Book Summary of 'Life in a Jar' by John Mayer: Historical Context

This essay provides a detailed summary of Jack Mayer's non-fiction novel, "Life in a Jar." The book recounts the story of Irena Sendler, a social worker who bravely rescued over 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. The summary analyzes the book's structure, which is divided into three sections, and explores the historical context, the challenges faced by Sendler, and the sacrifices made by Jewish families. The essay emphasizes the novel's impact on the reader, highlighting themes of heroism, social justice, and the importance of remembering the atrocities of the Holocaust. It also discusses the novel's impact on a group of high school students who created a play based on Sendler's life. The essay examines the novel's structure, themes, and the emotional impact of Sendler's actions during World War II.

Running head: BOOK SUMMARY
BOOK SUMMARY: “LIFE IN A JAR” BY JACK MAYER
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1BOOK SUMMARY
“You see a man drowning, you must try to save him even if you cannot swim”
The above quoted line of Irena Sendler offers an insight into the social work career which
she pursued and also forms the central lacuna of the famous non-fiction novel “Life in a Jar” by
Jack Mayer. As stated by Rothstein, the history of Europe prior to the Second World War or just
after the First World War and also during the Second World War especially within the nation of
Germany is dominated by the persecution that the Jews had to face. Eaglestone is of the
viewpoint that one of the most important things that the people still remember amount of the
Second World War apart from the number of soldiers who were killed within the same, the
violence and others is the Holocaust which the Jews had to face during the same time. For
instance, the Jews were captured by the German soldiers, tortured, gassed and also killed in the
name of the creation of a pure Aryan race which would stand out from the rest of the population
of the entire world (Drzewieniecki). However, at the same time it needs to be said that despite
the horrors as well as violence associated with the Second World War which is still ingrained
within the minds of the people, it is seen that the names of people like Irena Sendler and others
also stands out for the invaluable services to humanity that they rendered during the same
(Jackmayer.net). In this relation, the John Mayer’s non-fictional novel “Life in a Jar” (2010) is
an important since it tries to reintroduce Irena Sendler and also the services that she rendered to
the Jewish children during the time of the Holocaust to a world which had forgotten about her.
The purpose of this paper is to write a book summary of John Mayer’s non-fictional novel “Life
in a Jar”.
Roberts is of the viewpoint that the genre of non-fiction writing had gained a substantial
amount of prominence in the present times and it is seen that the different literary artists are
increasingly turning to this genre of novel for overcoming the limitations of the fictional novels.

2BOOK SUMMARY
Adding to this, Matravers has noted that an important benefit offered by this particular genre of
literature is that it offers the opportunity to the literary artists to utilize the positive aspects of the
fictional novels, the historical novels and others. In this relation, John Mayer’s “Life in a Jar” is
an important novel since rather than taking the help of the genre of historical novels, the author
had taken the help of the non-fiction genre. I personally believe that this had helped the author to
utilize the real-life instances from the life of Irena Sendler or the story of her life and use them in
a fictionalized setting for creating the kind of novel or story that will captivate the attention as
well as the interest of the modern readers. More importantly, I would also like to add that
through the usage of this particular genre the novelist had also been able to retain the historical
appeal of the story of Irena Sendler which in turn had substantially enhanced the verisimilitude
of the novel under discussion here.
Irena Sendler and the social work services which were offered by her to the Jewish
children during the Holocaust form the central lacuna of this particular novel. More importantly,
the novelist had also focused on the manner in which she risked her own life for saving the life
of more than 2500 children in Warsaw who she considered would be the future of the Jewish
race and thereby would live to retell the horrors as well as the suffering that their race had
endured during the Second World War (Mayer). Furthermore, the danger that she and others
incurred for saving the life of one Jewish child is being adequately summed up in the lines of the
novel “To save one Jewish child, ten Poles and two Jews had to risk death. To betray that same
child and the family that hid him required only one informer or, worse still, one blackmailer. The
risk of being caught by the SS was not prison, but death- death for the entire family” (Mayer). In
addition to these, the novel also highlights the fact that fact that the mother and the family in
order to save the life of their child had to give them up to the social workers who in turn would

3BOOK SUMMARY
change the identity of the concerned child and find foster homes for them. This sacrifice made by
the Jewish families for protecting their children knowing that they would never be able to see
them again is the aspect which emotionally moves Liz Cambers, Megan Stewart, and Sabrina
Coons, the three girls in the novel who decide to do a project on Irena Sendler. The sacrosanct
desire as well as the urge of Irena Sendler to save the children becomes apparent from the lines
of the novel “We all have to ask ourselves, "What would I have done?". I agree with Wladyslaw
Bartofszewski, one of the organizers of ZEGOTA, who said, "Only the dead have done enough”
(Mayer).
John Mayer’s novel “Life in a Jar” is divided into three sections and 34 chapters and each
of them contributes substantially towards the progression or for that matter the forward
movement of the plot of the novel. More importantly, it is seen that Part 1 of the novel consists
of 7 chapters, Part 2 is the largest section and consists of 15 chapters whereas Part 3 of the novel
consists of 12 chapters. I believe that an important factor which had substantially contributed
towards the extensive popularity of the novel under discussion here and also enhanced its quality
as well is the simplicity with which it had been written by the novelist. For instance, the novelist
had the opportunity to take the help of the method of stream of consciousness for narrating the
story of the novel since there are fluctuations between the past and the present however that
would have substantially complicated the novel and made it difficult for the readers to keep track
of the things happening in the novel. Thus, the novelist had created three distinct sections,
wherein the first part is set in the present setting, the second part takes place in Warsaw during
the Holocaust and the last part is once again set in the present. The usage of these three
distinctive sections had helped the novelist to simplify the plot of the novel and thereby make it
easier for the average readers to follow the different plot of the same.

4BOOK SUMMARY
The first part of the novel had Kansas in the year 1999 as its setting and shows the
factors which propelled three girls, namely, Liz Cambers, Megan Stewart, and Sabrina Coons, to
take up the Irena Sendler Project (Mayer). For instance, in the initial section of the novel Liz
Cambers is being shown as a troublemaker who after starting a new year in her school decides
the take the “Creative Social Studies” class of Mr. Conrad rather than another teacher whom she
dislikes despite the fact that this particular class is a very demanding one and would also require
her to participate in the National History Day by completing a project. At this juncture, it needs
to be said that initially she is totally disinterested in the things which are being taught by Mr.
Conrad in the class and does not take the National History Class however soon she stumbles
upon the story of Irena Sendler and the services that she rendered during the Holocaust which in
turn totally changes he perception towards the class as well as the project that she is expected to
present at the National History Day.
The motivation of Liz for undertaking the project on Irena is being adequately summed
up in the lines of the novel “there is no complete written Polish history of the Warsaw ghetto.
Think about what this means. How could something so important in a nation’s history be
ignored? It is not forgotten. Every Pole knows. It is ignored” (Mayer). More importantly, the fact
which moves Liz the most is the manner in which the Jewish people used to give up their
children so as to protect their lives. I personally believe this has personal connotations for Liz
since she herself was given up by her mother when she was a child so that he could have a better
life living with her grandparents. In this relation, mention needs to be made of the humility of
Irena which is being found in the following lines of the novel “I do not consider myself a hero.
The true heroes were the mothers and fathers who gave me their children. I only did what my
heart commanded. A hero is someone doing extraordinary things. What I did was not

5BOOK SUMMARY
extraordinary. It was a normal thing to do. I was just being decent” which as a matter of fact
helps Liz to decide that Irena would be the individual on whom she would do her project
(Mayer). More importantly, seeing the love as well as the attachment of Liz towards the topic
that she had selected for the project, Mr. Conrad offers her Megan Stewart, and Sabrina Coons as
partners in the project. In this connection, I would mention the fact that the story of Irena served
as the psychological catalyst which in turn influenced the psychological development of Liz
from being a trouble maker to a dedicated girl who is willing to perform the required hard work
for bring to light the story of Irena and also her contribution towards the Jewish community. The
psychological developed attained by the three girls and also the hard work put in them manifests
itself in the fact that their play (for which they undertake extensive research and also rehearsals)
is being wins the State Competition and is being selected for the National History Day
Competition wherein they would get the opportunity to bring to light the story of Irena.
The second section of the novel takes the readers back to the time of the Holocaust
(September, 1939) wherein Irena Sendler and her coworker Irena Schultz—known as the “two
Irenas” are being introduced along the different services that they rendered. More importantly,
the author also offers insightful information regarding the manner in which the boss of Irena
although took no official responsibility for her actions yet provided her with fake identity
certificates through which she was able to rescue the children. This section of the novel presents
a horrendous account of the plight of the Jews during the Second World War including the
aspects of wearing the Star of David armbands, their diets being reduced to less 200 calories, the
bitter cold that they experience without proper warm clothing, the different diseases like typhus
and others that inflicted them during this time and others (Mayer). Furthermore, this section of
the novel is largely historical in nature and unlike the first or the last section of the novel presents

6BOOK SUMMARY
a true account of the situation of the Jews during the Second World War along with the
persecution, suffering, torture and others that they had to face during the same. Moreover,
detailed account of the process which was being followed by Irena for the smuggling of the
Jewish children from the ghettos, the usage of fake papers along with fake names for proving
them safe shelter in the Aryan section of Germany, writing their actual names, putting them in a
bottle and thereby burying them into the earth so as to keep alive the real name of the children (it
is from here that the name of the play of the girls “Life in a Jar” is being taken) and others
(Mayer). Lastly, this particular also offers an account of the manner in which Irena got caught by
the German soldiers, was put into the notorious Pawiak Prison, tortured for more than 100 days
and how she finally got out by bribing the prison guard who in turn was executed (Mayer).
The last section of the novel once again takes the readers back to Kansas and show that
although the girls and their play had won the National History Day yet they fail to win the
national competition. More importantly, they come to know that Irena is still alive and residing
in Poland and thereby start a corresponding with them. Furthermore, their play receives positive
responses from everyone and one of the supporters of the play even sponsors their trip to Poland
wherein they are being able to meet Irena. The girls during their meeting with Irena are being
able to understand that “Communist Poland looked down upon the World War II-era Polish
partisans—hence why Irena was not better known and celebrated” (Mayer). In addition to these,
while being to get valuable information about the Second World War, the services rendered by
her, the children whom she saved and others, the girls are also being able to form a loving as
well as an emotional bond with Irena. Along with Irena, the girls also get the opportunity to talk
to some of the children whose life Irena had saved and some of them revealed that they were
unaware of being a Jew until they became teenagers and also the Polish government post the War

7BOOK SUMMARY
tried its best to hide the saving of the Jewish children. This becomes apparent from the lines of
the novel “So many of those Irena saved…..don’t know that she was the one to whom they owe
their lives. Many don’t even know that they are Jewish. During the war no one talked about it –
such information could cost the lives of a rescuer’s entire family….I myself did not discover that
I was a rescued Jewish child until I was 17, when students at my high school began to call me a
Jew” (Mayer). The play “Life in a Jar” becomes a success and thereby is being repeatedly with
new cast members and some of them are even being given the opportunity to meet the real-life
Irena on whom the play is based upon. The girls after the death of Irena (which happens at the
end of the novel) decide to convey to the future the sacrifices that Irena had made for the sake of
the Jewish community and also the debt that humanity owes to her.
To conclude, Jack Mayer’s novel “Life in a Jar” offers an insight into the Holocaust
during the Second World War while highlighting the humanitarian services which were being
performed by Irena for saving the lives of numerous Jewish children. Thus, it can be said that the
novel tries to sing the unsung tale of Irena Sendler and the manner in which she served humanity
while disregarding her own safety as well as wellbeing during the Second World War. In this
relation, it needs to be said that the story of Irena is important within the novel under discussion
here since it facilitates the psychological as well as the cognitive development of the three girls
mentioned in the story. As a matter of fact, it is seen that the story of Irena acts as the catalyst
which in turn transforms three girls who do not even take their class seriously to become the
agents of history and thereby tell the entire world the story of Irena. These aspects of Jack
Mayer’s non-fiction novel “Life in a Jar” become apparent from the above analysis of the same.

8BOOK SUMMARY
References
Drzewieniecki, Joanna, ed. Dance with Death: A Holistic View of Saving Polish Jews during the
Holocaust. Hamilton Books, 2019.
Eaglestone, Robert. The Broken Voice: Reading Post-Holocaust Literature. Oxford University
Press, 2017.
Irenasendler.org. "Life In A Jar: The Irena Sendler Project Book". Life In A Jar, 2020,
https://irenasendler.org/life-in-a-jar-book/.
Jackmayer.net. "Life In A Jar — Jack Mayer". Jack Mayer, 2020,
https://www.jackmayer.net/life-in-a-jar.
Matravers, Derek. "What Difference (If Any) Is There Between Reading as Fiction and Reading
as Non-fiction?." Literary Studies and the Philosophy of Literature. Palgrave Macmillan,
Cham, 2016. 169-184.
Mayer, Jack. Life in a jar: The Irena Sendler project. Long Trail Press, 2011.
Roberts, Adam. "Later Non-fiction." HG Wells. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019. 371-387.
Rothstein, Anne-Berenike. "Presence through Absence: The Aesthetics of Blank Space in French
Holocaust Literature and Film." Narratives of Annihilation, Confinement, and Survival:
Camp Literature in a Transnational Perspective 14 (2019): 127.