Curriculum Guide: Introduction

Sample Discussion/Exam Prompts

1. (W) The intro states that the book’s chapters are divided into six sections and readers can skip around between them. What are the organizing principles that structure this manuscript?


2. (C) How does this book define itself in opposition to more traditional biographies?


3. (P) What is the “debt” Volpert says she owes? Do you agree with her claim that “it has to be paid forward because it can’t be paid back”?


4. (C) What is a parasocial relationship? What is the evidence that Volpert is engaging in one with Petty?


5. (P) What is the classic myth of Sisyphus? According to the introduction, what are the characteristics or components of a happy Sisyphus?


6. (W) What is the effect of Volpert’s “spoiler alert” about never getting to hear the song at a show?


7. (M) To what extent are you familiar with Petty’s music generally? How does your knowledge of Petty’s body of work inform how you process the four lessons Volpert learned from him?


8. (M) The author metaphorizes the Heartbreakers as a marriage and provides some evidence of the similarities between bands and marriages. Do you agree with her assessment, or is there a better metaphor to describe relationships between band members?