"If his classroom lessons were distilled into commands, they would be: observe, go deeper, be empathetic. His parenting lessons: love, pay attention, be patient, and forgive.

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[a] moving, engaging book. I loved every page.

" Debra Spark, author of DisciplineJim Zervanos, a seasoned high-school English teacher and father of two, embarks on a mission at the cusp of a new school year. He realizes that today's youth are thrust into a tumultuous world and burdened with saving it.

To chronicle this extraordinary period in America, he assigns himself a unique task: keeping a journal. Within its pages, we witness "his kids" grappling with pressing issues like identity politics, gun violence, and political uncertainty.

A sophomore prodigy wrestles his demons onto the pages of his fiction before entering a psychiatric hospital. An estranged junior posts ominous threats on Snapchat, while a principal sabotages a student walkout.

Meanwhile, in his classroom, Jim prepares a hiding space for an active shooter event and, back home, finds solace in the eulogy of his young sons' pet fish, sent on its final journey with a flush. By year's end, Jim, unwavering in his determination to inspire hope in his students, discovers that it's the youth who inspire hope in him.

Their creativity and ideals paint a vivid portrait of an evolving America, seen through the kaleidoscope of Generation Z. Your Story Starts Here: A Year on the Brink with Generation Z is an intimate exploration of the challenges, resilience, and unwavering hope of today's youth in a turbulent world.

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