1. Tiffany has her pick of the men on Hilliard's campus, but even from the start she seems drawn to Alex. Does she choose him just because he saved her from Sid? What does Alex offer Tiffany that other men do not?

2. Alex experiences two life-changing events in his youth — the death of his brother and saving Tiffany from her attacker. How do these two events shape the direction his life takes and his attitude towards life?

3. Simon seems purely evil. Is he? Does he really love his daughter?

4. Alex's father is nearly destroyed by the death of his wife and then son. Why can't he recover? What is instrumental in bringing him back into Alex's life?

5. Much of Alex's success after college is due to the influence of Simon. Would Alex have been as successful without Simon's help? Where would he be?

6. Tiffany is the queen of the Hilliard campus and seems to have it all. Does she? What affect did her mother's death have on her? Does she have any suspicions about her father's activities?

7. Without the protection of Fortune, Alex might never have survived his discovery of Simon's secret. Has Fortune redeemed himself? Is this enough payback for his role in Ivan's death?

8. Simon Says is a story of loss and coming of age in a world of drugs and violence. How is this theme explored in the lives of the main characters Alex, Tiffany, Ivan and Fortune? What is Ivan's legacy?

9. Growing up, Alex shrugs off his Shaw background and hopes to leave it behind forever. However, in the end, he finds it may be the one thing that can save him. In the end, what does he come to realize about Shaw and Washington DC?

10. Alex's final confrontation with Simon is, in some sense, the completion of a cycle that began with his brother's death. Does Alex finally avenge his brother?