1. Watch a sports film centering on the efforts of a team to succeed against great odds, such as Breaking Away, Hoosiers, or The Bad News Bears. Discuss the extent to which Stotan! shares similar characters and themes and how it differs.

2. In Chapter 6, Nortie, Jeff, and Lion each share a story from their past. Discuss what these stories reveal about each teller and their relevance to the novel as a whole.

3. Examine the novel's attitudes toward death and the various ways the main characters react to it.

4. In Chapter 11, Max tells Walker, "But no matter how decent you are, no matter how intensely you work toward the light, nothing changes the past.

This is a world where you pay for everything you do." Discuss this statement as it applies to the novel's main characters.

5. Read Crutcher's Running Loose, noting its...