1. Throughout the story it seems as if Shiloh is fighting a losing battle. The desire to help the People and teach the children and bring peace among the two cultures seems like an impossible dream. Have you ever found yourself fighting a battle you knew you might never win? What was it? Did you keep trying? Why or why not?

2. Shiloh’s relationship with her sister Jordan had been difficult for a long time. One reason was Shiloh’s inability to forgive Jordan’s lies about Jesse. The grudge she held against her sister kept them far apart. Have you ever held a grudge that you struggled to release? Is forgiveness and acceptance sometimes beyond our ability? Why might that be so?

3. Being an outsider is something that both Shiloh and Jesse understand. Jesse, most of all, struggles to be at home and accepted anywhere he is particularly outside the community of the Utes. Share about a time when you were the outsider. What did it feel like? How did you handle it?

4. Jesse has turned his heart against God not only because of his experiences as a child but because he cannot forgive himself. His heart is so closed off from his faith and from God that it affects his ability to truly love. Why does this happen? Why do you think that the choice to open our hearts to faith in Jesus impacts our ability to love and care for others especially, those closest to us?

5. The conflict between the Utes and the U. S. Government is central to this story. How did you feel as you read some of the details of that conflict and how both sides treated one another?

6. Both the Utes and the white communities harbored suspicion and distrust of one another and every action on either side seemed to confirm and ingrain these beliefs and stereotypes. Have you ever lived in a community or neighborhood that struggled with a similar clash of cultures? Is it possible for two drastically different ways of life and belief to coexist peacefully? How do we or can we work toward acceptance and harmony within our own communities?

7. Shiloh’s ideals and commitment seem so sure and strong throughout the story. Do you think Shiloh is naïve and simplistic or is she the character in the story with the strongest and truest faith?

8. Kwana says “Compromises that are usually the most important are also the most painful.” Shiloh and Jesse come many times to an impasse that seems impossible to cross. They want to be together but the compromises and sacrifices to make that happen just seem far too much to take. Have you ever been in a similar situation, faced with a seemingly impossible choice? Did you compromise or sacrifice something dear to you? How did you resolve this conflict?

9. Another wise pronouncement from Kwana: “Shiloh wouldn’t be who she was if she wasn’t just as she was.” What does this mean? Shiloh and Jesse both struggle to maintain their identity and be authentic and true to themselves. How do we know what really makes us who we are? How do we guard that and make choices that honor the person God made us to be?

10. Jordan’s story takes a sad and unexpected turn in this book. What do you think is next for her? If you were to write the next few pages of her story what would happen to her and her family?