That Was Then, This Is Now Themes

Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the late 1960s, That Was Then, This Is Now follows a year in the life of Bryon Douglas and his foster brother and best friend, Mark Jennings—two smart-talking, troublemaking teenagers who think they know everything. But over the course of the book, Bryon begins to accept that it’s time to grow up and slowly comes to terms with the fact that he doesn’t have all the answers. He opens…

Although Bryon and Mark are not actually related to one another, Mark lives with Bryon and his mother as an adoptive part of the family, and they often tell people that they’re brothers. To them, brotherhood isn’t limited to biological brothers. Instead, Bryon and Mark see brotherhood as an irreversible pact wherein they are unconditionally loyal to each other—something that is integral to their survival in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is overrun by gang violence…

Violence permeates Bryon and Mark’s gang-filled town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the boys take part in it themselves. They see violence as a source of entertainment, a way to maintain a tough reputation, and the best way to get revenge on people who have wronged them. However, the excitement of fighting wears off for Bryon over the course of the book, particularly because he realizes that “getting even” traps people in an unending cycle…

Bryon begins the novel thinking only about himself and Mark, and he relishes their routine of fighting, gambling, and stealing together. But over the year during which the book takes place, Bryon develops both maturity and deeper relationships with the women in his life—particularly with his girlfriend, Cathy, as well as his mother. In both cases, Bryon starts to think outside of his own perspective and tries to support Cathy’s and his…