UW-Madison alumna Liza Wiemer’s upcoming young adult (YA) novel, “The Assignment,” is being published for release on Aug. 25.
Wiemer graduated from the School of Education in 1986 with a BS in elementary education.
“The Assignment” follows a group of students as they must grapple with a school assignment that encourages intolerance and discrimination. As the students decide to take a stand against this antisemitic assignment, the student body, school administration, their parents, and the larger community are forced to confront these issues as well.
Of particular interest to educators, Wiemer’s book address topical issues, such as appropriate approaches to teaching the Holocaust, student influence on curriculum, and the deeper consequences of school assignments.
Without “demoninzing” the teacher who gave the assignment, Wiemer explores the complexities of problematic actions and the power of owning mistakes.
For early reviews of the book, check out Goodreads.