by Nicole Seitz
To my husband, Brian Seitz, and children, Olivia and Cole, I love you. Please know I write because I want the world to be a better place for you. And again, to my amazing mother, Miriam Lucas, thank you for reading my work and giving me unending encouragement and helpful critique. In the end, I am still your child and only want to see you happy.
Author Note
When I was a child, I hardly ever questioned what the grown-ups around me were doing. I just went along with them. I took no part in the decision-making, but I felt deeply my parents’ suffering or joy brought on by the decisions they made. All a child really wants is for her parent to be happy. That’s pretty much it. I remember that helpless feeling that many children experience when I didn’t understand my parents’ world. But on the flip side, being a child, things were simpler then. Summers were longer. There were no gray answers, only black or white.
Growing up in the seventies I remember fretting over that song on the radio that declared “Short People” had no reason to live. Why, I was short, only about four feet. Later at the ripe old age of eight-and- a-half, I remember watching the news one night and hearing about the Aids epidemic. I was confounded. I could not understand what could possibly be so wrong with those delicious-looking chocolate candy appetite suppressants (remember AYDs?). Before then, I’d wanted so badly to be old enough to go on a diet, just so I could taste them.
In all seriousness, I remember the first time someone I knew got pregnant—a teenager—and I recall a grown-up declaring her a “bad girl.” Make no mistake. Teenage pregnancy, and in fact, all pregnancy, is a serious matter to those involved. There are no good girls and bad girls. No good boys or bad boys either in these circumstances. Only lives that are changed forever . . . for better or worse.
This book explores some of society’s toughest challenges. I’ll admit—abortion, adoption, and unplanned pregnancy are not things I woke up one morning thinking, gee, I’d really like to write a novel about that! No. But I do remember the feeling I had when I read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and saw the truth of racial prejudice through a child’s eyes. How powerful it became. Sometimes, viewing the world through a child’s eyes clears away the gray and brings us closer to the truth. Abortion, no matter which side you are on, is arguably the most divisive debate of our time, much like racial equality was to Harper Lee’s era. I don’t shy away from tough subjects, and when I felt led to write about pregnancy, I asked myself—in a story that’s been told a thousand times over, whose voice is it that still hasn’t been heard?
As a result, my beloved Janie Doe Macy was born. Although my goal was not to be theologically accurate—I encourage you to read the Bible for that—I hope Janie’s character resonates. In a fictional tale such as this, I wanted to create a voice that was strong, relevant and memorable. I have learned from Janie. I have loved her. And I know I will never, ever forget her. My sincere hope is that you, my reader, might never forget her either.
Reading Group Guide
1.The first line of the book is “Do you believe in past lives?” Discuss this theme of “past lives” in Saving Cicadas . Who has them? What power do “past lives” play in the characters’ lives? What power do they have in our own lives?
2. Saving Cicadas is narrated by a child. Do you remember something you thought as a child that was incorrect? Do you remember the first time you learned a difficult truth? Janie and Rainey see the world in black and white, right or wrong. When do shades of gray begin to cloud our vision? Is it possible to view the world in black and white again? Should we?
3. What are the challenges Priscilla faces when she learns that she’s pregnant? How does she deal with the news?
4. Rainey has Down’s Syndrome. In what ways does this affect her character? Her future? How does it affect her family dynamics? What challenges do special needs children present? What blessings do they offer? Have you been touched in your own life by someone with Down’s Syndrome? In what way?
5. What are Priscilla’s choices regarding her pregnancy? Do you believe every woman has the right to choose? Does every woman face the same choices or are they weighted based on circumstance? How does making a poor choice affect future choices?
6. Do you know of someone who has faced an unplanned pregnancy? If so, what choice did she make? How did her choice affect her in the long run?
7. What is the most powerful scene in the book for you?
8. With which character do you most relate? Priscilla, Mona, Rainey, or Janie?
9. T he Internet allows us access to all sorts of information. Do you think it can affect the choices we make? If you did not grow up with the Internet, do you feel you were as informed as are the youth of today? How might your life have been different?
10. What is Poppy’s role in this book? What about Grandma Mona’s? Why did she seem to change so much?
11. Discuss the character of Harlan. Though he’s gone, does he play an important part in the Macy family?
12.T here is a theme of “ghosts” and being “spirit-filled” in Saving Cicadas. Discuss.
13. Why is it so hard for Priscilla to go back home to Forest Pines? Is it important for people to go back home? Why or why not?
14. Discuss the role of fear in this book. Who is fearful? Of what? Does fear affect the decisions the characters make? Is anyone courageous?
15. Who is the true heroine of this book? Does she get what she wants in the end?
16. Discuss faith or lack thereof as it relates to Fritz, Priscilla, Janie, and Rainey.
17.I n the end, does Priscilla share her secret of the window? Why or why not?
18. Why do you think the title is Saving Cicadas? Is it possible to save cicadas? Who is attempting to save them?