That's Not What This Book Is About

by Joanna Johnson, Jann Arden (Foreword)

Embark on an emotional journey with Joanna Johnson as she navigates life's twists and turns, encountering remarkable individuals and absorbing life-changing insights along the way. Prepare to dive into your own memories, finding solace and inspiration in the enduring forces of love, strength, and human bonds that resonate throughout this captivating story!

Learn more about Joanna Johnson at www.unlearn16.com.

Editorial Reviews“It is with unbridled enthusiasm that I demand that you stop what you are doing and read this book! Jo’s constant hunger for knowledge as a teacher and her passionate, sarcastic, and unique way of storytelling make her an example to us all to never give up. She gives me hope that we can achieve anything we set our minds and hearts to accomplish, as long as we do it together."
- Vanessa Marcil

“As an educator, a creator, an artist, a queer champion, a mentor, and a true force of nature, Joanna’s new book brings us along on a journey through her life and what indeed made Unlearn16 who she is today, and perhaps more importantly, why she is.”
- Jann Arden

“Joanna skillfully conveys the significance of human connection in both life and learning with her new book! Her exceptional talent for educating others, with a perfect blend of kindness and compassion, distinguishes her as one truly remarkable individual this world needs!”
- Arlene Dickinson

Code Breaker Inc. PublishingOur mission is simple. Engaging students. Well, it is even more than that. We believe in investing in students’ well being. We believe in educating the entire child – mind, body, and soul. We are working to change parameters to meet the needs of ALL students. We believe that all students can achieve if given a fair chance. We accomplish our goals by creating content. We blog, we tweet, we YouTube, we attend conferences, we lead workshops, we develop professional development programs to meet the needs of full school districts. We are passionate about inspiring educators to create curious seeking individuals in classrooms built on a community of trust, risk-taking and a freedom to fail.

Breaking code isn’t just about programming or AI, it's about disrupting the status quo. It is about challenging social norms. It is about having critical conversations. It is about challenging systematic beliefs. It is about educating the whole child – mind, body, and soul. Code Breaker is a beautifully dangerous invitation to reflect on education.

Browse our selection of BEST SELLING books or submit your own manuscript at www.codebreakeredu.com.

#CodeBreaker

Genres: Nonfiction

149 pages, Paperback

Published June 28, 2025

Reviews

[Christie Reaume · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is NOT what I thought it would be about but it was well worth it! I’m not a teacher but I suspect her views on education will help guide my parenting. Joanna could run the world, in my opinion!

[Belinda Storms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Joanna's tiktok sarcasm so much, I had to get her book. And that wasn't even what the book was about ;) great read! Thanks for such wonderful insight and the many lives you are changing.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a excellent and inspiring book. I read it in a day and I followed Joanna on tic tok I am 69 and would have loved her a teacher. She clearly loves her job and her approach to education and her students is so inspiring. I truly hope she has another book maybe stories about Grandma Ruby.

[Susan Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Joanna speaks from the heart of a true educator. If you know, you know. We've all lived it: the excitement, the frustration, the joys of seeing students grow, the overwhelming tiredness. A quick first read, but a book you will go back to again and again and again.

[Lacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read!

Forward, Honest, Direct, Informative, & the right touch of Sarcasm!

A Keep-it-Real Read with some personal stories to enlighten the Reader!

Love the commitment to Learning & Educational Knowledge that will always be life-long skills!

[Maura Hassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, this book should be used as a blue print for the educational world wide.

[GM Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, I book marked quite a few pages and underlined parts that encouraged me to think about my own pedagogy. I believe Jo’s writing and stories helped solidify her thoughts on treating people with kindness, providing opportunities to learn from each other, and live in a better world that we ourselves can make. I gave it 4 stars because I wanted more. Maybe I just want to sit in a room with her and ask her how she meets curriculum standards without creating Google Slides to push information. I think I create strong relationships with students, and families, but I was wanting more of the details of HOW she is such a great teacher, but maybe ‘That’s not what this book is about’ ;) I would happily read more if Jo keeps writing.

[Bakios · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Our mission is simple. Engaging students. Well, it is even more than that. We believe in investing in students’ well being. We believe in educating the entire child - mind, body, and soul. We are working to change parameters to meet the needs of ALL students. We believe that all students can achieve if given a fair chance.” Truth!

[Lisa Witte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across Joanna’s TikTok page Unlearn16 a couple years ago. Absolutely love her content! She’s a truly awesome Political Science teacher at a private school in Ontario, Canada. Her storytelling is so on par! Her viewpoints are amazing. Her love language is sarcasm which I find very entertaining! In her book she shares pivotal moments of her life that plays huge parts of why she’s an educator. Also in her book she has QR codes linked to You Tube videos that further explains each chapter. Oh yeah she autographed my copy! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+ Highly recommend this book!

[SGiusti26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I was younger or Joanna wrote this book 25 years ago. I could have used her wisdom when my daughter was young. In fact, I could’ve used that wisdom when I was young. Her heart-centered, simple and direct approach to relating to and teaching young people should be the basis of every school everywhere. I also love the “Class is in Session” videos at the end of every chapter, bringing us along for the ride.

[What Angie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy watching Joanna on TikTok, so I bought this book. I'm pretty sure there was an error in one of the pages, tried to email/DM/sent message on TT about it.

I homeschool my son, I'll def take a lot of the advice into consideration. I've been successfully "unschooling" for over 10 years now. However I'm fully aware of their opinion on this type of schooling.

Hopefully I can get this signed next month at Fan Expo.

[Marisa Rank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy and fun read. Includes deep insights into how people learn. QR codes to videos at the end of each chapter are a nice touch. They are a great opportunity to hear Johanna dive even deeper into the topics discussed in the chapter.

[Mandy Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like their content on social media, you'll dig the book. It's a keeper.

[Lois Rooney-Giurin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning, innovative and thought-provoking. Exactly what education needs tight now, and not a minute too soon!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting, inspirational, educational read! I love watching Jo's TikToks so I knew I had to read her book and I definitely wasn't disappointed!