Tucson Jo
Jo’s father is running for mayor of Tucson. He’s expecting her to set a good example and “act like a lady.” Whatever that means…
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Content Advisory
What the Book is About
Jewish Content and Values
Content Advisory
The book includes antisemitic slurs (including “Jew! Jew! Jew!”), bullying at school, and an antisemitic political leaflet. There is some physical violence, including Connie’s father beating him and a shootout at a train station during which someone is killed. None of it is graphic.
What the Book is About
In 1882, fourteen-year-old Josephine (“Jo”) lives in Tucson with her parents and two siblings. When her father decides to run for mayor, he faces a rival candidate—her best friend Connie’s father—who turns out to be dishonest and willing to play dirty, including using antisemitic election leaflets. Alongside the campaign, Jo pushes for more independence: she wants to wear trousers, learn to ride a horse, and study Talmud, even as she struggles with what her family expects of her. As tensions rise, Jo tries to balance loyalty to her father with standing up for her own beliefs. By the end, Jo and her father have a stronger relationship, and an afterword explains that her father’s character is based on Charles Strauss, who became Tucson’s first Jewish mayor.
Jewish Content and Values
- Jo and her family are Jewish; Jo wants to study Jewish texts and her brother Isaac teaches her Hebrew.
- Jo’s father responds to antisemitic attacks by affirming Jewish pride.
- The book includes quotes/ideas attributed to the Babylonian Talmud about not publicly shaming others (“A person who shames his neighbor is like someone who has shed blood”), and Isaac explains a core ethical teaching as “Don’t do to others what you would not want done to you.”
- There are references to Shabbat observance and to Jewish communal life (including Jewish women’s charitable work in town).
Content Advisory
Content Advisory
The book includes antisemitic slurs (including “Jew! Jew! Jew!”), bullying at school, and an antisemitic political leaflet. There is some physical violence, including Connie’s father beating him and a shootout at a train station during which someone is killed. None of it is graphic.
What the Book is About
What the Book is About
In 1882, fourteen-year-old Josephine (“Jo”) lives in Tucson with her parents and two siblings. When her father decides to run for mayor, he faces a rival candidate—her best friend Connie’s father—who turns out to be dishonest and willing to play dirty, including using antisemitic election leaflets. Alongside the campaign, Jo pushes for more independence: she wants to wear trousers, learn to ride a horse, and study Talmud, even as she struggles with what her family expects of her. As tensions rise, Jo tries to balance loyalty to her father with standing up for her own beliefs. By the end, Jo and her father have a stronger relationship, and an afterword explains that her father’s character is based on Charles Strauss, who became Tucson’s first Jewish mayor.
Jewish Content and Values
Jewish Content and Values
- Jo and her family are Jewish; Jo wants to study Jewish texts and her brother Isaac teaches her Hebrew.
- Jo’s father responds to antisemitic attacks by affirming Jewish pride.
- The book includes quotes/ideas attributed to the Babylonian Talmud about not publicly shaming others (“A person who shames his neighbor is like someone who has shed blood”), and Isaac explains a core ethical teaching as “Don’t do to others what you would not want done to you.”
- There are references to Shabbat observance and to Jewish communal life (including Jewish women’s charitable work in town).
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