Root Magic

While Gran passed away before the start of Root Magic, her spirit is still very much present. Analyze Gran’s role in the novel, exploring when she is most present through past memories, advice, visitations, or tokens left behind.

Some elements of this story take on a dark or scary tone but turn out to be friendly or welcoming. Where do you see this in the novel and why does the author incorporate these moments? How does the author use family and tradition to make the dark more explorable?

Compare and contrast Jez and Jay’s lives as rootworkers with their experiences at school. How do these complement or detract from one another? How do the two siblings differ in both settings? Give specific examples.

Explore how each of the Turners deals with their grief after Gran’s death and how this develops over the course of the book. Do these relationships and their perceptions of Gran grow after her death?

Jez is teased for rootwork at school by other Black students. Analyze these conversations, considering why rootworking is looked down upon by other Black Americans, and incorporate outside sources that discuss rootworking either as a process or a concept.

What does the marsh symbolize throughout the novel? How is it a place of sorrow and also of magic? Why do you think that the marsh seems to draw Jez in?

How does this novel address systemic racism? What does it tell us about the role police played in institutionalizing racism? What does it tell us about systemic racism within school systems?

How do Gullah traditions and learning rootwork help Jez feel connected to her family and their past? What does this allow you to conclude about traditions and oppressed peoples?