NOT NOTHING, by Gayle Forman, Aladdin, Aug. 27, 2024, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 10 and up)
A boy is forced to volunteer at a retirement home and learns to confront his own past in Not Nothing, by Gayle Forman.
Alex is twelve, and he did something very, very bad. A judge sentences him to spend his summer volunteering at a retirement home where he’s bossed around by an annoying and self-important do-gooder named Maya-Jade. He hasn’t seen his mom in a year, his aunt and uncle don’t want him, and Shady Glen’s geriatric residents seem like zombies to him.
Josey is 107 and ready for his life to be over. He has evaded death many times, having survived ghettos, dragnets, and a concentration camp—all thanks to the heroism of a woman named Olka and his own ability to sew. But now he spends his days in room 206 at Shady Glen, refusing to speak and waiting (and waiting and waiting) to die. Until Alex knocks on Josey’s door…and Josey begins to tell Alex his story.
As Alex comes back again and again to hear more, an unlikely bond grows between them. Soon a new possibility opens up for Alex: Can he rise to the occasion of his life, even if it means confronting the worst thing that he’s ever done? —Synopsis provided by Aladdin
I love multigenerational books because they provide perspective in a natural way. And Gayle Forman is an expert at making this happen.
At the center of Not Nothing is Alex, a kid that fits squarely into the “fell through the cracks” category. His life has been anything but simple, and not that it excuses his actions, but it’s no surprise that his temper finally got the better of him. Alex is a complicated character whose layers are explored as Forman teases both his and Josey’s stories forth.
In fact, with the exception of those on the periphery, all of Forman’s characters feel as if weighted in reality.
Of course, Josey and Alex’s stories are the ones that keep the pages turning. Forman makes you want to learn more. You become invested, and feel edified after finishing Not Nothing.
Not Nothing is a moving story of the human experience. With themes forgiveness, acceptance, friendship, fortitude, and love, it’s well worth reading.
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