Questions for Discussion

[The Kansas Center for the Book at the State Library of Kansas wishes to acknowledge the generous permission from St. Martin’s Press for use of the following reading guide.]

  1. Coach Barta is very clear about his approach to coaching high school football early on in Our Boys: “None of this is really about football…What I hope we’re doing is sending kids into life who know that every day means something.” His main goal is to raise the town’s children well, but do you think there’s something about his philosophy that actually helps the team win? Why?

  2. The residents of Smith Center are very close-knit. Jay Overmiller tells Joe Drape, “I’m one of those lucky guys who have coffee every morning with Mom and Dad.” Many of the boys on the football team work closely with their parents and aim to one day take over their family business. What are the benefits of having multiple generations of a family reside in the same town? What opportunities does it provide for the kids? Does it hinder them in any way?

  3. What are some of the things the boys’ mothers do to show their support for the team? How do they influence the boys? The team parents don’t seem to push their children too hard to excel at football, nor do they seem to be overly competitive with one another. Why do you think that is?

  4. Since there’s so much talk about the prior year’s talented senior class, this year’s seniors are under a great deal of pressure to carry on their streak. Do you think that’s a burden for them? Or does it help inspire them? Have you ever been in a similar situation?

  5. Coach Barta is known to be superstitious. He tells the players not to talk about wins or losses, but the players’ mothers plan meals for thirteen games—all the way through the regular season and into the state championship. Do you think this is a sign of their unconditional belief in their boys, or of their practical natures? Do Coach Barta’s superstitions signify anything more than his own practicality?

  6. Think about the differences between small town and city living. Do you think there’s something about living in a small town like Smith Center that deepens the impact of Coach Barta’s lessons? What kinds of opportunities does small town life offer kids? What about urban living? Do you think one is better than the other for raising kids?

  7. “Training camp is meant to forge camaraderie through communal misery.” Have you ever had an experience like this that helped you bond with others? Why do you think it works? What does that say about human nature?

  8. What do you make of the fact that no political campaign ads—for either Republicans or Democrats—ran in Smith Center during the 2008 presidential campaign? When a place is seen as so solidly aligned with one party that neither feels the need to advertise, what effect does that have on the people who live there?

  9. Many Redmen supporters are townspeople who no longer have children in the Smith Center school system. How does it benefit the town to have something to rally around?

  10. Do you think that in some ways Smith Center football acts as a kind of equalizer, erasing the differences between the poorer kids and the relatively more affluent ones? Are the “country boys” equally at home on the team?

  11. Consider the influence of the prepzone.com message boards. Do you think that knowing what other people all over Kansas think about them had an effect on the team? What about the coaches? Is there any advantage or disadvantage to having this kind of knowledge?

  12. Take a moment to discuss how the Redmen handle themselves—and treat one another. What does that say about the character of the players? Do you think Coach Barta—and all of Smith Center—have succeeded in raising the kind of kids they want to raise?

You may also be interested in other Kansas books about community—click on the Read-Alike link to see more titles