1. What was it about Kien's character that made him dislike school—both in Vietnam and in America—so much?

2. Was Diane right in reacting to Kien's after-school wanderings as she did? Why?

3. What could Diane Olson provide that had been missing but was especially important to Mai? What could Tad give that Loc needed?

4. Were the adults at Bradley High good models of behavior? Why or why not?

5. In what specific ways did Kien show his "street smarts?" Were they all heroic?

6. What special "hold" did Sim Evans have over Bob, the other students, and his own buddies at Bradley High?

Was the racism all his father's fault?

7. "We must repay evil with good, for good is stronger than evil. Evil can almost always be turned to good." Is this really true?