The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.”
The Book Thief is a mesmerizing story told through Mr. Zusak’s creative use of narration by Death as a being. Although this may seem “dark”, it is certainly not morose but a tribute to the love and strength of humans in the face of adversity during World War II.
Eleven-year-old Liesel Meminger is a foster child who has recently arrived in a small town outside Munich, Germany during WWII. Liesel has been sent to live with Hans and Rosa Huberman, presumably for the small stipend they’ll receive. Liesel is still suffering from the loss of her little brother and the difficult and somewhat mysterious separation from her mother. She takes an immediate liking to Hans, who is kind and thoughtful, but takes much longer to warm up to the abrasive Rosa.
Liesel makes friends with next-door neighbor Rudy and establishes herself as a self-proclaimed book thief. Becoming unlikely friends with the Mayor’s wife Ilsa affords Liesel the opportunity to read the books in the Mayor’s massive library. Along the way, Liesel is witness to the atrocities of war, heartbreaking events, love, loss, and other life-changing events.
The consequences of the character’s actions are much of what the story is about, and especially the consequences of kindness in the world of Nazi Germany. Of course, there are horrors, but they are not the focus. The focus is love and courage and many outstanding character traits people don’t even know they have until they need them.
This is a powerful, beautiful, bittersweet story. It’s the story that you will not only never forget but one that, once you have read it, will make you forget what it was like to have not known and loved these characters. Truly a life-changing story.
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