Thomas Mauser

1. This Leavened Land is set in eastern Tennessee during the American Civil War (1861 – 1865). What do you think were the causes of the war?

2. The Civil War had a profound impact on the United States as a nation. How did America change as a result of the war?

3. The protagonist, James Meecham, tells of his various experiences during the Civil War. What were his experiences and how did he change as a result of those events?

4. Before and during the Civil War, African-American were treated as property if they were slaves or faced severe discrimination if they were free. How does This Leavened Land portray African-Americans?

5. What moral dilemma does James Meecham face while he is working on the Roundtree farm? Do you think he made the right decision?

6. Is there a key moment in James Meecham’s youth during the Civil War that changes his life?

7. Religion played an important role in many peoples’ lives in the American South prior to and during the Civil War. Does religion play a role in This Leavened Land?

8. American Nobel Prize-winning writer, William Faulkner, once wrote that, “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Does this observation hold true if you compare today’s America with the America portrayed in This Leavened Land?