The characters in Mexican WhiteBoy face a wide range of challenges. Some are unique to an individual character, while others struggle to overcome larger societal problems. Identify challenges faced by three different characters. Describe the issues and how they manifest themselves in the characters’ lives. Use specific examples, including the character’s perception of the problem, his or her own role in relation to it, and how the character deals with said obstacles.

Hope is a consistent theme throughout Mexican WhiteBoy. What does the narrative say about the idea of hope? Consider when it is present and when it is not and how those instances shape the experiences of the characters.

Several variations on family are portrayed in Mexican WhiteBoy. Discuss what defines a family in this novel: Is it who lives in a house together? A shared last name? The credo by which they live or the values they share?