Peer-Reviewed Books

Gaia and Tabitha share reads to reward (or procrastinate on . . . ) a good day of schoolwork

Review: Tammar Stein's The Six-Day Hero

What does being a hero actually mean? Most of us could recite a few inspirational quotes in response, but Tammar Stein’s fantastically written novel The Six-Day Hero takes a much deeper look at the question. The book follows Motti Laor, a twelve-year-old Israeli boy, through the turbulent months leading up to the 1967 Six-Day War, with all the chaos it brings. At the beginning of the story, the Middle East is apparently peaceful – and suddenly, nineteen-year-old Israel and the nations around it are squaring off for another war, Motti’s brother and father are going to fight in it, and his world is turned upside-down.

We see war coming to his Jerusalem neighborhood through the eyes of a real person. Motti is an authentic twelve-year-old, a loveable (though not exactly saintly) kid who narrates with a hilarious mixture of flippant mischief and seriousness. The details of his speech, his attitude, and his escapades make him seem like a real boy. They also make him a poignant vehicle for driving Stein’s point home; the thing that makes The Six-Day Hero truly beautiful is how she handles the theme of what heroism means. Various characters, like Motti’s parents, his older brother Gideon, and their neighbors, demonstrate to us what everyday heroism can look like. Motti learns through them and through the turbulence and tragedy that war brings to his life that you don’t have to be a soldier like Gideon to be truly brave. An original message? Not really, but it’s still powerful.

To sum it up, I really cannot recommend this book enough. The only problem is that Motti swears a tiny bit on occasion, though it’s nothing more than you would expect from a slightly rebellious kid. Just read this book.

Tabitha Artinian is a senior from Ohio who enjoys reading, writing, hiking, and coding. She’s also an amateur musician and composer and wishes she could rant about her favorite progressive bluegrass bands here.

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Review: Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie

“The class met on Tuesdays. The subject was the Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience.”

From the very first words, this poignant memoir reminds us of how little – and yet how much – time we have in the world. It tells the story of a sports journalist who one day, during his midlife crisis, sees his dying college professor on TV. He suddenly remembers the profound questions and discussions he had twenty or so years ago with that special, empathetic professor. Yet this isn’t truly a “story” more than it is a series of aphorisms that describe life and death. Through fourteen conversations spanning the most prominent social discussions of the past century– the fear of aging, marriage, and money– Morrie captures the most quintessential of human experience and somehow weaves together a worldview that is at once profound and yet simple, unpretentious. When we are faced with impending death, we realize how much we have taken for granted. I open up this book to a random page and I’m struck by how much Morrie’s description of a

"half-awake” world mirrors so much of modern culture, where people are addicted to their phones, crossing traffic lights without looking up. Only when death looks us in the face do we really realize how much we overlook in our everyday lives, whether that’s the small connections we never followed up on or curiosity we miss.

Corporate jobs, and even school, often create a sense of hollowness. And, reconnecting with this old professor, with this old friend, Mitch Albom finds what it is. It’s sharing your life, your words, and your thoughts with someone else. Finding someone who means a lot to you. The most difficult thing about the disease, says Morrie, is not the humiliation of my decay, but saying goodbye to my children. Love is the most powerful thing, even if it’s not romantic love but mutual or platonic love, and love is the only thing that can truly fulfill our lives.

Although this book could be considered emotionally “mature,” it is written just as much to high school students as for graduate students. In fact, I think it’s more impactful to read as a teenager, because Morrie warns you before you enter the workforce and fall into the trap of work, work, work. If you are feeling overwhelmed or under constant stress, this is your book. If you are into philosophy or want to understand the shortcomings of our present society, I implore you to read this book. Not only is it a classic that confronts the universal reality of death, but it awakens the mind, making you think about every minute in your precious life, appreciating every opportunity, every exchange with loved ones, every smell and taste and sound that comes your way.

Gaia Daniel is a sophomore from Minneapolis, MN currently taking AP Lit with Mrs. Inspektor, AP US Gov with Mr. Munson, and AP Macro with Mr. Burns. She has previously taken AP Lang with Mrs. Inspektor and AP World History with Mrs. Newman. Outside of school, Gaia is a prize winner of national and international piano competitions, most notably having recently been named a ‘25-'26 NPR From The Top Fellow.

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