Theo and his sister, Annie, love to spend Shabbat with their grandparents, sharing delicious meals, family warmth, and lively spirit. At least Theo loves it until his friends and teammates start going out without him on Friday nights. Theo’s classmate, Gabe, has a father in the military and his mother was a nurse who died of COVID. Theo, Annie, and Gabe narrate the chapters of this novel from differing perspectives, each of them interesting and perceptive. The book addresses how antisemitism affects the lives of American youth and the various ways in which they attempt to handle it.
An avid soccer player and his team’s co-captain, Theo, like his friends, looks up to professional athletes who have reached a pinnacle in their careers. But when one of these role models makes derogatory remarks about Jews, Theo’s friends don’t seem to care. Even worse, antisemitism begins to seep into Theo’s own school. Theo has an emotional crisis that changes his relationships and opens up a whole new set of views about the world and about the people who inhabit his life.
Theo and Gabe are paired for a classroom project about cultural roots and decide to interview Theo’s grandfather, a Jewish immigrant with a strong sense of identity. Theo’s bar mitzvah is rapidly approaching and with it a sense of looming responsibility at a time when Theo is already experiencing turmoil. He is not quite ready to shoulder its heavy emotional weight. Theo and Annie’s parents strongly believe in activism and standing up for who you are, but Theo has a long way to go and much learning to do before he is ready to commit himself to their values.
This is an important book for the young people of today who are themselves grappling with prejudice and a lack of understanding and tolerance. Antisemitism is on the rise in many of their own lives and this well-told story may help them develop the tools with which to deal with the uncertainty and fears that surround them.
Don’t Feed the Lion will help the reader clarify their point of view and can help strengthen an important sense of self, as well as provide a gripping and satisfying reading experience.
Michal Hoschander Malen is the editor of Jewish Book Council’s young adult and children’s book reviews. A former librarian, she has lectured on topics relating to literacy, run book clubs, and loves to read aloud to her grandchildren.
