This novel features three types of Jewish women, as portrayed
by Frieda, Minnie and Lollie. Discuss the differences between
these characters.
What does the author hope to achieve by depicting their
relationships with each other and with other characters?
Frieda and Bennie are strongly attracted to one another,
but in upbringing, habitations, interests, and aims they're
radically dissimilar. Will they be able to bridge their
differences? If so, at what cost?
How would this town-building story differ if told from
Bennie's point of view?
What will become of the traditional Jewish practices
engrained in Frieda in her family's kosher boardinghouse?
What kind of communal life will evolve in her new home?
Frieda sorely misses her urban San Francisco. What does
she gain by pioneering in an outpost with settlers of diverse
cultures and objectives?
How did you react to the Passover Seder as celebrated
in Dos Cacahuates? Minnie and Mendel's courtship? The scene
between Frieda and Lollie at the pond?
Did the relationship between Mexicans, Native Americans,
and the newcomers along the border strike you as realistic?
Did you see this novel as an extension of or a departure
from traditional fiction set in the early West? If so, how?
Did this novel alter your views of Jewish women and women
in general in the early West ? If so, how?
Discussion Guide