READERS GUIDE
Questions and Topics for Discussion
1. 10th Grade begins with a camping trip in the Grand Teton mountains. What is the significance of this particular mountain range, and how does it hint at Jeremy’s coming struggles?
2. Jeremy doesn’t have a single friend at the beginning of tenth grade. He seems like a nice kid. Why has he had so much trouble socially in previous years?
3. Does Jeremy have a close relationship with his family? His conversations with his parents often don’t seem to address things directly, but is there some other kind of important communication going on between them?
4. Jeremy writes with horrible grammar, and he can’t place a comma correctly to save his life. Is he a bad writer? Why did the author choose to have Jeremy write this way?
5. Jeremy likes to talk to Gillian about love and other important matters. What is it about these conversations that is so appealing to him?
6. Jeremy mentions several times that he’s not interested in Caroline romantically. Is he telling the truth? Can you be attracted to someone and not attracted to them at the same time?
7. What’s so great about Renee? Is Jeremy in love with her just because she’s beautiful? Is he really in love with her?
8. Jeremy writes that he has a “healthy curiosity” about pornography. What does he learn from his foray into New York City to buy “French Lust?”
9. Jeremy abandons Gillian and her group of friends for a more popular clique. Is this just an example of social climbing, or was something else going on? Should Jeremy have stayed with his original group of friends?
10. After deciding not to smoke marijuana with “the Gillian group,” Jeremy does try pot for the first time with Renee. Why does he change his mind about experimenting with drugs?
11. Jeremy claims that he’s not going to describe his final encounter with Lenea in detail because it’s “2 peoples business.” Is this the real reason he fails to explain exactly what happens between them? What do you think took place in the bedroom?
12. Would you describe 10th Grade as a happy story, or a sad one? How do you think Jeremy will look back on his sophomore year?
