The Mermaid Riot
Joy E. Held
Reading Group Discussion Guide
Book Club Conversation Starters
Saturday 2 May 2026
- Tobi and Serena were the best of friends and everyone expected them to become more than friends until a disagreement between their families happened over who was responsible for the death of Tobi’s father who worked for Serena’s father in the phosphate mine. As you read about the accident, do you think it was right of Mrs. Doyle to blame Mr. Robinson or was it an unavoidable situation? Mining accidents and deaths still occur all over the world wherever this type of work is necessitated such as the extraction of diamonds and coal. There are laws in some countries protecting these workers. Do you think mine owners should provide safety to their employees? Can you find a news article about a recent mining disaster and compare it to what happened in the Robinson Phosphate Mine?
- Why do you think Tobi had to find out for himself if Dr. Trask had captured a mermaid? Was it peer pressure? Did he believe the Root Seller Woman? If so, why? Was there some other reason that Tobi did something so out of character at least from Serena’s perspective?
- The phosphate industry helped bring Charleston, South Carolina back from the brink of financial ruin after The Civil War, but it was eventually supplanted by the discovery of the “stinking stones” in Florida. Today, both states have permanently damaged ecological disaster areas that the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States calls “legacy pollution” sites that are in constant reclamation. The water and soil are contaminated with lead and arsenic which were byproducts of mining phosphate rocks and preparing it for use in fertilizer production. Multiple acres of land are uninhabitable perhaps forever. Keeping in mind the era of Reconstruction following the war, do you think the results of the mining were worth it? Here is an article from The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services that you may want to read Historic Superphosphate Fertilizer Industry in S.C.
- One of the major themes of The Mermaid Riot is the warning “don’t believe everything you’re told.” Can you point out any of the ways or scenes where Tobi and Serena experience this adage? Have you ever had a situation where this idea played a role? What happened? What did you learn?
- Do you have any questions about the characters in the story?
- Looking ahead, do you have any ideas about how Serena and Tobi’s life will change after The Mermaid Riot?
Thank you for reading The Mermaid Riot! Please be on the lookout for Book 2, Revenge of the Mermaid where Serena comes face-to-face with the mermaids and strives to solve their concerns while keeping her family intact! Coming 2026 from Headline Books, Inc.
Joy E. Held
Joyeheld.com
