The themes of childhood—curiosity, fear, uncertainty, and great expectations—are helpful for starting a discussion of World's Fair. Questions about Doctorow's way of turning memory into narrative are then likely to follow, and these should lead to a consideration of how the author creates a vision of a particular childhood against the background of America in the 1930s.

1. Which elements of human nature are highlighted when the vision of a child informs the narrative point of view of a novel?

2. How does Doctorow play with his own history to create a novel that often reads like an autobiography?

3. What are the advantages and limitations of exploring the past from a child's perspective? Does it help for Doctorow to include a few chapters narrated by other family members?

4. Are the other family members portrayed with an independent vitality in this novel? Or do they...