All-Community Read

Literature has the power to build our capacity for empathy, shared understanding, and stronger communities. 

Imagine your entire school community united by a powerful story, sparking meaningful conversations and deeper understanding among students, teachers, and staff. Facing History & Ourselves' resources for creating an All-Community Read in your school or district makes this vision a reality. Use the planning and teaching guides below to help provide a shared literary experience that fosters empathy, challenges stereotypes, and builds a more compassionate school culture. By reading and discussing a common book together, schools can create a more connected and inclusive environment where everyone feels seen and heard.

Read Along With Us

This year Facing History is featuring The Assignment by Liza Wiemer as an All-Community Read book. 

A young adult novel inspired by a real-life event, The Assignment is told in short chapters from multiple perspectives and explores themes of moral courage and personal agency. As protagonists Logan and Cade confront the consequences of speaking out, they must decide whether to back down or continue challenging a harmful and dehumanizing assignment, even at great personal cost to themselves and their families. The Assignment asks timely questions about the prevalence of antisemitism and bullying in our schools and communities. Ultimately, it shows how difficult it can be to speak up when others are silent—and how powerful it is when young people have the courage and conviction to do so.

Save the Dates: Upcoming Events

Recordings of a professional learning event about The Assignment for educators and virtual author discussion for students will be available in the coming months:

• (December 2025) Educator Webinar: Our educator webinar, Teaching The Assignment, will be available on-demand in December. This webinar will introduce Liza Wiemer’s novel and provide strategies for reading this book with your school community.
• (March 2026) Author Event: A recording of our online author event and virtual conversation with Liza Wiemer, author of The Assignment, will be available for students, educators, and lifelong learners. This event will feature a special Q+A with questions from Facing History students.