Not Nothing
Alex had it pretty rough, even before The Incident. Now he’s living in foster care and doing community service at Shady Glen Senior Home. Josey’s life was no picnic, either. He hasn’t spoken a word in five years. But when Alex shows up- he’s finally ready to tell his story.
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What the Book is About
Jewish Content and Values
Content Advisory
What the Book is About
Twelve-year-old Alex is haunted by a painful loss and an act of violence he committed in a moment of blind rage. Holocaust survivor Josey Kravitz struggles with his own losses and hasn’t spoken to anyone since arriving at Shady Glen Retirement Home five years earlier. The two meet when a compassionate social worker sends Alex there to do community service. Sensing that his long-dead wife wants him to talk to Alex, 107-year-old Josey breaks his silence and begins sharing his life story. This moment of trust boosts Alex’s self-esteem and soon he befriends other residents and even another middle school volunteer, Maya-Jade. The new friends interview Josey and other residents for her bat mitzvah project. But when Maya-Jade learns what Alex did, she assumes wrongly) that it was a hate crime and she’s horrified that she invited Alex to celebrate Shabbat with her moms. Alex’s therapist, a trans man, offers comfort and support from his own personal history. The story’s main theme–that no one should be judged solely for the worst thing they’ve done–is a memorable one. Mature readers will be caught up in these compellingly told intertwined tales of forgiveness and redemption.
Jewish Content and Values
- Josey’s Holocaust story includes Kristallnacht and scenes in concentration camps.
- Maya-Jade and Alex interview residents of Shady Glen for her bat mitzvah project. She invites Alex to her house for Shabbat, where they light candles, say the Shehecheyanu (the blessing for special occasions), and have challah.
- Many Jewish values appear throughout the book, including teshuvah (repentance), apologizing, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and kindness from and toward strangers.
Content Advisory
Josey’s Holocaust memories are intense but not graphic and are age-appropriate. Alex’s mother, loving but neglectful, has disappeared from a psychiatric hospital. Maya-Jade feels anxious about her mom’s cancer but tells Alex it has a ninety-five percent cure rate. Readers learn that Alex hit a classmate in the head with a baseball bat, and there’s a reference to blood on the ground.
Despite the level of serious content, the tone never gets too heavy, and the story is balanced by multiple examples of kindness and themes of repentance and forgiveness.
What the Book is About
What the Book is About
Twelve-year-old Alex is haunted by a painful loss and an act of violence he committed in a moment of blind rage. Holocaust survivor Josey Kravitz struggles with his own losses and hasn’t spoken to anyone since arriving at Shady Glen Retirement Home five years earlier. The two meet when a compassionate social worker sends Alex there to do community service. Sensing that his long-dead wife wants him to talk to Alex, 107-year-old Josey breaks his silence and begins sharing his life story. This moment of trust boosts Alex’s self-esteem and soon he befriends other residents and even another middle school volunteer, Maya-Jade. The new friends interview Josey and other residents for her bat mitzvah project. But when Maya-Jade learns what Alex did, she assumes wrongly) that it was a hate crime and she’s horrified that she invited Alex to celebrate Shabbat with her moms. Alex’s therapist, a trans man, offers comfort and support from his own personal history. The story’s main theme–that no one should be judged solely for the worst thing they’ve done–is a memorable one. Mature readers will be caught up in these compellingly told intertwined tales of forgiveness and redemption.
Jewish Content and Values
Jewish Content and Values
- Josey’s Holocaust story includes Kristallnacht and scenes in concentration camps.
- Maya-Jade and Alex interview residents of Shady Glen for her bat mitzvah project. She invites Alex to her house for Shabbat, where they light candles, say the Shehecheyanu (the blessing for special occasions), and have challah.
- Many Jewish values appear throughout the book, including teshuvah (repentance), apologizing, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and kindness from and toward strangers.
Content Advisory
Content Advisory
Josey’s Holocaust memories are intense but not graphic and are age-appropriate. Alex’s mother, loving but neglectful, has disappeared from a psychiatric hospital. Maya-Jade feels anxious about her mom’s cancer but tells Alex it has a ninety-five percent cure rate. Readers learn that Alex hit a classmate in the head with a baseball bat, and there’s a reference to blood on the ground.
Despite the level of serious content, the tone never gets too heavy, and the story is balanced by multiple examples of kindness and themes of repentance and forgiveness.
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