List what you’ve learned about Hibernia Lee Tyson. Circle the top three things about her that you believe are the most important to the story.
Decide what are the three most important facts about Willie’s life. Discuss your choices.
What are some things that make Otis feel better? What do you do to feel better? Who takes care of you when you feel bad?
Describe Hibernia’s relationship with her father. Does he seem strict to you or not? What, if anything, do they have in common?
Why does Otis’s dad move to Philadelphia without his family? What does he ask Otis to do for him?
Why does Willie let Ricky Tate knock him out with one punch even though he loves to box?
What happens when Otis’s dad comes home from Philadelphia to visit the family?
Describe the incident that forces Willie to leave his home and arrive at Mercy. Why does his mother stay? What are the long-term effects of this incident on Willie?
True Vine Baptist Church is like a second home to Hibernia. What does Hibernia like most about church? Who joins the congregation, and what does she ask of the pastor?
Describe Mr. Sneed and Mrs. Weiss’s argument as Otis overhears it. Whose philosophy do you agree with more? Which one do most of your teachers subscribe to?
How does the radio become a connection between Otis and Willie? What does it offer to each boy? Is there anything in your life that is as important as the radio?
What does Hibernia discover in her father’s Bible? How does it make her feel? What do you think she should do?
Lila shares the three S’s for gift giving—sincere, soon, and sweet. Do you agree with her? How does Otis’s attempt to use it on Hibernia work out?
What does Willie find on Christmas Eve? In what ways would you compare him to what he found?
Over time, Willie learns to expand the use of his hands. What two things does he learn that help him?
Why does Mr. Sneed snatch the Philco from Otis and Willie? How is he repaid for his cruelty? How is it eventually recovered?
Describe what happens at the Brown Bomber’s Box Campaign. Does this event change Hibernia’s relationship with her father? What does she learn?
Why is the career of Joe Louis so important to the African American community? Is boxing more than just a sporting event or not? Why? How does it bring all the characters in the novel together?
In the end, what happens to each of our characters? Predict where each of them will be in five years. What about in ten? What evidence from the novel makes you think this?