QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What attracts Laura Lynne Williams to life in the wilderness of the Bryansk Forest in Russia? The area is isolated, the weather can be extreme, corruption is endemic, and the villagers are mostly poor and have suffered tremendous hardship. What motivates her to stay in the village of Chukrai? Why does she ultimately choose this life? What does she admire about this place and the lifestyle of those who live there?
2. Discuss how Laura feels when she visits the United States after living in Russia. Is her reaction to being home what you would expect?
3. Discuss how people perceive Laura as an American. Do the villagers view her as an outsider?
4. Early in the book, Laura assists in delivering a baby on a Russian commuter train. What does this experience mean to her?
5. Why does she structure the book according to the seasons of the year?
6. Discuss how Laura combines her own story with the larger story of the village and Russia as it evolves. Is this narrative technique successful? What perspective do these stories give the reader about life in Chukrai as well as life in Russia?
7. Laura explores not only the history of the village and the country but also its folklore. Discuss some of these superstitions and stories and how they enrich her experience.
8. Discuss the relationship between Laura and Igor. What do they share? How does this relationship contribute to her sense of life in the village and to the natural world around her? What motivates them to stay and continue their conservation efforts despite the fact that the system is corrupt and that it is hard to prosecute poachers?
9. How do conservation efforts in Russia compare to similar efforts in the United States? What distinguishes Igor in his conservation efforts? What approach does he take?
10. Discuss the importance of Laura's relationship with Olga Ivanovna. Why does she value this relationship so much?
11. Laura encounters many animals during the course of the book. Why is the stork particularly significant to her? Why is the book called The Storks' Nest? What is the significance of the black stork to the story of Chukrai and the nature reserve?
12. Why does Laura find the story of the "wild old woman" whom Igor encounters in his early travels in the forest (pages 270-273) so intriguing? Does her description of the woman who lives in the forest reveal anything about her own feelings about her life in Russia?
13. There is a certain timelessness about life in Chukrai. In reading the last chapter of the book, describe what Laura's concluding descriptions tell us about what she loves about the life there. What does she feel about her place in this community? How has it changed during the course of the year she describes?
14. Discuss the significance of the last lines of the book. Why does she conclude with a description of carrying water?
15. Compare The Storks' Nest with other memoirs that explore an individual seeking closeness or an intimacy with nature, such as Gretel Erlich's The Solace of Open Spaces or Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

For more information regarding Igor Shpilenok's photographs and research, please see www.shpilenok.com.

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