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118 pages 3 hours read

Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony DoerrFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014

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Thought & Response Prompts

These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.

Post-Reading Analysis

The radio often feels like a character of its own in this novel. It causes death in Werner’s research on triangulation of radio signals, but it also provides an outlet for hope, as in Etienne’s (and later Marie-Laure’s) broadcasts. What role did technology—particularly communication technology—play in this novel? What might Doerr be suggesting about modern technology?

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to think about this motif as they process the end of the novel. Marie-Laure brings it nicely to a close with her meditation on modern technology. You can also use the online exhibition from the Digital Public Library of America linked here to compare and contrast the history of the radio in the U.S. and Europe during the war.

Personal Response Prompt

This book forces its readers to contend with the effects of war on both sides.

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