Book Club Questions: Daughters of the Night Sky

- Katya has her first sighting of an airplane when she is 10 years old. Why do you think this moment is so poignant for her?
- Why do you think flying—and having a pilot’s license—is so particularly significant to Katya? What does it represent?
- Why do you feel Commander Karlov is so particularly hard on Katya? She’s never able to parse this for herself.
- Why do you think Taisiya is so leery of Katya and Vanya’s friendship? Simply cautious about protocol, or is there more to it?
- Vanya and Katya have a whirlwind courtship. Do you think they were foolish or romantic?
- Sofia is angry when she is given a separate bedroom away from her regiment? Why do you think this is?
- Why do the women react so strongly when they see their aircraft for the first time? Do you think they’re justified?
- Why are the commanders above Sofia’s rank so quick to discipline these young women? What effect do you think it has on their morale?
- The regiment suffers some devastating losses more than once. What is Katya’s role in these circumstances and why do you think it’s important?
- When she’s injured, Vanya tries to coerce her to leave her regiment. Do you think she could have lived with her decision to go?
- Katya and Oksana have a fractious relationship as they take over command of the regiment. What events provoke this, and do you think Katya is justified in her rebukes against Oksana’s leadership.
- Why is Katya’s trip to Provence so important? Discuss what this really means for her.
- Do you think her choices later in life mirror the bravery she showed in her youth?
- After the war, how do you think her new friends and neighbors perceive her? Would they see anything of the war hero in her?
- What feelings do you think Katya was experiencing upon her return to Russia in the 1990s? Pure elation, or is there more?