Marilyn Herbert - Bookclub-In-A-Box Discusses a Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan

Trade paperback novel published in 2011 by Anchor Books, a
division of Random House. (Original copyright is 2010.)
ISBN: 978-0-307-47747-7

Quotations used in this guide have been taken from the text of the trade paperback edition of A Visit From the Goon Squad. All information taken from other sources is acknowledged.

This discussion companion was co-written by Laura Godfrey and Marilyn Herbert, B.Ed. Herbert is the founder of Bookclub-in-a-Box and an international speaker with more than 30 years experience as a teacher and school librarian. Bookclub-in-a-Box is a unique guide to current fiction and classic literature intended for book club discussions, educational study seminars, and personal pleasure. For more information about the Bookclub-in-a-Box team, visit our website.

Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion companion for
A Visit From the Goon Squad

(PRINT) ISBN: 978-1927121-078
(E-PUB) ISBN: 978-1927121-085
(E-PDF) ISBN: 978-1927121-092

This guide reflects the perspective of the Bookclub-in-a-Box team and is the sole property of Bookclub-in-a-Box.

2012 BOOKCLUB-IN-A-BOX

Unauthorized reproduction of this book or its contents for republication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

Each Bookclub-in-a-Box guide is clearly and effectively organized to give you information and ideas for a lively discussion, as well as to present the major highlights of the novel. The format, with a Table of Contents, allows you to pick and choose the specific points you wish to talk about. It does not have to be used in any prescribed order. In fact, it is meant to support, not determine, your discussion.

You may find that some information is repeated in more than one section and may be cross-referenced so as to provide insight on the same idea from different angles.

The guide is formatted to give you extra space to make your own notes.

Relax and look forward to enjoying your book club.

With Bookclub-in-a-Box as your behind the scenes support, there is little for you to do in the way of preparation.

Some readers like to review the guide after reading the novel; some before. Either way, the guide is all you will need as a companion for your discussion. You may find that the guides interpretation, information, and background have sparked other ideas not included.

Having read the novel and armed with Bookclub-in-a-Box, you will be well prepared to lead or guide or listen to the discussion at hand.

Lastly, if you need some more hands on support, feel free to contact us.

Each Bookclub-in-a-Box guide is divided into easy-to-use sections, which include points on characters, themes, writing style and structure, literary or historical background, author information, and other pertinent features unique to the novel being discussed. These may vary slightly from guide to guide.

INTERPRETATION OF EACH NOVEL REFLECTS THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE BOOKCLUB-IN-A-BOX TEAM.

THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS NO.

If we have sparked a discussion or a debate on certain points, then we are happy. We invite you to share your groups alternative findings and experiences. You can contact us via our website (www.bookclubinabox.com), by email (info@bookclubinabox.com), or by phone (1-866-578-5571). We would love to hear from you.

There are as many ways to begin a book club discussion as there are members in your group. If you are an experienced group, you will already have your favorite ways to begin. If you are a newly formed group or a group looking for new ideas, here are some suggestions.

• Ask for peoples impressions of the novel. (This will give you some idea about which parts of the unit to focus on.)
• Identify a favorite or major character.
• Identify a favorite or major idea.
• Begin with a powerful or pertinent quote. (Not necessarily from the novel.)
• Discuss the historical information of the novel. (Not applicable to all novels.)
• If this author is familiar to the group, discuss the range of his/her work and where this novel stands in that range.
• Use the discussion topics and questions in the Bookclub-in-a-Box guide.

If you have further suggestions for discussion starters, be sure to share them with us and we will share them with others.

Moving back and forth between different characters and points in time, A Visit From the Goon Squad weaves the story of Bennie Salazar, an aging musician and record executive, Sasha, his assistant with a history of sticky fingers, and a whole host of others whose lives are intricately interconnected.

In the 1970s, Bennie was the bassist in a San Francisco punk band, the Flaming Dildos. Decades later, he finds his career as a record executive and his relevance in the industry slowly fading. While his tastes remain the same, the music scene and the technology that creates it change rapidly around him. Sasha, his younger assistant, loyally keeps an increasingly forgetful Bennie on track, but struggles with her own history of aimlessness, loss, and a bad pick-pocketing impulse.

Each chapter offers a new perspective, from Sashas college friend Rob, to Bennies destitute former bandmate Scotty, to an entire chapter laid out as a PowerPoint presentation by Sashas daughter, Alison. Moving from the 1970s to the 2020s and several places in between, Goon Squad shows how every encounter whether its a one-time acquaintance or a lifelong friend has the potential to change a lifes direction, but no matter what you do, time is the one goon you can never avoid.

The over-arching theme of A Visit From the Goon Squad is the constant fear of passing time and all of its implications: cultural irrelevance, aging, and eventually, death. Bosco, the former frontman for the rock band The Conduits, sums it up while also referencing the books title: You dont look good anymore twenty years later, especially when youve had half your guts removed. Times a goon, right? Isnt that the expression?(ch.7, p.127)

The phrase Times a goon speaks to the idea that you can avoid all the dangers in the world, and you can try to keep up with changes in technology and pop culture, but time is the stealth assailant that creeps up on you without you realizing it. In Goon Squad, virtually every character struggles with the effects of aging. Boscos ultimate plan is to cheat time by playing a Suicide Tour, with the intention of performing so wildly that it kills him: Im old, Im sadthats on a good day. I want out of this mess. But I dont want to fade away, I want to flame awayI want my death to be an attraction, a spectacle, a mystery. A work of art.