Death Shall Overcome | Topics for Discussion & Projects

Death Shall Overcome Key Questions

Death Shall Overcome focuses on racism in the business world of Wall Street. In a wishful moment, one might hope that the central issue of the novel were no longer current thirty or so years after its publication, but the topic is still a hot one and still inspires heated, often angry debate. Discussion groups will have difficulty skirting the implications of Lathen's handling of the issue of prejudice against black business men and women; any discussion leaders will need to work hard to keep responses to the book clear and open minded. On the other hand, Death Shall Overcome is an excellent example of how popular authors choose topical social issues as subjects that will attract readers; the principal question from this point of view is does Lathen handle the inflammatory topic thoughtfully and sensitively, or does she exploit it sensationally — simply to sell the book?