Hacks cover

Hacks

by Christopher S. Wren

Assigned to cover yet another ethnic conflict, T.K. Farrow, a jaded newspaperman, finds himself competing for scoops against Cassandra Benoit, a fresh-faced Canadian schoolteacher-turned-amateur reporter who strings for public radio. Even as she challenges everything he and his hard-bitten colleagues take for granted, T.K. finds himself drawn to Cass, who is intent as much on saving humanity as on reporting the news. As Equatoria explodes into full-fledged civil war, T.K. and Cass's rocky affair is interrupted by a boozy Washington pundit, a TV anchorman with a face that launched a thousand focus groups, and a sinister guerrilla leader known as the Doctor. When the final battle sends laptop computers, television cameras, and satellite up-links crashing into darkness, T.K. must make a decision as professionally and personally daunting as any he has faced: should he rescue Cass or hang in to cover the best story of his career?

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?