1. Some of Susan Eloise Hinton’s novels have been placed in the list of banned books. Why do you think books are put on the banned list, what does that say to you as a student about that book? As you looked through the list of the 100 most challenged books of 1990-1999, did you see any novels that you have read? Do you think that novel belonged on a banned book list?
2. What is the definition of a “Greaser” and a “Soc?” When you went to the Greaser link, what were some of the images that you saw? What time period did they remind you of? If you were given the chance to go back in time and be a Greaser or a Soc, which would you choose and why?
3. The link to runaways stated that nearly 1.5 million youth run away or are sent away yearly, why do you think this is? What were some of the stories from runaway’s that you read, what did they have to say about life on the street?
4. In the novel, the Greasers and the Socs are considered to be gangs; what exactly is a gang? According to the link, is gang membership on the rise in the past years or has it begun to decrease? Additionally, in the novel all of the members of the Greasers and the Socs are male, but do female gangs exists? What do you think about gangs and gang violence?
5. Who recites the poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” in the novel? Who originally wrote this poem and how does it fit into the novel?

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