The Boy on the Wooden Box

• Genre: Nonfiction; young adult memoir
• Originally Published: 2013
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1000L; grades 7-12
• Structure/Length: 10 chapters, plus prologue, epilogue, and afterword; approx. 256 pages; approx. 4 hours, 14 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: This narrative recounts the experiences of young Leon Leyson during the Holocaust in Poland. Leon worked in Oskar Schindler’s factory—running a machine by standing on a box due to his youth and small size—thus evading execution.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: The Holocaust; wartime violence; labor camps; death of family members

Leon Leyson, Author

• Bio: 1929-2013; born in Narewka, Poland; survived the Holocaust by becoming one of the youngest workers of Oskar Schindler (Schindler’s “list”); moved to US in 1949; served in the Korean War; worked as a teacher and guidance counselor for almost 40 years; received an honorary doctorate in humane letters (Chapman College)
• Awards: Christopher Award for Books for Young People (2014)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Irrational Nature of Antisemitism
• Passive Resistance in the Face of Oppression
• The Importance of Kindness in Dark Times

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the cultural and historical context of the Holocaust that incites Leon’s conflict.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Irrational Nature of Antisemitism, Passive Resistance in the Face of Oppression, and The Importance of Kindness in Dark Times.