Crazy Horse Electric Game Summer Reading Assignment
and Seminar Planning Guide
The following are some topics to explore when discussing the novel. Pick three topics that are interesting
to you. You will only answer questions for three topics.
1. As you read, place sticky notes in your book on the pages where you find passages that connect to these
topics.
2. Answer all questions for your topic in 3-5 complete sentences per answer (handwrite neatly OR type).
a. Write or type the topic and copy the question, writing your answer underneath each question.
b. Your topic sentence for each response must include key terms from the question to show that you
read and understand the question.
c. Your answer must use specific examples from the novel when answering each question.
d. You must explain how your example answers the question.
e. Make connections to your own life experience in your answers.
3. Pay attention to the due dates for each semester so you know when to turn this in! If you have English in
the fall, it is due on September 15th. If you have English in the spring, it is due on February 10th.
PICK ONLY THREE OF THE TOPICS BELOW AND ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS ON THOSE
TOPICS:
Topic 1: Family
● How has tragedy already impacted Willie's family in the beginning of the story? What effect does it
have on his parents and their relationship?
● Review the argument that Willie's mother and father have in Chapter 9? What are they arguing about
and how does their argument change Willie's view of his family? (This is the argument after Willie's
racquetball match with his dad.)
● What is the story behind the bus driver's family? How might this explain his willingness to help out
Willie?
● What kind of "family" does Willie form while he is California? Identify at least three characters who
support him the most at OLCS?
Topic 2: Childhood vs Adulthood
● What are fundamental (basic) differences between children and adults? Look at behavior, beliefs,
learning, morality, etc. What kind of relationships do the differences create between children and
adults?
● How is Willie like a child? How is Willie like an adult? What forces Willie to be adultlike? Is there a
moral question that arises when adults don’t live up to the expectations placed on them as parents?
● How do the adults in the novel struggle with adulthood and parenthood? For what reasons?
● What should childhood involve or be like? What factors eliminate childishness, in life or the novel? At
what point do children become something else?
Topic 3: Leadership
● Identify characteristics of good and bad leaders. Are there examples in current society which may
provide insight into why those characteristics are good or bad?
● How does Willie develop as a leader? What sorts of decisions or choices must he make? What are the
results of those decisions, because he is a leader?
● How does being a leader change responsibilities or actions? How can it change a person? How might it
change you?
● How does being in a leadership role affect behavior and perspective?
Topic 4: Human Nature
● What are people like? What emotions, behaviors, beliefs, etc. make us human? Include negatives as
well as positives.
● What events in the novel allow these emotions, behaviors, and so on to be dealt with? How are Willie’s
(and others’) actions justifiably human?
● What questions emerge regarding the moral implications of being human? How do we justify our
behaviors while still judging others?
● How can Willie’s experiences with the Jo Boys provide insight into possible areas of growth or
understanding?
Topic Five: Understanding Differences
● Where does Willie feel most different in the novel? Why does he feel so different? What decisions
does he make because of his struggles with feeling different?
● How do people deal with differences? What are the prominent differences that we pay attention to
today? How are these unifying or divisive?
● How are differences: racial, cultural, gendered, physical, intellectual; dealt with in the novel? What
conclusions does Willie reach, particularly in terms of his family?
● Have you ever felt different? Discuss a moment in your life, whether at home or school, where you felt
like an outsider. How does this moment compare to a moment in Willie’s life?
Topic 6: Morality
● What responsibilities do individuals have toward other people? (race, gender, culture, humanity) How
should these responsibilities figure into our behavior and beliefs?
● What moral codes exist in our society? What is right and wrong, and how do we determine them in any
given situation? Where do our moral beliefs come from?
● What moral questions are posed in the novel? How are they dealt with? What answers, if any, are
provided? How is Willie’s existence, behavior, and motivation a moral dilemma for both him and those
around him (parents, teachers, friends, etc.)
● How might the moral issues of the novel be dealt with in our present society? Who would we hold
responsible for the things that happened?
What ADVANCED VOCABULARY did you encounter in the novel? Find these 20 words, write the
sentence in which they appear as you encounter them in the story, and look up the BEST definition for the word
according to the context of the sentence and overall text. Then, write your own sentence using the word. You
may do this by typing in this document or handwriting them in on a printout of this document.
VOCABULARY
WORD and
DEFINITION
Example: 1. Doggerel
PAGE
NUMBER
BEST DEFINITION OF THE WORD
Page 321
Rude; crude; poor
1. unison
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 4
2. senility
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 6
3. bewildered
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 18
4. anticipation
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 23
5. epithet
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 51
6. indulge
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 53
7. recklessness
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 54
8. consciousness
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 61
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9. immense
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 150
10. fictitious
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 162
11. terminal
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 212
12. intolerably
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 271
13. astonishing
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 271
14. rendition
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 8
15. vague
Part of speech:
Definition:
Page 8
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Major Character Chart
Give a brief description of their role and importance.
DO NOT USE SPARKNOTES OR ANY OTHER SOURCE OTHER THAN YOUR OWN
KNOWLEDGE!
CHARACTER NAMES
Willie Weaver
Jenny Blackburn
Johnny Rivers
Mr. Samson
Pete Shropshire
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
CHARACTER NAMES
Sal Whitworth
Missy
Sandy Weaver
Big Will
Cyril Wheat
Lacey Casteel
Angel
Andre Porter
Lisa
Sammy
Jack (“Telephone Man”)
Hawk
The Jo Boys
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS