1. What is the setting and what kind of culture is being represented?
2. Make sure you are familiar with the characters in the book, especially the main characters.  Know what’s going on in their lives, what they do, and how they interact with one another.
3. Familiarize yourself with Muslim customs including, but not limited to, marriage and mourning.
4. Pay attention to how money is emphasized in the text.  Why is it important?  How is it used?  Who handles it, and under what circumstance does that person handle it?  How is it used in instances involving marriage and death?
5. Pay special attention to who arranges marriages.  Are those who are being married happy about their prospects?
6. Some people in this novel make interesting choices.  Note who makes life-altering choices and what the outcomes of those choices are.  These choices I’m referring to might include, but are not limited to, marriage and relationships.
7. How does the author of the letter feel about her best friend?  About friendship in general?  What are some of the things they have done for each other?
8. What hopes does Ramatoulaye have for her society when she is young?