The Young Landlords

In Chapter 2, a lawyer asks, “Who’s Paul Williams” (29), thus revealing the name of the as-yet-unnamed narrator. What other authorities in the book ask that question and in what ways? Does Paul ask this question of himself?

At various points in the story, a lawyer, an accountant, and a numbers boss each provide services only they can give to the Action Group for little or nothing in return. Why do these businessmen show this generosity to a group of relatively naïve teenagers?

Chapter 4 describes Chris’s arrest by the police. Chapter 3 describes the arrest of Paul, Dean, and Gloria. Chapter 16 describes the stern warning given to Paul and Dean by the police. What do these police interactions reveal about Systemic Racism in Late 20th-Century America?

At various points in the narrative, Omar, Bubba, and Paul’s father suggest that the fact someone is in the custody of the police means they are probably guilty of violating some crime. What underlying attitude is revealed by these comments, and how does Paul challenge this attitude?

What does Paul mean when he says he realizes his father fears losing him the way he lost Paul’s uncle, Jerry? What sort of changes in Paul’s life and in his relationships with his parent would signal that Paul is lost?

What does the developing romance between Paul and Gloria reveal about their development? How does it serve as part of a coming-of-age narrative for both of them?

At the beginning of the novel, residents of the Stratford Arms seem wary of each other and of their new landlords. By the end, they work together to throw a successful block party. What changes make this cooperation possible? What does it suggest about the future of the Stratford Arms/The Joint?

Paul grows in many ways over the course of the narrative. What other members of the Action Group demonstrate that they too have learned and grown? What adults in Paul’s life experience changes as a result of these events?