SOUPY LEAVES HOME

By Cecil Castellucci and Jose Pimienta

A Reading Guide

1. Is there one character you relate to more than any other in this story? If
so, who and why?

2. How well do you think Castellucci and Pimienta capture the hobo
experience in depression era America?

3. What do you think Pimientas use of color to tell the story? How did the
images make you feel? What do you think the comics form added to the
story?

4. How do you think gender dynamics plays out in this book? Why do you
think Soupy hid herself as a boy? How were women and girls treated in the
1930s?

5. Have you ever experienced the feeling of not being able to be yourself?
How did you cope? How do you think Soupys solution worked?

6. Do you think it was better/right for Ramshackle and Soupy to conceal

their secrets that of being sick and of being a girl - from each other? Or
should both of them spoken up and told each other the truth? How would it
have helped to reveal? How was it better to conceal?
SOUPY LEAVES HOME
By Cecil Castellucci and Jose Pimienta

A Reading Guide (cont.)

7. Discuss the ethical code of hobos and mulligan stew. Why do you think
the code works? Why do you think that hoboes came up with the ethical
code? Why do you think it was necessary?

8. Discuss the hobo symbols? Why do you think hoboes came up with a
secret language of symbols? How was it helpful to them? What was your
favorite symbol and why? What kinds of codes do you think they would add
today? What would they look like?

9. Did you empathize with the way each character viewed each other?
How did your perception of the other hoboes, Gums, Tom Cat Tuna and
Professor Jack change?

10. Is there a lesson that each character takes away with them at the end
of the story? If so, what is that lesson?

11. The end is tinged with tragedy and hope. How did the ending affect
you?

12. What do you imagine or hope happens next for Soupy? Do you think
that Soupy found home?