More Information: BarnesandNoble.com
Discussion Posts: Clan of the Cave Bear Post Category
Discussion Period: April 24 – April 30, 2008

Discussion Questions:

1. Which character of The Clan of the Cave Bear could you relate to best and why?
2. Ayla is found & brought into The Clan by Iza, the medicine woman. Iza & Creb adopt her into their family fire place, but there are members of The Clan that feel that Ayla should not be allowed in The Clan. Ayla first trys to handle these members by acting just like other Clan women, when that does not work she starts to act differently. How does this help her in her develpment as she grows and develops into a woman? Do you think it makes her stronger? smarter? weaker? dumber? and why?
3. When Ayla is forced to spend the month away from the Clan in the “Death” sentence, does it surprise you that she survives the death? Do you feel that her decision to live and survive was wrong? If you were in Ayla’s position would you choose to survive or would you let death come for you like most Clan people do when the Death sentence is pronounced?
4. Did Ayla have more brain learning power then The Clan or was it just her ability to adapt?
5. Was Mrs. Auel’s description of the landscape a good one? Does Mrs. Auel make you feel like the lanscape is believable? Why or why not?
6. How could we learn from Ayla’s maturing into a woman? What part of the book could we take lessons from for this day & age?
7. Finally, what else struck you about the book that was good or bad? What did you like or dislike about it that we haven’t discussed already? Were you glad you read this book? Would you recommend it to a friend? Did this book make you want to read more work by this author?