Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project

Liz is the first of the trio to discover Irena Sendler’s story. She identifies with Irena’s experiences because her mother, who struggled with addiction, left her when she was a young child to be raised by her grandparents. Liz was considered to be a weak student and a troublemaker, but when she is given the opportunity to join Mr. Conard’s class, she latches onto the project, even becoming possessive of it. Liz plays Irena in the initial performances of the play, something she feels she needs to do; through the course of the project, she went from being coolly disaffected to a diligent and adamant supporter of Irena’s story. Liz graduated from College of the Ozarks with a degree in history, and as of the book’s publication, teaches history in Lebanon, Missouri.

Megan is the second person to join the project. Unlike Liz, Megan comes from a wealthier farming family and is considered to be a diligent, overachieving student. That said, Megan identifies with the play for her own reasons, particularly after her mother develops, and eventually passes away from, cancer. Megan is more emotional than Liz; as a result, she plays one of the mothers, Mrs.