"This is Valerie's world in miniature. She makes it what she wants it to be...without war, racial hate or misunderstanding. Ken and Barbie (dolls) are man and woman rather than Mom and Dad. They enjoy living and having a camper truck is the good life. Today Valerie has the chichen pox and can't go out and play"

Do you think that Valerie's menagerie of interracial dolls reflect Valerie's own views, or those of her mother? What core values is Valerie's mother trying to reinforce? Do you think Valerie is considering these utopian ideals as she is playing with her dolls?

How might the sons of this home reflect these ideals as they play with their toys?

Discuss the irony of preaching tolerance and social change, while probably living in a predominately white suburb insulated from the crime and deprivation of the inner city.

What do you find unsettling about the phrase "She makes it what she wants it to be." Does life ever really work that way? And why is the mother opposed to the man and woman being viewed as "Mom and Dad"?

Why do you think the mom considers having a camper truck as indicative of "the good life"?

How is the home decor unmistakably 1970's?