Moral dilemmas for teens to tackle

As a secondary school teacher I have read and studied this book with over 60 students. The overall response of 12-14 year olds didn't vary much. The kids either loved it or hated it. Armstrong uses a young black boy's character to tell this story of class segregation, morality, and life's common injustices. The boy is never given a name which makes identifying with the character easier for readers of all ages. His descriptions of events that happen to him are vivid, emotional, and universal. Some of the issues that parents or teachers can discuss during a reading of this novel are racism (naturally, but honestly dealt with and not an excessive, repetitive theme), moral choice, crime and punishment, education, human cruelty and human generosity. The title is the name of the boy's father's hunting dog, which Armstrong uses adeptly to highlight the father characterization and personal (or pet) relationships but also as a symbol that paces the plot providing continuity and cohesion. As a classroom novel this book contains excellent topics for research: sharecropping, post civil war economy, race,class,and regional differences, morality and ethics, and the human/animal bond. My favorite scene takes place in the jail when a guard blatantly and brutally destroys what the boy had brought to his father. The boy is nearly consumed with anger and hatred toward the guard and recalls a time he saw a bull die of strangulation. I ask my students "What emotions is he feeling?", "Why does he think of the bull?" and "Do you think he hates because of racism? or what the guard did? or does he feel helpless at an abuse of authority?" Armstrong describes in detail but leaves the whys to his audience to apply to their own experiences. I think this is an excellent book to read for anyone age 10 or older and can be re-read often with ever new insights and understandings.