Before the Ever After

One of the things ZJ worried about in the novel was things never being the same again. As the novel ends, what about the Johnson family life has changed? What aspects remain the same?

ZJ’s friend group is the Fantastic Four, which is also the name of a group of superheroes by the same name. How are Woodson’s characterizations of the boys similar to a band of superheroes? How are they different? Feel free to compare them to Marvel’s Fantastic Four or superheroes in general.

How does the novel’s structure relate to the photo wall in “Down the Hall from my Room?” How does it reflect human memory? Use examples from the text.

How does the final poem, “Music,” connect to all of the themes in the book?

Choose three poems from the novel that use the before and after motif. What do they reveal about the novel’s characters or the themes?

Trees play a symbolic role in this novel, taking on different meanings in different contexts. What do they represent to ZJ? To Zachariah, Sr.? To the plot development? Use examples from throughout the novel to explain each.

ZJ uses songwriting to express his emotions and process his relationship with his father. Use examples from the text to analyze ZJ’s different emotional states throughout the novel.

What does Woodson suggest about childhood in this novel, and how is it different from other realistic fiction novels about children of the same age group?