Throughout the novel, Yona struggles to understand her identity as she transforms from a German girl named Inge to the “proud Jewish hero” (356) of the novel’s final pages. How does this transformation take place? Discuss the events that contribute to Yona’s ultimate understanding of who she is—and how she becomes that person.

Why does Jerusza keep Yona isolated in the forest, away from all human contact, until she reaches adulthood? How does this isolation prepare her for the role Jerusza believes she is destined to fill?

Jerusza tells Yona that she is who she was born to be, but Zus says that what matters is what we choose to do with our lives. The question of choice versus destiny looms large in The Forest of the Vanishing Stars. How does Yona reconcile this apparent contradiction? How does it affect her efforts to save lives?