Sutton by J.R. Moehringer Reading Guide-Book Club Discussion Questions-Reviews and Ratings from Book Clubs-BookMovement

Introduction

"Electrifying." --Booklist (starred)

Willie Sutton was born in the Irish slums of Brooklyn in 1901, and he came of age at a time when banks were out of control. Sutton saw only one way out and only one way to win the girl of his dreams. So began the career of America's most successful bank robber. During three decades Sutton became so good at breaking into banks, the FBI put him on its first-ever Most Wanted List. But the public rooted for the criminal who never fired a shot, and when Sutton was finally caught for good, crowds at the jail chanted his name.

In J.R. Moehringer's retelling, it was more than need or rage that drove Sutton. It was his first love. And when he finally walked free--a surprise pardon on Christmas Eve, 1969--he immediately set out to find her.

"What Hilary Mantel did for Thomas Cromwell and Paula McLain for Hadley Hemingway . . . J.R. Moehringer now does for bank robber Willie Sutton." --Newsday

"Thoroughly absorbing. . . . Filled with vibrant and colorful re-creations of not one but several times in the American past." --Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row

"[J.R. Moehringer] has found an historical subject equal to his vivid imagination, gimlet journalistic eye, and pitch-perfect ear for dialogue. By turns suspenseful, funny, romantic, and sad--in short, a book you won't be able to put down." --John Burnham Schwartz, author of Reservation Road and The Commoner

Editorial Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, September 2012: When Willie Sutton walked from Attica Prison on Christmas, 1969, the Irish, Brooklyn-born bank robber reemerged as a folk hero for American everymen fed up with a financial system that favored the rich. Infamous for his flair for disguise, Willie the Actor and his crew shook down 100 banks between the 1920s and his final arrest in 1952. He claimed to have never killed anyone, but he spent over half his adult life in prison, where he saved his sanity by reading classics and meticulously plotting audacious escapes--some successful. In Sutton, J.R. Moehringer (The Tender Bar) performs a similarly audacious feat, tunneling through layers of legend and emerging with a novel that hums with the truth of Sutton's life, with all its dramatic contradictions. Shifting easily between Willie's first Christmas of freedom and the pivotal events of his past, Moehringer's tale of how lost love and desperation compelled Sutton to feats of (admittedly criminal) brilliance rivals those in The Shawshank Redemption. --Mari Malcolm

Excerpt

One

He's writing when they come for him.

He's sitting at his metal desk, bent over a yellow legal pad, talking to himself, and to her — as always, to her. So he doesn't notice them standing at his door. Until they run their batons along the bars. ...

view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. How is Willie Sutton an atypical criminal, unlike those more commonly found in gangster movies and noir novels?

2. Before they set out on their journey, Sutton tells Reporter that newspapers deal in myths, as do “comic books, Horatio Alger, the Bible, the whole American Dream.” Sutton adds, “I used to buy in . . . That’s what got me so mixed up in the first place.” What does Sutton mean? What myths have been highly influential in your own life?

3. For good or ill, how did growing up in Irish Town shape Willie? What did he learn from the neighborhood code of honor? From seeing his parents struggle financially? How did his abuse at the hands of his brothers forever alter the trajectory of his life?

4. Discuss Willie’s best friends Eddie and Happy. What do they provide for Willie, and what do they cost him? How do they mirror his brothers?

5. What’s the larger significance of the brutal scene at the slaughterhouse? Does it come to mind at other moments in the book, such as when Willie crosses paths with Arnold Schuster?

6. Sutton tells Reporter and Photographer that the “real hero” of the 1969 moon landing was Mike Collins, the one astronaut who never set foot on the lunar surface. What does Sutton mean? In what ways does this remark open a window into Willie’s worldview?

7. What role does Daddo, a relatively minor character, play in Willie’s development and later life?

8. Discuss the symbolism of eyes and the connection among characters who lose their sight or suffer some eye injury—Daddo, Eddie, Margaret, Arnold Schuster.

9. Willie flatly claims: “Money. Love. There’s not a problem that isn’t created by one or the other. And there’s not a problem that can’t be solved by one or the other.” Do you agree?

10. At the start of Part Two we learn that Willie is fascinated by the safe “as an intellectual subject, as an abstract concept.” How does the idea of a safe, of something valuable locked inside something impenetrable, recur throughout the story?

11. What do we learn about Willie through his interactions with Wingy?

12. While at Eastern State, Willie receives an off-the-cuff but elaborate diagnosis from the prison psychiatrist. Do you agree with the doctor? Is he too harsh? Too soft? Is it possible the doctor is the only person who ever sees Willie for what he really is?

13. Do you think Willie is a good person? If so, how to explain his inability to live by society’s rules? If not, how to explain his dedication to nonviolence, his love of literature, his genuine empathy for the suffering of others? And if he’s a rare mix of both good and bad, did his punishments fit his crimes?

14. Sutton seems struck and slightly bothered by the notion that he’s not a hero but an antihero. Which does he seem to you—hero or antihero? Or neither?

15. Willie argues that to live in society, to survive, each of us must take something away from somebody. Each of us must rob. Is he being glib, or does he make a valid point?

16. When Sutton meets Bess’s granddaughter, Kate, he provokes her to reveal a different version of his affair with Bess. Does he accept her version or simply ignore it? Which version of the novel’s love story do you believe—the one Willie remembers or the one Kate heard from her grandmother? Does the scene with Kate change how you feel about Willie? Does it make him seem delusional, or does it simply raise the idea that there is much about him—and Bess—that we’ll never know? Do you agree with Reporter, in the final chapter, when he muses: “All love is delusional”? 1. How is Willie Sutton an atypical criminal, unlike those more commonly found in gangster movies and noir novels?

2. Before they set out on their journey, Sutton tells Reporter that newspapers deal in myths, as do “comic books, Horatio Alger, the Bible, the whole American Dream.” Sutton adds, “I used to buy in . . . That’s what got me so mixed up in the first place.” What does Sutton mean? What myths have been highly influential in your own life?

3. For good or ill, how did growing up in Irish Town shape Willie? What did he learn from the neighborhood code of honor? From seeing his parents struggle financially? How did his abuse at the hands of his brothers forever alter the trajectory of his life?

4. Discuss Willie’s best friends Eddie and Happy. What do they provide for Willie, and what do they cost him? How do they mirror his brothers?

5. What’s the larger significance of the brutal scene at the slaughterhouse? Does it come to mind at other moments in the book, such as when Willie crosses paths with Arnold Schuster?

6. Sutton tells Reporter and Photographer that the “real hero” of the 1969 moon landing was Mike Collins, the one astronaut who never set foot on the lunar surface. What does Sutton mean? In what ways does this remark open a window into Willie’s worldview?

7. What role does Daddo, a relatively minor character, play in Willie’s development and later life?

8. Discuss the symbolism of eyes and the connection among characters who lose their sight or suffer some eye injury—Daddo, Eddie, Margaret, Arnold Schuster.

9. Willie flatly claims: “Money. Love. There’s not a problem that isn’t created by one or the other. And there’s not a problem that can’t be solved by one or the other.” Do you agree?

10. At the start of Part Two we learn that Willie is fascinated by the safe “as an intellectual subject, as an abstract concept.” How does the idea of a safe, of something valuable locked inside something impenetrable, recur throughout the story?

11. What do we learn about Willie through his interactions with Wingy?

12. While at Eastern State, Willie receives an off-the-cuff but elaborate diagnosis from the prison psychiatrist. Do you agree with the doctor? Is he too harsh? Too soft? Is it possible the doctor is the only person who ever sees Willie for what he really is?

13. Do you think Willie is a good person? If so, how to explain his inability to live by society’s rules? If not, how to explain his dedication to nonviolence, his love of literature, his genuine empathy for the suffering of others? And if he’s a rare mix of both good and bad, did his punishments fit his crimes?

14. Sutton seems struck and slightly bothered by the notion that he’s not a hero but an antihero. Which does he seem to you—hero or antihero? Or neither?

15. Willie argues that to live in society, to survive, each of us must take something away from somebody. Each of us must rob. Is he being glib, or does he make a valid point?

16. When Sutton meets Bess’s granddaughter, Kate, he provokes her to reveal a different version of his affair with Bess. Does he accept her version or simply ignore it? Which version of the novel’s love story do you believe—the one Willie remembers or the one Kate heard from her grandmother? Does the scene with Kate change how you feel about Willie? Does it make him seem delusional, or does it simply raise the idea that there is much about him—and Bess—that we’ll never know? Do you agree with Reporter, in the final chapter, when he muses: “All love is delusional”?

Suggested by Members

We compared Sutton as a bank robber of the 20's and 30's to domestic terrorists today.

by preteenamy (see profile) 09/18/13

Weblinks

»	Watch J.R. Moehringer discuss the origins of the book
»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Follow J.R. Moehringer on Facebook
»	Follow J.R. Moehringer on Twitter
»	Follow J.R. Moehringer on Facebook

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

An Interview with J.R. Moehringer

How did you hear about the story of Willie Sutton, and what made you want to turn it into a novel?

I used to hear about Willie Sutton all the time when I was a boy. My grandfather was fascinated by Sutton, and the fellas who hung out at the corner saloon with my Uncle Charlie spoke about Sutton with a kind of perverse admiration. For them, as for countless Americans, Sutton was a lovable rebel, a gentleman bandit, a kind of Robin Hood. So maybe it’s natural that he popped into my head during the global financial meltdown of 2008. As I watched with horror, and anger, the chaos and suffering caused by banks, I thought of this legendary figure who’d dedicated his life to taking down banks. And I thought this would be an interesting time to write a novel about him.

What are the challenges or benefits of writing a novel that is rooted in historical fact? What forms did the research take?

The benefit is that you have a readymade story, with a basic structure and chronology. You have a real person, with a real date of birth and a real date of death and some indisputable facts in between. You’re grounded by those facts, secured and comforted by them, as is the reader. But you’re also constrained. Sometimes you want the story to go in a completely different direction, and it won’t; the facts won’t let it. Sometimes you want the protagonist to make different choices, better choices, and he simply can’t.

In your Author’s Note you say this book is your “guess” about what happened to Willie when he got out of prison, but it’s also your “wish.” What do you mean by this?

Picturing Willie’s life, trying to divine his motivations, I didn’t always feel as though I was imagining. I was often guided by a kind of wishful novelistic thinking. I believed, or wanted to believe, that Willie was a good person at heart, and thus that’s what he became in my book. A good person gone bad.

Did you take the tour yourself and visit all of the locations in the book?

Every last one.

Why did you make Willie so literate, reading classics, poets like Ezra Pound and Hart Crane?

I didn’t. Life did. That’s one of those indisputable facts about Willie. By all accounts he was a voracious reader. Maybe it was all the time he had on his hands in prison, but I don’t think so. I think he was a born reader. He had a gift for language. I got my hands on a letter he wrote to his publisher and I was amazed by how beautifully it was written.

Do you agree with Sutton about the pervasiveness of myth in our culture? And is the novel still able to contribute to mythmaking?

Yes, I think we’re inundated with myth. It takes different forms, it evolves with technology, but it’s still a vital part of us. Which is good and bad. Myths can mislead us, yes, but they can also help us find meaning. And I think the novel, though it’s on the wane, though it’s been overtaken by other media, can still have mythic power. And I hope it always will.

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.

Member Reviews

Overall rating:

by Jennifer K. (see profile) 05/28/18

"Sutton"by Jaylene M. (see profile) 03/26/14

I found this story about Willie Sutton to be especially interesting given that it was based on a real life criminal. I found Sutton to be a brilliant, humorous soul who did what he needed to get by.

"Interesting character study"by Diane J. (see profile) 03/26/14

This was a fascinating look into the psyche of one of America's most infamous (and popular!) bank robbers. It was an easy read and quite a page turner, with a surprising twist at the end. Great book!

"Interesting"by Amy G. (see profile) 09/18/13

There were several key phrases that caught my attention. I thought it interesting several main characters were never given proper names, but that also showed the importance they served to th... (read more)

"Sutton"by Beth O. (see profile) 09/05/13

"Superb writiing"by ralph b. (see profile) 06/04/13

"A biography disguised as a novel"by Yvonne O. (see profile) 05/29/13

Once you accept that this is just a fictionalized biography of a once-famous bank robber who has a unique memory of his past, you will enjoy the ride.

"Sutton"by Maryann G. (see profile) 05/02/13

Loved getting a glimpse into the life and mind of Willie Sutton!

"Sutton"by Marty K. (see profile) 04/29/13

This was a terrific story. You feel compassion for this bank robber right from the beginning and you maintain it till the very end, which is when you learn things are not always what they seem to be!... (read more)

"I'm not a historical ficion buff, but this was excellent!"by Reilly S. (see profile) 03/15/13

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