Protect and Defend

Protect and Defend

a novel

by Richard North Patterson, Richard North Patterson, R N Patterson

2000
1.0(1)
avg. reader rating
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About
On a cold day in January President Kerry Kilcannon takes the oath of office-- and within days makes his first, most important move: appointing a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Kilcannon's choice is a female judge with a brilliant record. And a secret. While the Senate spars over Caroline Masters' nomination, an inflammatory abortion rights case is making its way toward the judge--and will explode into the headlines. Suddenly, the most divisive issue in America turns the President's nomination into all-out war. And from Judge Masters to a conservative, war-hero senator facing a crisis of conscience and a fifteen-year-old girl battling for her future, no one will be safe. Protect and Defend takes us on a riveting journey between what is legal, what is right . . . and the price of finally knowing the difference.

Discussion questions for Protect and Defend

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  1. 1

    Caroline Masters' "brilliant record" is complicated by a deeply held "secret." How does the novel explore the tension between a public servant's private life and their professional duties, and do you believe a person's past personal choices should always be fair game in public scrutiny for high office?

  2. 2

    The description highlights the journey between "what is legal, what is right... and the price of finally knowing the difference." Where do you see this tension most acutely played out in the story, and what "price" do different characters pay for their convictions?

  3. 3

    The inflammatory abortion rights case serves as a major catalyst for the plot. How does Patterson use this highly divisive issue to illuminate the complexities of American politics and personal beliefs without necessarily taking a definitive side?

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