Keith Raffel - The Official Website

You can order Keith's book,
Dot Dead, at these online retailers:


Audio Book
You can order the audio book format of Dot Dead at these online retailers:

Dot Dead

Discussion Guide

  1. Paul is Ian’s role model.  The two men even seem to be attracted to the same women. Just how alike are they?
  1. Ian starts out believing that hard work and intelligence get you what you want. How do his views change in the course of the book?
  1. Silicon Valley seems to have its own distinctive culture. Just what is distinct about it?
  1. Can you compare Ian’s mother and Rowena’s mother? How are they alike? How different? And how does that affect their children?
  1. Why does Paul pull the plug on the Bonds Project?
  1. What does it say about Ian that he still lives in his hometown?
  1. When push comes to shove, whom can Ian really count on?
  1. What do we learn about Kathy Berk? Can you guess what her internal life is like?
  1. Does Ian embrace Jewish values? How?
  1. How do we learn about Gwendolyn’s character and personality as the book goes on?
  1. Is justice done by the end of the book?
  1. Silicon Valley was once known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its orchards and farms. In Palo Alto people didn’t lock their doors. In a generation the apricot trees and dairy herds were replaced by tilt-up buildings and expressways. Starter houses were replaced by multi-million dollar mansions. What does Dot Dead say about this transformation?Is it an improvement?