DISCUSSION GUIDE: Until It's Over
Questions and Topics
-
What is the significance of the novel’s title, Until It’s Over? Discuss possible meanings and why you think the author selected the title.
-
In Until It’s Over, the two main protagonists (Sylvia Jensen and J.B. Harrell) must face the past traumas they experienced related to the social issues that impacted them personally (sexual abuse and childhood separation and loss). How was Sylvia’s life impacted by the trauma she experienced as an adolescent, both in positive and negative ways? Similarly, how was J.B.’s life impacted by the trauma of childhood loss?
-
Both Sylvia and J.B. heal from their childhood traumas while in the process of addressing a social issue (uranium mining on indigenous land). When and how did you first become aware of issues related to uranium mining? Discuss the concerns that were raised for you about uranium mining in the story. What more do you want to learn about the issue?
-
Both J.B. Harrell and tribal elder Peter Minter in Until It’s Over face ethical dilemmas about whether or not to support a clearly flawed candidate for the U.S. Senate. How do they resolve those dilemmas? What were their reasons for taking the stances they took? Did your notion about what was the best or right decision shift as you read? Discuss your thoughts and questions about the ethical implications embedded in the story.
-
Until It’s Over is a story about healing from childhood trauma. What made it possible for Sylvia Jensen and J.B. Harrell to heal? Discuss how each of them changed at different points in the story and why. What evidence is there that healing was occurring and/or had occurred?
-
What did you think about how the book ended? Was it satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not? How would you change it?
Further Resources About Uranium Mining
Anti-Uranium Mapping Project
https://www.antiuraniummappingproject.com/
Developed by Shayla Blatchford, this is a vital historical documentation of the uranium mining era from a Native perspective, an immersive learning experience that weaves together personal stories and environmental concerns.
Wastelanding: Legacies of Uranium Mining in Navajo Country. Voyles, T.B. (2015). University of Minnesota Press.
Websites providing information about Uranium mining and the current push to advance nuclear Power:
1. Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS)
https://www.nirs.org/one-small-step-for-nuclear-fusion-no-giant-leap-for-climate-action/
2. Clamshell Alliance https://clamshellalliance.com