Bianna Golodryga & Yonit Levi: Don’t Feed the Lion

Join us for a release event with Emmy award-winning journalist Bianna Golodryga and profound anchor of Israel’s top news program Yonit Levi, discussing their new novel Don’t Feed the Lion. This event will be hosted at The Strand at Columbus Ave (SCA) at 450 Columbus Ave.

Can’t make the event? Purchase a signed copy of Don’t Feed the Lion here.

ASL interpretation is available for this event by request only. Please reach out to our events team at events@strandbooks.com by Oct. 29 to request.

Please ask a Strand employee upon arrival for directions to accessible seating if preferred.

For further information on accessibility in this space, or to make a request, please contact events@strandbooks.com

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With unexpected twists and compelling characters, Don’t Feed the Lion explores how young people grapple with antisemitism, prejudice, allyship, and the courage to speak up.

“. . . A story of grounded optimism . . . and of proud resilience in the face of hatred, through family courage and personal agency.”–Isaac Herzog, President of Israel

“This book is so needed right now.”–Gal Gadot, actress and antisemitism activist

"This book . . . gives kids the tools to recognize and stand up to hate.” —Jake Tapper, CNN Anchor and New York Times bestselling author

Annie and Theo Kaplan have a family ritual: every Friday night they celebrate Shabbat with their energetic, immigrant grandparents. But this Shabbat, which happens to fall on Annie’s eleventh birthday, isn’t like the others. Thirteen-year-old Theo’s soccer hero—Wes Mitchell—has posted an antisemitic message that quickly goes viral, leaving his parents disgusted, his sister enraged, and Theo himself clobbered by a torrent of confusion, anger, sadness, and a deep desire to just ignore it.

Antisemitism quickly affects the entire Kaplan family in various ways. Theo’s teammates think Mitchell’s comments were no big deal, and Theo notices an uptick in anti-Jewish commentary around school. A rare act of rebellion draws Annie into the fray, and a new classmate shows that ignoring pain is no way to get through it.

Don’t Feed the Lion asks readers of all backgrounds: What will you do when it’s your turn to choose?

Bianna Golodryga is an Emmy award-winning journalist. Based in New York, she anchors One World with Zain Asher and Bianna Golodryga weekdays at 11 am ET on CNN International and CNN Max and is CNN’s senior global affairs analyst.

Golodryga has reported extensively on Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, helped lead CNN’s extensive Russia-related coverage, and regularly fills in as host of signature CNN programs, including “Amanpour” and “Fareed Zakaria GPS.”

Golodryga lives in New York with her husband, Peter Orszag, and their children.

For the past 22 years, Yonit Levi has been the anchor of Israel’s top primetime news program on Channel 12, Israel’s most popular television station. Throughout her career she has conducted interviews with top world leaders, including President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, Secretary Mike Pompeo, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Ambassador Nikki Haley, as well as international icons such as Bill Gates, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jon Stewart.

In 2021 Levi started a weekly podcast, UNHOLY: Two Jews on the News, with Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian. The podcast discusses world affairs from a Jewish perspective and has listeners in more than 120 countries. Levi is married and shares three children with her husband, Ido Rosenblum.