Educators, welcome!

Though the book takes place in the present day, the heart of it is Josey’s recounting to Alex the story of how the heroism of a woman named Olka saved his life. It includes age-appropriate depictions of what life during the Second World War was like for Polish Jews—from Hitler’s invasion of Poland, to the confiscation of properties and businesses and the closing of schools, to the forced move to the ghettos and ultimately the liquidation of the ghettos and the journeys to forced labor camps. While the book does not shy away from Nazi brutality, it is mostly presented off page. Josey’s story focuses on Olka, who is not Jewish and is even somewhat anti-Jewish at the start of the book but who evolves and grows and “rises to the occasion of her life,” ultimately saving Josey’s life. This representation of allyship is another contemporary theme to explore.

Assets:

• Discussion Guides

• Curated testimonies from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The book’s overarching theme is what happens when a person is “invited to rise to the occasion of their lives.” As Alex himself is inspired to do this, he turns away from anger and resentment and discovers how fulfilling it is to do things for others. Acts of service, done in a community, have been shown to increase adolescent feelings of joy and reduce loneliness and anxiety. To inspire classrooms to follow the example of Alex and Maya-Jade (who launch a project called Operation Rise), we are encouraging students to join Operation Rise. Operation Rise is a loosely based club, which can be implemented in a classroom or after-school project, that encourages young people to take small steps to engage in the world (the real world, ideally, not a virtual one) and rise to the occasion of their lives, in whatever way that means to them.

Assets:

• Operation Rise Poster (18x24 and 24x36)

• Operation Rise Club on Instagram for sharing things they’ve done.

• Dedicated Operation Rise Newsletter

Alex and Josey are both isolated and lonely, common feelings among young adolescents who increasingly spend their lives on screens, as well as among older people whose mobility and independence may be waning. The relationship between the two generations is genuine and healing, and 100 percent replicable in real life. Educators can use Not Nothing and ancillary support material to encourage students to connect with elders in their lives, whether they are grandparents, neighbors or residents at local assisted-living facilities. Relationships like these can provide “living history” lessons for young people and crucial connections for older people. To support this process, I have created content that both gently humorizes the generation gap and provides tools (interview prompts, joint projects) for crossing it and forging meaningful bonds that I believe can improve the mental health and happiness of both cohorts.

Assets:

• Guide To Your Olds/Youngs: A booklet for older and younger generations with a tongue-in-cheek glossary of terms for the generations, as well as more substantive open-ended questions to encourage a dialogue between them. Download the at-home version here.