Taking Aim at the President

by Geri Spieler

A Reading Group Guide

Discuss traditional American family life in the 1950s. In what ways did the Kahn family dynamics affect Sara Jane's behavior as a young girl?

Sara Jane had a strong interest in her high school theater and language programs. What does this reveal about her ambitions and her self-image?

Sara Jane dabbled in several careers in the earlier years without progressing in any of them. Discuss why it might have been difficult for her to settle in one career.

During her two marriages to Sydney Manning, Sara Jane said that she did not want to become a coffee-drinking military wife. What could have been the cause of this feeling of rebellion against the stereotypical 50's housewife role?

When she was in LA Sara Jane put her three little children on an airplane back to her parents in Charleston. Discuss what her thinking might have been and how this might relate to the point made above.

Sara Jane met and charmed a major Hollywood sound designer, John Aalberg. She identified him, both then and for years afterwards, as the love of her life. Why was he different from the others? What might have caused or led her to leave him and move to San Francisco in spite of her professed feelings for him?

Sara Jane seemed more committed to and conscientious in the parenting of her fifth child Frederic than she had been with her other children. What factors could have contributed to this change in behavior?

Sara Jane’s marriage to Danville physician Willard Carmel did not last. What patterns can you discern in her marriages and their failures? How were they different?

As Sara Jane became involved in the activities surrounding the Patti Hearst kidnapping, she began to spend more time in San Francisco. How does the atmosphere of 1960s San Francisco contribute to the feeling of the book? How important is San Francisco as the setting of this story?

How much did the political climate of the times, and particularly of San Francisco, influence Sara Jane's actions? Could this have happened in another city or at another time?

How did the FBI’s COINTELPRO-type tactics influence the evolution of Sara Jane's political and moral beliefs? Was the FBI complicit in using her for their mission?

Sara Jane decided to become a "double agent," feeding information on the radicals to the FBI and FBI information to the radicals. Discuss how this dangerous decision reflects her thinking behind other personal choices she had made previously.

U.S. Attorney F. Steele Langford stated that if Sara Jane had stood trial, grounds for indictment on conspiracy charges would have emerged. What information does the book provide that reflects this conclusion?

In what ways was Sara Jane’s in-prison behavior consistent with her pre-incarceration behavior and decision-patterns?

Randolph Hearst, a wealthy, powerful, and respected member of society sought help from Sara Jane in the search for his daughter. Academy Award-winning John Aalberg wooed and married Sara Jane. Her earlier husbands were successful military officers. Her last husband, Willard Carmel was a well-established physician. Father Bill O’Donnell sat at Sara Jane’s side throughout her hearings. What might this array of intelligent men have seen in Sara Jane that compelled them to seek her out?

You can email Geri  geri@gerispieler.com Let her know what you think of her work, inquire about talking to your book club, or just say "hello." She loves to hear from her readers!