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Back Little Universes Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Part 1
  6. Mae
  7. Hannah
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. Part 2
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. Part 3
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. Epilogue
  59. Mental Health Resources
  60. Acknowledgments
  61. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  62. About the Author
  63. Newsletter Sign-up

Huge thanks to my writers—students, clients, and friends—who cheer me on and keep my boat afloat. Big hugs to all my readers, who do the same. I love and appreciate all of you. I’m glad we all get to be on Earth together at the same time. We can do impossible things.

For all my spiritual teachers—the ones I know personally and the ones I only know on the page—thank you for your wisdom and your lifetime of doing the hard work of figuring out what it means to be human. I could never name you all, but here are a few who have personally helped me work the problem of being this particular collection of atoms: David Chernikoff, the MNDFL family—especially Lodro Rinzler and Adreanna Limbach—and, last but not least, Father John Unni at St. Cecelia’s in Boston.

I’ve thanked a lot of scientists here, but there are scores of poets and musicians and writers and painters and makers of things who were with me every step of the way on this journey—you’ve met many of them in these pages. I think they know the secret Dr. Winters was looking for. After all, you can’t spell Earth without “art.”

For everyone reading this, and especially to all the people I know and love struggling with addiction (and the ones I don’t know): you are the miracle. Let’s do right by it together.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Hannah describes her struggle with sobriety like this: “They say you’re clean, but then why do I still feel so dirty all the time? There is no clean. Not for girls like me.” Why do you think Hannah feels this way about herself? What does she mean “girls like me”?

2. When Mae sees River on the train, they talk about Hannah’s addiction, losing loved ones, and letting go. River says, “We cling to the things and people we love because we think they are the source of happiness and light and life for us. But this isn’t true. It can’t be. Because nothing and no one lasts forever.” Mae resists this notion, feeling that River is telling her to give up on her sister, but River insists that it’s about giving up the illusion of control—recognizing that you can’t control someone else’s path or the choices they make once on it. What do you think about this conversation? Do River’s words resonate with you, or do you disagree with them?

3. Hannah is inspired by Yoko Ono and her book Acorn. Throughout Little Universes, Hannah writes her own acorns, leaving them in places people can find. Which of Hannah’s acorns stands out to you? Why?