zoe’s grandmother keeps a secret from her daughter. Trevor keeps a secret from his mom, and Zoe keeps a secret from her grandmother. What a hot mess!
On page 180 the author has Zoe say, “All of the lying was wrong. I knew that. But maybe it was okay to do something wrong if you were doing it for the right reason.” What do you think? It’s hard to think back over the book and think helping Marcus was possible without lying. Something I realized after reading this book was how we can sometimes use secrets to protect each other. In a way I can understand not telling your child a terrible truth about something. But when do secrets go too far? What do you think would have happened if Zoe told her mother/grandmother the truth? Would Marcus still be in jail? Would it have strengthened her relationship with her mother?
Discussion Questions
I know a lot of this post has been discussion questions in one way or another. But here are a few extra for good measure :) Make sure to share you thoughts, I’d love to know what you guys are thinking.
Can you think of at least one example where Trevor has been a good friend to Zoe?
What detail helped jog Susan Thomas’ memory about Marcus?
Do you agree with Zoe’s punishment? Why or why not?
What makes a punishment fair?
What does Zoe learn about the legal system?
What is the Innocence Project?
What does Marcus get Zoe for her birthday? What makes it the perfect gift?
If you enjoyed reading this book and are curious about reading more books with a similar topic, here are two great ones to check out.
Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin
The Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine Paterson