1. Adriane agrees to marry Stanley, a man she doesn’t love, because that’s what her father wants her to do. Her father says romantic love isn’t important to a happy life. Do you think he was right?

2. Adriane keeps reminding herself of how the Bible says to honor her father. That’s why she continues to think she should marry Stanley. When do you think it is okay to go against the wishes of parents?

3. Adriane was mistreated as a child by her stepmother. Do you feel her father should have done more to protect her from Henrietta? Could he have in some way, perhaps subconsciously, liked being her rescuer? Or did he really feel Adriane could have behaved better to avoid being punished by Henrietta?

4. Adriane loved getting out the news and Beck says she has ink in her blood. What do you think that means? Was she born wanting to write, or did she develop a love for writing for newspapers because she was around her father and Beck so much?

5. Everyone keeps telling Adriane she will have a “secure” life married to Stanley. Why do you think it bothered her so much when she heard that? Was it only because she didn’t love Stanley, or do you think it had more to do with her feeling she was being shoved into a closet of conformity?

6. Mrs. Wiggenham was an indefatigable matchmaker. It was obviously her intent to bring Adriane and Blake together in hopes that they would be attracted to one another. Do you think she was regretting her own “safe” life and hoping in some small way to rescue Adriane from the same fate?

7. Adriane and Blake had an instant attraction to one another when they met. Do you believe people can really fall in love at first sight? Were you ever attracted to someone that way, and did the attraction develop into stronger feelings?

8. At first, Blake avoids telling Adriane about his past relationship with Estelle Vandermere. Do you think this was because he was worried that Adriane wouldn’t understand or that he was ashamed he hadn’t been more help to Estelle?

9. Adriane is desperately in love with Blake, but she’s not sure she can trust him. Yet she marries him anyway. Do you think she did the right thing?

10. Words Spoken True is set in Louisville, Kentucky, during a very volatile political era when many immigrants were becoming citizens and gaining the right to vote. Longer-established citizens feared this influx of new voters and tried to keep them away from the polls. Do you see any similarities to the political atmosphere of today?

11. The riot in the story was an actual historical event. Blake tells Adriane that no decent man would be part of such a happening. Do you think that’s true, or do you think a person can be swept away by the emotions of the moment and do things that are against his or her moral standards and beliefs?

12. The editors of the newspapers in the 1800s had a lot of influence on their readers. Do you think newspapers have that kind of influence today? If not, where do you think people look to find out more about what’s going on the world, especially in the political arena?