My Name Is Leon Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Brixton Riots and our BookBrowse Review of My Name Is Leon.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. "You're nice and big for your age. A right little man" (1), the nurse tells Leon when he visits the hospital the day Jake is born. Discuss your first impression of Leon and Carol. Is the nurse right in her assessment that Leon is a "right little man"? Do you think his size changes expectations for his behavior, and does he meet these expectations? Is Carol's initial behavior in the hospital indicative of what is to come? How so?
2. On page 23 Leon notes, "things have started to get jangled up at home." Discuss the ways in which Carol's depression becomes increasingly apparent from Leon's point of view. How does Leon attempt to cope with the changes?
3. Consider the ways in which notions of right and wrong are examined in the novel. Do the adults appear to have a better grasp than Leon of right and wrong in their dealings with Leon and Jake? Consider Carol, Tina, Maureen, Sylvia, Mr. Devlin, and Tufty in your response.

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Simon & Schuster. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.