Book Club Discussion Questions for Breathing Under Water by Jacqueline Friedland
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Looking for Breathing Under Water by Jacqueline Friedland discussion questions? You’re in the right place. If you finished the last page and needed to talk about Leo with someone right away, these questions are for you — perfect for book clubs, reading partners, or anyone ready to dive in a little deeper.
Haven’t read it yet? Grab a copy of Breathing Under Water here.
Want to see what we thought of it first? Read our full review → Review: Breathing Under Water by Jacqueline Friedland
About This Guide
Breathing Under Water follows Berry, a vice principal raising her autistic son Leo while her marriage falls apart, and McKenna, a college swimmer drowning under the weight of a scholarship, an ill grandmother, and a life that’s one bad day from collapsing. Their worlds intersect through Leo, and what starts as a summer job becomes the thing that saves them both, in very different ways.
These questions are organized by theme. Feel free to work through them in order or jump to the sections that sparked the most conversation for you.
Getting Started
1. What were your first impressions of Leo? Did it take time to connect with him, given that we only ever see him through Berry’s and McKenna’s eyes?
2. Was this an easy book to get into, or did it take a while to pull you in? What was the moment it hooked you?
Family, Protection & Letting Go
3. Berry believes it’s her job to prepare Leo for a world that won’t always accommodate him. Yvonne says it’s Berry’s job to make Leo not need her. Which philosophy do you agree with more, and why?
4. By the end, both Berry and McKenna have redefined what independence and strength look like. Do you think either one fully gets there, or are they both still learning?
The Cost of Holding Everyone Together
5. McKenna spends the book taking care of everyone else, her grandmother, her team, Leo, while running out of the ability to take care of herself. Where do you think that pattern started for her?
6. Phil hides his business’s bankruptcy from Berry for most of the book. Does his reason for staying silent make his secrecy more forgivable, or less?
Perspective & Whose Story Gets Told
7. Did your opinion of any character change significantly from the beginning of the book to the end? What shifted it?
8. The book alternates only between Berry and McKenna. Would adding Leo as a third point of view have changed how you experienced the story? What might it have added?
Pressure, Performance & What It Costs
9. Leo, Phil, and McKenna are all under different kinds of pressure to perform, to be “fine,” to hold it together, to succeed. Whose pressure did you find hardest to watch?
10. McKenna’s financial safety net disappears almost overnight, despite having a scholarship, a job, and a support system. What does her situation say about how colleges support student athletes?
Meaning & the Title
11. The title is Breathing Under Water. What does that phrase mean for Berry, for McKenna, and for Leo? Is it the same kind of survival for all three?
Wrapping Up
12. Leo takes an enormous risk to clear McKenna’s name. Looking back, was there a moment earlier in the book where you realized he understood more than the adults around him gave him credit for?
If you’re still thinking about Leo, McKenna, and Berry and not quite ready to let them go, here are a few places to go next:
Purchase your copy of Breathing Under Water by Jacqueline Friedland here
Follow Jacqueline Friedland on Instagram
Rate Breathing Under Water on Goodreads
Read our full review of Breathing Under Water
Whose story hit you hardest, Berry’s, McKenna’s, or Leo’s? Share your thoughts in the comments!
