Book Club: Desperate Girls

Desperate Girls — Book Club Facilitation Guide

Note:  While this story explores real-world issues such as foster care, trauma, and systemic injustice, Desperate Girls is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, organizations, or events is coincidental. The intent is to foster empathy and awareness, not to depict real individuals.

How to Use These Guides

You don’t need to be an expert to lead a book club.  The guides help you spark conversations about the themes found in the book. Choose which set of questions match your group/readers. 

Reflective Book Club Questions

Nitty Gritty Book Club Questions

Tips for hosting:

• Begin with a reminder that this story involves sensitive topics — it’s okay to pause, reflect, or skip questions.
• Listen more than you speak.
• Create space for multiple perspectives; there’s no “right” answer.
• End every discussion on a note of hope, compassion, or action.

Quick Overview of the Book

Desperate Girls follows women and girls navigating life after foster-care and establishments created to help, harm. It explores how broken systems exploit vulnerability — and how found family, courage, and love can rebuild what was lost.