May is Jewish American Heritage Month. In celebration, we’ve gathered books that tell stories with important messages for you to think about as the month progresses. 

This month’s fiction book is The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros. This historical fiction story follows Alter, a Jewish boy in 1893 Chicago. Alter only wants to work to make money so his family can come to the U.S. from Romania, but a mysterious string of murders have other plans for him. By the time Alter realizes the string of murders is targeting Jewish boys, it’s too late: his best friend, Yakov, has already been killed. Suddenly, Alter has nobody to turn to, except a boy he once knew that he’d rather forget. Forced to work with one another, the two attempt to uncover the mystery behind Yakov’s death while Alter tries to deny old feelings from his past.

This month’s nonfiction book is called The Wave by Todd Strasser. It is a retelling of an experiment in Palo Alto, California, in the 1960s, with names changed to protect privacy. A history teacher, Ben Ross, is doing a lesson on the Holocaust when a student asks him why everyone in Germany stood by and allowed murders to happen. To respond, Mr. Ross creates an experiment where he simulates a system of discipline in his class. The experiment soon turns into a movement that takes over the entire school and transforms it into something monstrous, challenging how students respond to peer pressure forever.\

Enjoy your reading and happy May!