If I Ever Get Out of Here

These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.

Personal Response Prompt

At the start of the novel, Lewis is ostracized by many of his peers for being Native American. How would you respond if Lewis was a student in your class?

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to think about how bullying—a recurring motif in the novel—from both students and teachers might impact one’s ability to succeed. This novel can serve to open the conversation about manifestations of racism in institutions and how, as a class, students and teachers can make everyone feel welcome.

• StopBullying.Gov leads to the U.S. government’s resources on bullying in schools.
• The University of Denver has put together a module of resources for incorporating Indigenous-inclusive practices into the classroom.

Post-Reading Analysis

Gansworth includes tidbits of history about the Native American boarding school system, including its motto: “Kill the Indian but save the man” (108). What do you think Gansworth is trying to teach his readers about this system? How did the system affect not only Lewis’s grandparents but his family as a whole?

Teaching Suggestion: The boarding school system had lasting generational effects on Native American populations, as it worked to destroy Indigenous cultures by emphasizing assimilation into American society and disallowing preservation of Indigenous practices and traditions.