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The Charlotte Jewish News- October 2026- Page 10
Sue’ s Book Club
By Sue Littauer
While searching for my next book, I was delighted to discover Heather Morris has a new title,“ The Wish.” Morris is the acclaimed author of“ The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” the international
bestseller that sold millions of copies worldwide and was later adapted for television. She followed its success with“ Cilka’ s Journey” and“ Three Sisters,” continuing her focus on true stories of people whose lives were shaped by World War II.
“ The Wish” is such a beautiful story. Powerful, well written, sad and emotional. It is the sort of book that will stay in your heart and mind for years to come. The story follows Jesse and Alex. Jesse is a 15-year-old girl who is dying of leukemia, who loves her family and friends. She makes a wish to have a video experience made of her life. Alex is a lonely 29-year-old game developer who helps bring her final wish to life. The close bond that develops between the two drives the novel to fruition.
As I prepared to write about“ The Wish,” I came across a question in the online information about its author: Is Heather Morris Jewish? Given that she has written extensively about the Holocaust and that her books are part of the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library collection, I had assumed she was. She is not.
That discovery raised another question. The subject matter and themes of“ The Wish” are not specifically Jewish, so where does the book fit within the criteria I have traditionally used for this column and our book club?
For some perspective, I turned to my daughter, Dodie, who recently received an award recognizing her as the best Hebrew schoolteacher in Atlanta. Together, we decided it was time to
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broaden the criteria: Along with books by Jewish authors and those exploring Jewish subjects, we would include books that illuminate Jewish values.
I’ m not going to give away the details, but two of the characters become bone marrow donors. And there you have it: pikuach nefesh, the Jewish principle that preserving human life takes precedence over almost all other religious commandments. As Jewish tradition teaches,“ Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved an entire world.”
You’ ll have to read the book to discover which characters make that extraordinary choice.
Other Jewish values also emerge throughout the story of Jesse and Alex: love of family, tradition and shalom bayit, the pursuit of peace and harmony within the home. As you can probably tell, I highly recommend this book.
Heather Morris may not be Jewish, and“ The Wish” may not be a Jewish story in the traditional sense. But perhaps that is precisely what makes it worthy of inclusion here. Jewish values are not confined to stories about Jewish characters. Sometimes, we recognize them most clearly in the choices people make: to love, to sacrifice and, when given the opportunity, to save a life.
The Center for Jewish Education( CJE) Book Club meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month in Room A-110 on Main Street at Shalom Park.
Center for Jewish Education Book Club Schedule
The Center for Jewish Education( CJE) Book Club brings community members together to discuss selected books. Meetings take place on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM in Room A110 at Shalom Park, with all featured books available through the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library and Resource Center. Participation is open to all. To join, register as a USER at the library desk. For more information, call 704-944-6783 or contact Sue Littauer at sueb. littauer @ jewishcharlotte. org
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Sponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, the group welcomes all readers. To join, register at the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library and Resource Center, where all of the featured books are available. For more information, contact Sue Littauer at sueb. littauer @ jewishcharlotte. org.
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