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What does Junior do after watching Penelope play basketball?
He emails Rowdy, "I'm in love with a white girl. What should I do?"
Who says the quote, "I'm in love with a white girl. What should I do?"
Junior
What does Rowdy compare how Native American men treat white women to?
Bowling trophies
Junior asks Gordy, "How can I get a white girl to love me?" How does Gordy respond?
Gordy does research and tells Junior about how white girls are privileged. He gives the example that 200 Mexican girls went missing, but only a white girl got any attention from the media. He says that Junior liking white women made him a racist asshole.
How does Junior compare Gordy and Rowdy?
Junior says, "In his own way, Gordy the bookworm was just as tought as Rowdy."
How does Junior say he feels about traveling between the "little white town and the reservation"?
Junior says that he, "always felt like a stranger." He says that being Native American was a part time job that didn't pay well
Do the people at Reardan think that the Spokane people have a lot of money? Why or why not?
They think the Native Americans have a lot of money because of the casinos on the reservation and because of funding from the government. In reality, the casinos were mismanaged, far away from major highways, and money-losing
Why does Junior go to Winter Formal although he only had $5?
Because he didn't want Penelope to go with someone else
Whose suit does Junior wear to the Winter Formal? What do the others think about it?
Junior wears his father's suit. Penelope likes it and says, "It's so retroactive that it's radioactive!" This makes everyone else at the dance also agree that they like the suit
How many songs do Penelope and Junior dance to at the Winter Formal? Do they dance to every song?
They dance to all 19 songs (12 fast/7 slow, 11 country/5 rock/3 hip hop)
Does Junior enjoy the Winter Formal?
Yes, he says, "It was the best night of my life."
Finish the quote: "But then she realized that she’d had so much fun that a photograph of the evening was completely beside the point. A photograph would be just a ___ ___."
lame souvenir
Who invites Junior and Penelope to get pancakes after the dance?
Roger
Does Earl (Penelope's father) like Roger or Junior more?
Earl likes Roger more because Roger was the best football player he'd ever seen
What is Roger's nickname for Penelope? What is Roger's nickname for Junior?
Roger calls Penelope "Penultimate" and Junior "Arnie"
What does Roger say about Junior and Penelope in the bathroom at the diner?
Roger says, "I'm happy you guys came tonight. You and Penultimate are a great couple, man."
Who asks Junior if he's poor? How does he respond?
Penelope asks Junior if he's poor. Junior responds with, "Yes, I'm poor."
Why does Penelope cry after the dance?
She learns that Junior is occasionally forced to walk all the way home in the cold after school. She offers for Roger to drive Junior home.
What does Junior say after Roger drives him home plenty of other nights?
He says, "If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing."
How much money does Roger lend Junior at Denny's?
$40
What do some Native Americans think makes you "become white"?
Some Native Americans think that if you try to make your life better or become successful you become white
Junior dreams that he, Gordy, and Rowdy become a superhero trio. What does he want them to fight for?
The truth, justice, and the Native American way
What do the people on the reservation call Junior?
They call him an "apple"
What's Gordy's philosophy on life?
Gordy believes that, "life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of a community."
What does Gordy tell Junior about tribes?
Gordy tells Junior that tribes were created as protection from predators and starvation. Tribes were built and survived because of trust between its members. He tells Junior that they are a tribe of two.
(sidenote: I teared up a little reading the "we have a tribe of two" part bcs ITS SO SWEET???? aw i love happy little things)
What does Mary say in her letter to Junior in chapter 19 (My Sister Sends Me a Letter)?
Mary tells Junior that she is still looking for a job. She complains that all the jobs need experience, but she can't get experience if she doesn't have a job. She started to write a life story in her free time called "How To Run Away From Your House and Find Your Home." She also sends Junior a picture of her home, "the most gorgeous place in the world" (a trailer that looks like a TV dinner tray)
Does Junior originally want to try out for the basketball team? Why or why not?
No, he doesn't because he's scared that he isn't good enough to even make the C squad. He's scared that he's going to be humiliated
What changes Junior's mind about joining the basketball team?
Junior changes his mind after his father tells him about how he met Junior's mother when he was 5 and Junior's mother was 13. He tells Junior that he has to dream big to get big
How does Junior's first impression of Coach change?
At first, Junior thinks that Coach has prejudice against him and is hard on him. As the season progresses Coach's good intentions begin to show. He even compliments Junior.
Why do the basketball fans on the reservation use the name "Arnold" as an insult?
Because "Arnold" is Junior's white name, calling him this is like disowning him. They are trying to make Junior feel like he only belongs at Reardan
Why does Junior change his mind about not sitting out of the Wellpinit game?
Junior sees his mom, dad, and grandma. If they can handle being tormented by the reservation for Junior, he can play basketball for them.
Why didn't Eugene go to college?
Eugene can't read
Why doesn't Junior repeat the conversation he had between the Coach and himself?
Junior says that the night belonged to just him and the Coach
Who wins the first Reardan vs Wellpinit game? By how many points?
Wellpinit wins by 30 points
What quote does Coach tell Junior he likes after they lose the Wellpinit?
"The quality of a man's life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor."
What does Junior's father do whenever they don't have enough money?
He takes whatever money they have and runs away to get drunk
What does Junior's father get him for Christmas? Why is this important?
Junior's father gives him $5. This is significant because he could've spent that money on a bottle of whiskey and gotten drunk for another day or too, but he chose to save it for his son
What is Mary's new year's resolution?
to finish her book by the summertime
What is the worst thing a parent can do, according to Junior?
Ignore their children
What does Junior say the best part of Wellpinit is?
His grandmother
How does Junior describe his grandmother?
he says she was the most amazing person in the world and tolerant
How was Junior's grandmother tolerant?
She talked to invisible people, supported gay people, and was in suppport of Junior going to Reardan
How did Grandma Spirit die?
She is killed by a drunk driver (Gerald) while walking home
What are Grandma Spirit's last words?
"Forgive him"
What is ironic about Grandma Spirit's death?
Grandma Spirit is one of about 5 Native Americans on the reservation who do not drink, yet she was still killed by alcohol
Who shows up to Grandma Spirit's wake? What does he bring with him?
A rich white man named Ted shows up to the wake with a powwow dance outfit that he believes is Grandma Spirit's. Junior's mother tells him that Grandma Spirit was not a powwow dancer and that the outfit looked like it had been made by a different tribe
How does Eugene die?
He is shot by his good friend (Bobby) during a fight they had over who got the last sip of alcohol. Bobby was too drunk to remember pulling the trigger
What happens to Bobby?
Bobby hangs himself in jail due to the regret he feels from killing one of his best friends
How do Mrs and Mr Spirit cope with the loss of Eugene and Grandmother Spirit?
Mrs Spirit goes to church. Mr Spirit goes on a drinking binge
Why does Coach call Junior a "yucker"?
He calls Junior a "yucker" becuase Junior throws up before every basketball game
According to Junior's dad, what's the difference between being nervous and scared?
Nervous means that Junior wants to play basketball while scared menas that he doesn't want to play
How does Junior describe the second game between Wellpinit and Reardan?
He says that it feels like the most important night of his life. He feels like he has to prove something to everyone, including himself
What does Coach want Junior to do during the second Wellpinit v Reardan game?
He wants Junior to guard Rowdy
In the second game, how many points does Reardan beat Wellpinit by?
40 points - Rowdy scored 4 points and Junior scored 3
How many funerals has Junior attended by age 14? How does this compare to his white classmates?
Junior has been to 42 funerals (about 90% of which were caused by alcohol), compared to his white classmates who have all been to less than 5
How does Mary die?
She was drunk and asleep in her trailer during a trailer party and someone left a hot plate on. A curtain got caught on the hot plate and the trailer burned down. Mary was too drunk to wake up
What does Junior throw up that reminds him of Mary?
Cantaloupe
What does Rowdy do at Mary's funeral?
He hides in the treeline and cries
Who says "Love and death, it's all love and death"?
Junior's father
What story does Junior's father tell Junior about Turtle Lake?
Once, a horse drowned in Turtle Lake. A few weeks later, the turtle washed up on the shore of Benjamin Lake, 10 miles away. Then, some guys burned the horse in a dump. A few weeks later, Turtle Lake caught on fire. After that, people stayed away from the lake. But when they came back, they found the horse washed up on the shore, so they let it rot. It took an unusually long amount of time for the horse to rot, but when it did the skeleton remained. It took a few more weeks for the skeleton to collapse
Who tells Junior, "You're going to be a star"?
Roger
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