BOOK CLUb
Discussions

1. Is the world of Cromby’s Axiom a dystopia or a utopia?
2. The year in which the story takes place is never stated explicitly, but enough information is given for it to be determined. So, in what year does the story transpire?
3. Is Edgar C. Shripton a villain or a hero?
4. Shripton points out that every step in the development of the humanity-technology symbiosis –  which reaches its pinnacle in the society of Cromby’s Axiom –  was welcomed by the vast majority of the population as something desirable. In what ways has that been evident through the first quarter of the twenty-first century? Does this imply that the society of Cromby’s Axiom, in general terms if not specific details, is inevitable? Can we do anything to prevent it? Or, more crucially, should we?
5. Why was it compulsory for everyone to be attached to the Hive?
6. Shripton argues that the society he is defending is precisely what people want. Yet people interviewed after reading Cromby’s Axiom invariably say that they would not want to live in such a society. What do you think the author is trying to point out here?
7. What does the book have to say about religion?
8. Harrison explains that the “T” in “T-Day” stands for “transistor.” Why do the Freemen commemorate T-Day? What does the transistor represent?
9. The author has said, “I had to publish this book now [2021] because I was afraid that in fifteen years people would read it and say, ‘What’s the big deal?’” Since the publication of Cromby’s Axiom, has the world moved closer to or further from the society depicted?
10. Why were paper-books banned?
11. In an off-hand remark (p. 161), Shripton gives an explanation for why extra-terrestrials have never visited Earth, and why they are unlikely to ever do so. Do you agree with his reasoning?
12. In what ways is this book similar to Orwell’s 1984?

‍Just for fun: In the world of Cromby’s Axiom, the world’s #1 sport is American football, followed by golf at #2. Do you agree with those predictions? What would you predict?

1. In what ways are the two main characters, Coach Arne Viimets and walk-on player Kevin Willister, similar? How do they differ? 
2. What does the walrus symbolize in the story?
3. In Belinda’s final letter to Arne (The Music of the Gridiron, pp. 295-298), she quotes a nursery rhyme on the last line. Where does the line come from, and what is its significance?
4. What does “Entry 1” (Pacing the Sidelines, first page) have to do with the story?
5. How does Brian Wrightman illustrate a fundamental change in the Redmen over the course of the three seasons? Compare Pacing the Sidelines p. 219 with The Music of the Gridiron p. 232.
6. In what ways do Arne’s tastes in music (and in particular his dislike of jazz) reflect his style of football?
7. Athletic Director Carolyn Henzie is presented as a nemesis to Coach Viimets throughout the story. But is she really? What is your opinion of the AD at the end of the trilogy? Has it changed from your first impression?
8. Arne claims he is not superstitious (First and Ten, p.184). What do you think?
9. Arne is faced with a very difficult choice in The Music of the Gridiron, one which almost tears his soul in two.  What choice would you have made? Could Arne have handled things differently?
10. What is your view on the importance of coaches in instilling team spirit and maturity? Has your view changed from the time before you read the book?
11. Could some of the points made in the story be taken out of the context of a sports team and be applied to, say, a workplace environment? 
12. The In the Shadow of the Goalposts trilogy runs almost 270 000 words. What surprise is revealed with the very last word?

‍Just for fun: If you were putting together a coaching staff, which coaches from the story would you include, and which would you exclude? Defend each choice against someone who disagrees.

1. How is hammer-throwing used as a metaphor?
2. In which ways did each of these four students influence Mark’s development as a teacher: Ted Rembowski, Donna Macpherson, John Buckman, Michael Brewster?
3. Maintaining discipline in a high school classroom is a tricky task. Why was Mark more successful toward the end of the school year than he was at the outset?
4. Both Mrs Macpherson and Mr Rembowski cause Mark no end of trouble. In what ways are these two parents exact opposites of each other? 
5. The author clearly exaggerates the eccentricities of a number of characters. Do some of them remind you of real individuals, either public figures or people in your own workplace?
6. At one point Mark laments that parents “don’t have a clue about what education is.” What does he mean by that? Do you agree?
7. Did anything in the book surprise you about the profession of high school teaching? And after reading the book, do you have more, or less, respect for high school teachers?
8. In what ways does Mark’s relationship with his wife reflect his changing level of maturity?
9. The story takes place in the years 2010 – 2012. Could the same story take place in the present time? What differences would there be?
10. Internal politics aside, is Winston Grant a functional or a dysfunctional school? Are the teachers, in general, competent or incompetent? Is there evidence to support your answers? Would you send your child there?

‍Just for fun: Can you see James D. Hancock as a Member of Parliament?