'All the Light We Cannot See' Is a Timeless Lesson on Empathy

The limited series, inspired by Anthony Doerr's popular novel, is streaming on Netflix on November 2.

The Professor in All the Light We Cannot See is a dream come true for any child who has wanted to know why the sky is blue, where the light goes at night, or a million other questions. The omniscient voice on the radio, beloved by children all around Europe in Anthony Doerr’s, All the Light We Cannot See breathes magic into every fact he shares.

“What do we call visible light?” the Professor asks. “We call it color. But the electromagnetic spectrum runs to zero in one direction and infinity in the other, so really, children, mathematically, all of light is invisible.”

On November 2, Netflix will debut the first episode of a limited series adaptation of Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, offering a glimpse into the worlds of two young people coming of age against the backdrop of the Second World War. Though the series itself has opened to mixed reviews, there is still much to learn from the messages of resilience, hope, and perseverance woven into the narrative that has delighted readers for nearly a decade.

All the Light We Cannot See tells a story of resistance through the experiences of Marie-Laure, a young French girl, and Werner, a young German boy, and the many lives they touch. The heroine of the story, Marie-Laure, loses her sight and becomes blind as a young girl, and later flees Paris with her father when Nazi forces invade. They seek refuge in the seaside town of Saint-Malo where her great uncle has also found solace in his family home.

Werner is a young orphan living with his sister in a children's home where he spends his time inventing things—most notably a working radio—out of odds and ends he finds while exploring. Though he is often conflicted by the propaganda around him, he is ultimately conscripted into the Hitler Youth, and shortly after sent to war.

As the story follows each character, we are brought into their worlds as we witness the many everyday choices they make—either conforming with or resisting the forces shaping their lives. Seeing how each of these small choices has ripple effects, far beyond the experiences of each character, is one of the story’s most valuable lessons.

Lori Weintrob, Ph. D., is a professor of history and the founding director of the Wagner College Holocaust Center, in Staten Island, New York. Throughout her career, she has studied courage and resilience, especially among Jewish communities, and says that stories like All the Light We Cannot See are especially important to exploring and understanding the very real moral decisions each of us is called upon to make in our everyday lives.

“All the Light We Cannot See is critical in teaching the lessons of the past because at the core of our lives is ethical decision-making,” she explains. ”Those of all ages, but particularly youth, must realize how much their voices and actions matter, to empower them to act with courage and empathy.”

Throughout the story, each individual wrestles with questions of right and wrong, weighing the appropriate time to act or hold back, wondering when to stay silent and when to speak out—and often it is the children who press their elders, looking for answers.

In Doerr’s novel, Werner’s younger sister, Jutta, challenges him again and again—both his active choices and his passive conformity alike. “Is it right,” Jutta asks, “to do something only because everyone else is doing it?”

Weintrob notes that one of her favorite reflections on the Holocaust comes from Israeli historian Yehuda Bauer: "Thou Shalt not be a perpetrator. Thou shalt not be a victim. But above all, thou shalt not be a bystander."

“What that means is that we must prepare youth to resist,” she says, and All the Light We Cannot See offers a beautiful blueprint for just that.

The story is full of small acts of courage and resistance from unassuming people, young and old alike. Bakers hide coded messages in bread, radio operators transmit information to the Allied troops, children and women carry secret notes, record ship movements, and commit small acts of sabotage to weaken the Nazi war effort. Little by little, these small moments of resistance add up over time, until the Allied forces arrive at the city’s walls, aided only by the nearly imperceptible assistance of everyday citizens working together.

Weintrob points to such efforts during World War II as examples of how civilians—even children and young adults, like resistance fighter Sophie Scholl—did so much to work against the brutality and inhumanity of their times.

“Sometimes in discussion of war, there’s a sense of helplessness, only focusing on what seems evil,” Weintrob shares. “In reality, small acts of goodness and understanding are more important than ever in wartime and children can be involved. Rather than excluding their friends as the other, they can show kindness and support. It’s never too young to learn how to help others.”

Jessica Turner, an author, creator, and mom of three, has loved All The Light We Cannot See ever since she read it for the first time nearly a decade ago. She co-hosted a screening event for the release of the Netflix series by the same name and says that for her, part of the value in sharing the story with her children is the opportunity it creates to explore difficult topics together.

“It can be difficult to discuss hard topics with children, but it is incredibly important,” she says. “Life includes suffering, so giving children tools like empathy, compassion, and a wider worldview will help prepare them for adulthood. I think watching All the Light We Cannot See is an opportunity to talk about resilience, relationships, and that we can all do something to bring good to the world.”

For Turner, the series is especially important because it offers an accessible portrayal of a horrible time in history and provides a springboard for conversations around racism, bigotry, ableism, resilience, and love.

“The theme of humanity and that each of us having a light to share with others is one that is universal and beautifully portrayed in the limited series,” she says. “Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness.”

Weintrob notes that while it’s important for young people to remember the valuable lessons in the history of World War II—not just the heroic acts of the allied forces,” but also the extraordinary heroism of ‘ordinary people’” as Leo Ullman, a Jewish survivor from Amsterdam once reflected.

In the novel, Marie-Laure puts it best when she says to Werner: “It’s not bravery. ​​I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don't you do the same?”

In a time filled with uncertainty, violence, and the chaos of daily life, it can be easy to forget that raising children to be kind, empathetic, caring individuals who recognize others’ humanity is arguably one of the most important jobs of parenthood. Stories like these—whether on the page or on the screen—are a wonderful reminder to us all that one small, ‘ordinary’ person can do so much good, and even the smallest acts of kindness can fill the world with light.

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