Are you part of a book club or looking to start one? Dog Days of Planet Earth by Theresa Shea makes a great book club pick!
Set in post-WWII America and spanning four decades in which a former veterinarian is released after 25 years of incarceration and finds that his love for animals soon plunges him into high-stakes activism that risks his newfound freedom.
Book Club Questions
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It is only natural, when reading a historical novel, to wonder which parts are true. What, if anything, surprised you about the historical information you learned in Dog Days of Planet Earth? Did you discover anything new?
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The American invention of the atomic bomb was an unparalleled time in the history of the human species and the planet. How does Trevor’s involvement at the Proving Grounds in 1951 shape his life and work?
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In Dreiger, Trevor thinks people will appreciate him raising the alarm about pesticide spraying, but the opposite proves true. What issues today do you think people simply don’t want to hear about? Why?
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Emily implies that a relationship with Trevor is possible if he terminates her pregnancy. Do you think she was sincere? If you were Trevor, would you want to know? Do you think you would have acted differently under the circumstances?
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Animal testing for human gains has a storied history. The anti-vivisection movement, started by those opposed to living animals being used for medical testing, dates to the 1800s. Pioneers such as Frances Power Cobbe helped to bring about the first Cruelty to Animals Act, passed in 1876. Is animal experimentation ever justified? If so, under what circumstances? How do you feel about Laura’s argument to decline further treatment because of its link to animal testing?
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Why do people like Laura and Neil take action where others remain silent and passive? Did your view of animal activists change over the course of the book? Why or why not?
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In his book Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.” Do you consider Trevor a just man? Is there an issue today where you think disobedience is the more ethical stance?
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Benny, Otis, and Libby are vital to Trevor’s well-being. Have dogs/animals played a role in your life, or the life of someone close to you? If so, how?
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Fiction is a powerful tool to generate empathy. Many readers who would not intentionally read non-fiction that deals with some of the disturbing subject matter in this book will go along for the ride in a novel. What kept you reading? Would you say, despite the difficult subject matter, the book is optimistic?
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Though set in the 1950s and 1980s, many of the subjects of the novel are still relevant today. Which ones did you find have the most modern resonances?