1. Lowry Pei's Family Resemblances (1986) tells the story of Karen, a fifteen-year-old girl who spends the summer with her aunt and begins a relationship that she must leave just as she realizes she is in love. Compare Pei's book with The Arizona Kid. How are Karen and Billy alike? How are they different? Are their relationships with Augusta and Wes similar? What changes from a boy's perspective to a girl's?

2. AIDS is openly discussed in The Arizona Kid—Billy asks Wes if he has been tested for the virus and Wes serves as a counselor on an AIDS hotline.

How was AIDS first discovered in the United States? What is currently being done to curb the spread of this deadly virus? What more could be done? Look at Randy Schilts's book And the Band Played On.

3. Lew's father belongs to...