Session 01 · Book Club
Chapter 1
Salva & the War
Theme — Survival
Survival
The fact of continuing to live or exist, especially in difficult conditions. To survive is not just to stay alive — it is to keep going when every reason to stop seems louder than the one to continue.
"What is the smallest thing that keeps a person moving forward?"
The Recap Race
5 min
30 seconds per person. One student starts — when the timer ends, stop. Another student must jump in and continue sharing.
0:30
Ready
Together, you retell the whole chapter.
Through the Lens
25 min
Today's theme is Survival. Read every question through this lens.
-
1
When the shooting starts, Salva's teacher tells the students to run — but gives no direction. What does it feel like to make a decision when no one is guiding you? Think about a moment in your own life when you had to decide something without anyone telling you what to do.
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2
Salva doesn't know where his family is. He's surrounded by strangers. What is the first thing a person holds on to when everything else disappears? Is it hope? A memory? A habit? A face? What would it be for you?
-
3
The war is the background — but Salva doesn't fully understand it. He's eleven. How much does a person need to understand a situation in order to survive it? Do you think understanding protects us — or does it sometimes make things harder?
Word Harvest
10 min
Each of us shares one word or expression we want to steal from Chapter 1. Where did you find it? Why do you want it?
Your World
10 min
The bridge between Salva's story and yours.
Salva's world changed overnight — without warning, without a plan. Has there been a moment in your life when everything shifted suddenly? What did you do with that?
Salva's survival is physical — running, hiding, moving forward. But survival takes many forms. What does surviving look like in your daily life right now?
If you need a starting point —
When everything changed, the hardest part was...
What kept me going was...
I didn't expect to feel...
The Last Word
5 min
To close every session —
Choose one character from this chapter.
Leave them one final word. It can be a message, a question, a challenge — or simply something you noticed about them that no one else said.
Leave them one final word. It can be a message, a question, a challenge — or simply something you noticed about them that no one else said.
"Salva — I'd tell you: you didn't freeze. That matters more than you know."
One word. One character. Full attention.
end of session · what comes next
How This Book Club Works
5 min
What happened today
You walked into a war zone with Salva — eleven years old, alone, running toward nothing. You asked hard questions. You found your own story inside his. That's not reading. That's attention.
How it works going forward
Before each chapter, you'll get a theme — your lens for the week. You read through it, notice what it reveals, and bring it here. The book stays the same. What changes is what you see.
Next Week · Your Reading Lens
Chapter 2 — A Long Walk to Water
Abandonment
As you read, pay attention to every moment someone is left behind — or leaves. Who gets abandoned? Is it always a choice? Bring one moment that stayed with you.
Session 02 · Book Club
Chapter 2
Salva Wakes Alone
Theme — Abandonment
Abandonment
The act of leaving someone or something behind — completely, without warning. To be abandoned is to discover, suddenly, that you are alone in a way you didn't choose.
"Is being left always the same as being forgotten?"
📖 Your reading lens for this chapter
Read through the theme of Abandonment
As you read Chapter 2, pay attention to every moment someone is left behind — or leaves someone else. Who gets abandoned in this chapter? Is it always a choice? Notice how Salva reacts in the first seconds of realising he is alone. Bring one moment that stayed with you.
Questions to hold while you read —
Who chooses to leave — and who has no choice?
What does Salva do in the first moment he realises he's alone?
Is there a moment where someone almost stays — but doesn't?
Session content unlocked after class
The full session — recap, discussion questions, Word Harvest, and The Blessing — will appear here after your Thursday class.
Session 3
Chapter 3 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Routine
Session 4
Chapter 4 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Friendship
Session 5
Chapter 5 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Protection
Session 6
Chapter 6 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Loss
Session 7
Chapter 7 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Endurance
Session 8
Chapter 8 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Breaking Point
Session 9
Chapter 9 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Grief
Session 10
Chapter 10 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Belonging
Session 11
Chapter 11 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Chaos
Session 12
Chapter 12 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Leadership
Session 13
Chapter 13 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Patience
Session 14
Chapter 14 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Starting Over
Session 15
Chapter 15 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Hope
Session 16
Chapter 16 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Reunion
Session 17
Chapter 17 — unlocked after class.
Theme — Purpose
Session 18
Chapter 18 — the final session. Coming soon.
Theme — Reconciliation