An Unreasonable Woman

Diane Wilson; Foreword by Kenny Ausubel

For Book Groups

For Parent-Child Book Groups
Diane Wilson's inspiring story of heroism led Caldecott Honor-winning children’s author Molly Bang to write and illustrate a graphic novel for young adults about Diane’s fight to save the bays. The book is called Nobody Particular, after Diane’s own profession of faith in the power of the little guy. Now parent-child book clubs around the country are picking up Nobody Particular as a perfect companion book to Wilson's An Unreasonable Woman. We've created a special discount when you buy Nobody Particular and An Unreasonable Woman as a package. Discussion questions for book groups reading Diane Wilson's An Unreasonable Woman

Is corporate pollution a concern in your community? If so, how has the issue been raised as a concern? Were local media involved in raising awareness of this issue, or did concerned citizens take the lead?

Are there people in your community who have take action similar to Diane Wilson’s, whether through hunger strikes or public activism? How has the community responded?

Who are the biggest employers in your area and what kind of relationship do they have with the community? Do they have a strong presence in local politics? How about the local media?

What kind of programs are in place in your area to keep community members informed about the impact of businesses on your local environment?

Diane Wilson has been called “an unreasonable woman” by many people, but managed to turn that dismissive statement into a strength. Do you think Diane’s actions were unreasonable? At what point in the book did she become unreasonable? What role does “being unreasonable” play in effective activism?

If Diane Wilson had been a man fighting the plastics companies, what might have gone differently? Would she have been more successful, or less?

Many of the events in An Unreasonable Woman took place in the early 1990’s. What has changed since then in terms of corporate pollution, environmental reporting, and the EPA? Does it seem like it would be easier or more difficult for Diane to fight her battles today?