1. When Daniel Musgrove learns that his family is moving from Indiana to Mississippi, he angrily muses that "there was nothing down there but redneck sheriffs and protesting Negroes and civil rights workers buried in earthen dams" (page 6). Are his perceptions of the South proved correct in any way? At the end of the novel, do you think Daniel would describe the South differently?

2. Tim and Daniel spent their early years in very different communities, and grew up in quite different families. Why is their friendship such a strong one? What do they have in common?

3. What was your reaction when Arnita — fresh out of a coma — announced her new identity? Do you think she truly believed what she said, or were there other reasons for her insistence? Why was Arnita's speech to the school so provocative to both black and white students in the audience?

4. In an interview Mark Childress once said about readers of One Mississippi he encounters: "Everyone [tells] me about their own high school experiences, and that is exactly what I wanted. I wanted the book to remind you what it was like to be sixteen." What was your high school experience like? Did parts of this novel make you feel nostalgic for the early 1970s? What do you miss about those days? What don't you miss?

5. Tim harbors a secret throughout the novel that propels him to the book's explosive conclusion. Did learning his secret help you feel sympathy for his choices throughout the book — especially regarding Arnita and Eddie? What did you think of Daniel's reaction to Tim's revelation?

6. Daniel has a fraught relationship with his father. What do you think motivates Mr. Musgrove to be so hard on his younger son? Have they reached any kind of mutual understanding by the end of the book, or is this just a temporary reprieve? How do you think their relationship will develop from here on in?

7. Do you think everyone in the novel feels guilty about something? Do you think anyone in the novel is completely innocent? Trace the lines of guilt that connect the characters to each other and each other's secrets.

8. Mr. Waxman's students devoted much time to preparing for the All-State band competition, so the black students' protest during the competition itself was especially upsetting to many of their white classmates. Do you feel the protest was justified? How did Daniel's perception of this protest change as he considered both sides of the debate?

9. One Mississippi ends in a shocking way. What unexpected sides of Tim's and Daniel's characters are ultimately revealed? Might anything have averted the events at the school in the final scene?