​Discussion Questions for
All We Have Left

 
1.     Do you think Jesse would have painted graffiti on the mosque if she had never met Nick? Does this excuse her?

2.     Is it surprising Alia’s mom would prefer she not wear the hijab? In what ways do Alia and her mom differ on the subject?

3.     Why do you think Jesse and Nick use “Nothing” as their graffiti tag?

4.     What does Alia’s cartoon superhero Lia represent to her?

5.     When Alia meets Travis, she makes some assumptions about him without even knowing him. Is she the only character in the book to do this?  

6.     Why does Jesse have so much trouble telling her father how she really feels?

7.     How do you think you would react in you were in the Twin Towers that day?

8.     When Jesse first meets Adam, she doesn’t realize he is Muslim. Do you think she would have felt differently about him if she had known?

9.     Alia says: “Faith and strength aren’t something you wear like some sort of costume; they come from inside of you.” What does she mean?

10.   Jesse says: “When something terrible happens, all we have left is choice. You can fill that awful void inside you with anger, or you can fill it with love for the ones who remain beside you, with hope for the future.” What do you think this meant to Jesse? To Alia? What does it mean in your own life?