1. What is a “culture”?
2. How do cultures happen? What forms them? Are they defined by political boundary lines? How widespread does a set of traditions or practices have to be to count as a culture? Or how small can a culture actually be?
3. Are you part of a culture? Perhaps more than one? Can you list them? How would you answer the questions above about the cultures you are part of?
4. Can cultures be created deliberately? Do you see that in the world around you?
5. Some people seem to desire to make themselves “different.” Why do they do that?
6. Why are some people afraid to be different?
7. Why are people afraid of those who are different?
8. What kind of differences do you find uncomfortable? What kind of differences don’t seem to bother you at all?
9. What makes a person “bad”? Does “bad” mean dangerous? Does it mean “a bad risk”? If so, what are the risks? What risks are too dangerous to take a chance on—especially when it comes to becoming involved with other people?
10. Which characters in this book have taken risks? How has each of those risks played out?
11. Is school the only way for someone to get an education? What is an education, anyway? What kinds of things are important for every person to know? What kinds of unlikely or seemingly irrelevant things could you learn that might be beneficial in your active life?
12. Why read the classics?
13. What is meant by the phrase “liberal arts”?
14. Would an auto mechanic benefit from reading Thoreau? Why or why not?
15. Is there honor in what can be termed “blue collar” work? What value does that work have in the world? Can a person support a family doing this type of work? Or find satisfaction? Can this same person educate himself about history or science or poetry even if he has not been college? Would that benefit him or her? Is perception of beauty limited to people who have had extended formal education?
16. Is “the system” perfect? Should we expect it to be? Are there alternatives that work? Even if they work, should we participate in them? Is there a danger in stepping off the beaten path? Is the danger enough of a risk to keep us on that traditional path? If we stay within the bounds of the system, should we feel obligated to become an active part of it, making changes where needed? Why do we often choose not to do that? What systems affect you, and what changes would you like to make in them?
17. Can real love exist between adolescent people? What ages fall within the recognized bounds of adolescence? At what age does the brain become “adult”? Why is it not counted adult before that age? What areas of the brain mature last?
18. Obviously, sexual attraction exists in people who have passed the age of physical maturation. Is physical attraction a substantial enough thing to build a real relationship on? What makes a relationship real?
19. Can girls and boys be friends without having a sexual relationship? Can a friendship like this be powerful and meaningful?
20. Do all relationships end up in life-long commitments? If the answer is yes, explain. If not, why not? Why might life-long commitments be important or desirable? Is a life-long commitment better than a series of short “commitments”?
21. Can school and government authorities be trusted to make consistently wise and correct decisions? Should they be questioned? How can such challenges to authority be conducted with civility and effectiveness? Just because a school official decides something is good for a young person, should parents or the child her/himself feel obligated to comply? Do families have a right to refuse school mandates? Why or why not?
22. When is it good to take a chance? When is it bad to take a chance?
23. When is it good to give someone the benefit of a doubt. When is it not good to do this?
24. Do you believe there really are “bad boys” with good hearts? How do you tell if a person is actually going to turn out to be a good person in the end? What is a good person? Can a good person make bad decisions? Can a good person have bad judgment? Can a bad person do good things? How can you tell what the true pattern of a person’s behavior is when faced with that person’s spectrum of choice-making?
25. What is trust? Is it good to trust? Who should you trust automatically? Or should you? What should you know before you trust? Is your trust emotionally based, or is it based on evidence? Is that good or bad? Safe or dangerous? “Trust can be a burden on someone else;” – what does that phrase mean? When should you trust someone? Why should you trust them?
26. Do you trust yourself? Should you? Is this really a yes or no question?
27. As a young person, what do you really want out of a relationship? What should you realistically expect?
28. Are you a romantic? Is that a good thing? Can a romantic be trusted to make solid decisions? Is a romantic person driven only by emotion and passion? Is a romantic person dreamy? Can they be practical? Is a romantic person likely to do what is best for themselves in the long run? Is a romantic person more likely to choose based on momentary desire—to ignore truth in favor of what “should” be?
29. Is it fair for parents to have an opinion about their kids’ lives? Is it fair or good for them to enforce their opinions? If the answer is yes, under what circumstances? Can parents remember what it was like to be young people? If they can, how might that affect their judgment when they analyze their kids’ situations?
30. Do all risks taken for love or principle work out for the best? Can you think of examples either way?
31. Is family important? Why? What is good about the idea of a stable family? What is good about the idea of family at all? What might be bad about it? What can family do to help people become their best selves? What damage can a family do, and what conditions within the family can result in this damage?
32. If you are a young person, can you talk frankly with your parents? Why or why not? What do you wish would happen to make this good? Do you think that being able to talk frankly with your parents would be a good thing in your life? What do you wish would change so that you could have a satisfying personal relationship with your parents? Do you want one? What would you be willing to give up in order to build one?
33. If you are a parent, are you able to talk frankly with your kids? Do you only talk “at’” them? Do you listen? Can you speak so that they will listen? What do you wish would change so that you could do this? Do you wish to do this? What might you have to give up in order to achieve this kind of relationship? When do you have to start building this kind of relationship? Can you start now?
34. Do you like happy endings? Do you think happy endings are irresponsible? Do you look for hope? What is hope? Is it irresponsible to hope? What good can hope do in a life? What direction is your life going? Are you happy with it? Can you change it? What do you want out of life? Are you willing to give up something to get something better? Are you willing to actively find something better? How badly do you want satisfaction, happiness, safety? Do you think that romantic love can get you these things? Do you feel that your fate is in your hands and in your choices?
35. Are you willing to help those around you as they try to be their best selves? If not, why? If so, how can you do this?
36. These questions are addressed by the characters in this book. Can you answer them from several different characters’ point of view?