Haven Kimmel studied English and creative writing
at Ball State University and North Carolina State University and
attended seminary at the Earlham School of Religion. She lives in
Durham, North Carolina.
1. Zipp''s numerous pets include Sam the Pig, Speckles the
Chicken, dogs Kai and Tiger, a pony named Tim, cats PeeDink and
Smokey, and Skippy the Hamster. How does Haven Kimmel develop the
animals as sympathetic characters or villains (such as Chanticleer,
the abusive rooster)? How does a child's bond with animals differ
from that of an adult? Which of Zippy''s pet stories was the most
memorable for you? Discuss the significant animals of your own
childhood.
2. At first glance, A Girl Named Zippy appears to be a
collection of assorted scenes, almost like a scrapbook. Yet the
chapters unfold as if they were part of novel. What themes thread
their way through the work as a whole? What recurring predicaments
are resolved as Zippy gets older?
3. Haven Kimmel introduces us to a slew of eccentric Mooreland
residents, from the grumpy drugstore owner to the postman who only
delivers the mail he approves of. How do various communities--big
cities and small towns alike--define eccentricity? Were Mooreland's
attempts at homogeneity and clean living successful? How does
Mooreland compare to your town?
4. The introductory quote from Emerson asks, "Is there no
event...which shall not, sooner or later, lose its adhesive, inert
form?" Which portions of A Girl Named Zippy do you
perceive as being precisely accurate, and which ones seem slightly
embellished by the process Emerson calls "soaring from our body
into the empyrean"?
5. Consider Zippy's family: her gun-toting but sensitive dad,
bookish mother, adored big brother, and mercurial big sister. In
what ways is the Jarvis family dynamic both typical and
unusual?
6. Does Haven Kimmel seem to approve or disapprove of her
upbringing?
7. Zippy often discusses religion. How does her mother's Quaker
community differ from her father''s "church in the woods"? Is he
really as godless as his wife thinks he is?
8. Numerous memoirs have been published that expose deeply
painful childhoods. Haven Kimmel alludes to a few dark aspects of
life in Mooreland, such as poverty, a lecherous teacher, and her
father's gambling problem. How do Zippy''s coping skills compare to
those of other children you''ve read about?
9. The chapter entitled "The World of Ideas" introduces us to
Zippy''s maternal grandmother, described as "a moneyed old woman in
a small, depressed city." What insight does this section give us
into Zippy''s mother, who was raised in an environment that was
very different from Zippy''s?
10. How was Zippy changed by her friendship with Dana, whose
parents worked in a factory, were atheists, and seemed uninterested
in their child?
11. A few aspects of Zippy''s childhood would be hard to find in
today''s households. Which of her recollections best represent the
late 1960s and early 1970s?
12. Zippy had an unusual bond with Julie, her snaggletooth
friend. How do you suppose Zippy was able to interpret Julie''s
silence, even over the phone? Why did Julie hit Zippy three times
in the chapter by the same name?
13. Petey was Zippy''s nemesis, abusing animals and even raising
a carnivorous rabbit. Discuss the grade-school bullies in your
past. What sort of adults did they become?
14. What is it about Haven Kimmel''s tone that makes even
everyday events seem compelling? How does she balance humor and
poignancy?
15. Were the Jarvises poor?
16. In light of the book's beginning, what is the significance
of the story in the final chapter, in which Zippy receives a piano
from Santa? What do the closing sentences "thank you for not losing
faith" and "thank you for being so brave tonight" reveal about
Zippy and her parents?