Ungifted

Donovan, Chloe, and Dr. Osborne each narrate their experiences of Donovan’s first day at ASD. What do multiple perspectives of the same event enable for a reader’s understanding? Explore using specific examples from the text.

Donovan mentions his ancestor, James Donovan, who survived the sinking of the Titanic, several times throughout the novel. What does James represent for Donovan, and what does his story communicate about the value of unpredictability? 

What does the novel suggest about human growth and development? Explore using at least three specific examples from the text.

When the robotics team helps Donovan steal a new motor for Tin Man from a school floor polisher, Noah experiences an adrenaline rush. He notes that “[i]t was almost as if I hadn’t really been alive until Donovan showed up at the Academy” (94). How do Noah’s efforts to feel alive change over the course of the book, and what is the significance of these changes?

What and who does Tin Man represent in the novel?  

When Dr. Shultz returns to ASD to take Donovan away, Chloe defends him, saying, “Donovan might not be gifted in the same way as the rest of us, but he’s the heart and soul of our team!” (123). How does her perception of Donovan reflect her growth as a character?

After he is sent back to Hardcastle, Donovan describes feeling as if he “had a foot in two different worlds, and they were moving apart” (137). How and to what extent is this feeling of his resolved at the end of the novel?

Why is it so important to Noah that he can be wrong? Explore using specific examples from the novel.