Long Division

Compare and contrast City’s character from Part 1 with City’s character from Part 2. How do differences in City’s cultural moment, family dynamics, or friend groups change how he sees and expresses himself in each section? What experiences and misadventures impact his self-discovery journey in each section, and why? What is the thematic significance of these differences and similarities between the two City characters?

Consider City’s relationship with Grandma in Part 1 and City’s relationship with Mama Lara in Part 2. How does City describe his grandmother in each section, and how do the characters relate to and communicate with each other? Consider also the advice City’s grandmother gives City and his response to it.

Compare and contrast two different characters’ relationships to Black identity. Does the novel ultimately suggest that there is a “correct” way to perform Black identity? Why or why not?

How does the novel’s structure and form enact the novel’s narrative conflicts and thematic explorations? Particularly consider City’s relationship with the Long Division book and the interplay between Parts 1 and 2. Consider also City’s first-person point of view and narrative voice.

How does the novel use humor to further its thematic explorations? Close read three excerpts, discussing how humor contributes to the overall meaning of both the passages and the novel.

City’s time traveling exposes him and other characters to new technologies like laptops and cell phones. How does this technology develop the theme of the Impact of Media on Self-Perception?

Consider the role that Evan Altshuler plays in 1985 City’s story, as well as 2013 City’s diatribe about the Mexican American participants in the sentence contest. What is the book’s overall message about the relationship(s) between different ethnic or racial groups that have experienced oppression?

Discuss the significance of the novel’s title (and the title of the book-within-a-book). What does it mean to do “long division,” according to Kiese Laymon?