Maame

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• What were your overall impressions of Maddie as a character? Were you on her side from the onset, or were there times when you grew frustrated with her?
• The book explores many different themes—responsibility, grief, independence. Given Maddie’s full journey, what experience did you enjoy the most, and what did you enjoy the least?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

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

• What is your experience with caregiving, whether for parents, children, or as a job? What does the act of caregiving evoke in relation to responsibility? Have you ever felt solely responsible for another person?
• Do your cultural values intersect at all with those of Maddie’s family, particularly regarding caregiving?
• If you have brothers, how does the relationship between Maddie and her brother, James, relate to your relationships? How does Maddie and James’s relationship relate to your understanding of gender roles and gendered expectations?
• How do you feel about the relationship between Maddie and her mother? Did the distance between mother and daughter remind you of any relationships with maternal figures in your life?
• Does the book connect to your own experiences of seeking or gaining independence?
• In terms of identity, have you ever felt stuck between two cultural or racial identities like Maddie does as a British-Ghanaian woman? If not, are there other personal experiences that help you understand her character?

3. Societal and Cultural Context 

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

• What is your perception of society’s attitude toward family caregiving? Is it common among people that you know?
• How has literature changed your perception of identities that feel split or torn (by a character’s description)? Has this affected the way you think about people with mixed cultural or racial identities?

4. Literary Analysis

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

• How does the setting of London enhance Maddie’s character? What does it add to the mood or tone of the text?
• Maddie finds her independence before her father’s death. Structurally, how does her removal prior to his death change the narrative, particularly regarding grief?
• What does Maddie’s first apartment away from her family symbolize? What emotions can you attach to the apartment itself based on the transformation it helps Maddie to undergo?
• Consider Maddie’s nickname, Maame. What does this represent about the cultural expectations placed on her as a woman who is also giving and kind?
• What role do friends and therapy play in Maddie’s healing process? How vital are they to her well-being after her father’s death?
• A prominent theme of the novel is self-discovery. How is Maddie’s journey of self-discovery made more realistic by its mix of happy, sad, and even awkward social experiences?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Make a playlist for Maddie’s life as she undergoes her character transformation. What song would you close the novel with?
• In a sequel of this book, where would you like to find Maddie two years after Maame’s conclusion? How do her relationships with her mother and brother look?

Need more inspiration for your next meeting? Browse all of our Book Club Resources.