The Wind Knows My Name

Steiner fights the urge to join in with the Nazi rioters, which is a common occurrence in large groups of people. To what extent might people in the US be going along with the crowd regarding border patrol? How might Frank Angileri or Milosz be seen as people that allow oppression to continue?

The goal of the El Mozote Massacre was to dissuade the villagers from leaning into left-wing ideologies. Based on Leticia’s life, to what extent did they succeed? How might Leticia’s view of politics change after bringing Anita Díaz into her home with Samuel Alder?

How does the text portray different foster families? Which family structures seem good or bad, and what distinguishes them? For example, how do Susan and Mr. Rick differ from the Evans family, and what impact does that difference have on the children in their care?

The women in Selena’s family use a common last name: Durán. What does this name mean, and how does it apply to all the women in the novel? Why are men excluded from the use of this last name?

Samuel and Leticia Cordero both revisit the traumas of their pasts later in life. Why is it important for them to reflect on these experiences, and how does their introspection help them in their situation with Anita?

What is Azabahar, and why is it important to Anita? Likewise, how does Anita’s talking with Claudia compare with Samuel’s visions of Nadine?

Both Samuel and Doña Eduvigis convey the hope that Marisol is dead because they want Anita to stay in the US, yet they fear that Marisol is dead because her death will devastate Anita. What is the root of this contradiction? Why couldn’t Anita have a good life in the US if Marisol lived? What does this contradiction imply for the novel and for people in similar real-life situations?

Although many of the issues in the novel seem unique to the US-Mexico border, to what extent do gendered violence, immigration reform, and asylum exist on a global scale? Are any of these issues really restricted to the countries mentioned in the text, and how does the text reach beyond those countries?