Do you think Slavenka's commitments to left-wing social ideas and relatively right-wing economic ideas are in tension with one another? Why or why not?

What is the communist mindset? How does Slavenka think one gets rid of it?

Why was Slavenka not optimistic about democratic government in Eastern Europe?

What was Slavenka's attitude about the treatment of women in Eastern Europe? What were some feminist complaints that resonated with her? What were some feminist complaints that did not?

What is the role of commodities in How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed? Do they have a spiritual dimension? If so, what is it?

What is the significance of the mink coat? Of make-up? Of Slavenka's doll? What do they all represent to Eastern European women like Slavenka?

Why do you think the vast majority of characters in the book are women?