The Book Thief (Anniversary Edition)

I purchased this book on my Kindle, which I totally love - but its one downside is that you can't pass a book along to somebody else when you're done with it. If I'd known how much I'd want to share this book, I would have bought a paper copy. I might actually go ahead buy a few copies just so I can share them. I heard the following explanation of why it's in the "Teen Literature" genre (I don't know if this explanation is correct, but it makes sense): It was originally published in Australia in the normal "Literature" genre, and was fully intended for an adult audience. When the publisher brought it to America, though, they decided that books in the Literature genre don't sell as well here and it would get more exposure in the "Young Adult" and "Teen" market, so they threw it in there to make more money. I think probably every teen SHOULD read this, in the same way they should all read The Diary of Anne Frank, but I doubt it will appeal to many of them. Certainly not to the same crowd of teens that's gone crazy recently over Twilight and Harry Potter before that. It's the (fictional, but very true-to-life) story of a young girl raised by foster parents in Germany during World War II. Her family is hiding a Jew, and so is in constant danger of being discovered by the Nazis. (In this way, it's reminiscent of The Diary of Anne Frank but told from a completely different perspective.) Interestingly, the story is actually narrated by Death. Death himself is very much a character in the book even though he takes no direct hand in the plot other than quietly and compassionately collecting souls when their time comes. He interjects his own opinions and notes throughout. (At first these interjections seemed distracting, but before long they became one of my favorite aspects of the book.) By tying such a narrator so closely to the story the author ensures that the right mood is maintained throughout. The author's concept of an personified Death is very different than the ones we are used to. In one parenthetical statement Death even alludes to his more classic personification when he comments, "I like this human idea of the grim reaper. I like the scythe. It amuses me." The main character of the book is Liesel. Everything she's ever had, even her family, has been taken from her, so early on in the book (the first chapter or two, if I recall), in attempt to have anything at all that is hers, she steals a book left accidentally on the ground by an apprentice grave digger just after the funeral of her younger brother. It's "The Gravedigger's Handbook". She can't read, and has no idea of what the book is - it's just one of the only things in the world that is hers now, so she hides it away like a treasure. When her foster father finds it, he realizes that she'd like to learn how to read. Being too poor to afford any other book, they use that one to teach her. He's hesitant about the subject matter but, in a wonderful illustration of the character's optimism in the face of even the most depressing situation he laughs and tells her as they get started, "Well, promise me one thing Liesel. If I die any time soon, you make sure they bury me right. No skipping chapter six or step four in chapter nine." The Gravedigger's Handbook becomes the first of several books that she steals, and the story tells how each one changes her life. This is the first fictional novel to ever actually make me cry. A few times throughout the book I realized I was about to let loose a tear, but I managed to get through those without actually crying. (Typical male: Just had to man-up, ya know?) But then, as I finished it, my face was literally wet. It's an amazingly moving book. In addition to the tears, it also made me laugh in a lot of places, made me happy and inspired in a lot of places, and just generally ran the gamut of human emotion. I've never had a book affect me like that, and certainly not one that I knew was fictional. (But just because it's fictional doesn't mean it isn't full of truth. It shows many of the horrors of war in such realistic terms that you'd swear it could only be written by somebody in Anne Frank's position.) I've always felt for the Jews who were persecuted during that war, but this book has given me a whole new appreciation for the few German citizens who were brave enough to protect some of these persecuted people, the ones who were wise enough to recognize the Nazi propaganda against the Jews for what it was, and who were human enough to risk their lives and families to do what they could do to help the oppressed. As far as actual objective quality of writing, I wouldn't go so far as to say that The Book Thief is written as well as a few others I've read. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett comes to mind as one with higher quality writing, as does The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell. But the writing here is incredibly poetic in many places, and when it comes to grabbing your emotions and making you feel like you're living in the story, I've never seen another book as well-done. Because I'd heard it was in the Teen section of the bookstore, I started it very skeptically, and it took a while for me to get used to the very odd narrative style - but by the time I was a third of the way through I was completely hooked. Whoever it was at the publishing company who decided to call it "Teen Literature" needs to be strung up by the thumbs. I'll admit that if every teen read this book during their most impressionable years then it would probably make the world a better place because more of them would grow up into people who want to actively avoid war. But I doubt that many teens have the social maturity to really appreciate all that this book has to offer. I know there are many who do, and those that do have my complete respect, and I hope this book finds them. But the adult market is a far more appropriate venue for this book that I can only hope becomes regarded as a classic in years to come.

"The Book Thief " is one of the best novels I have read. Truly! Author Markus Zusak's storyline is both sad and wonderful, as it deals with Germany during WWII and the Holocaust. His memorable characters have tremendous depth, and the plot is extremely original. However, what makes this book so extraordinary is the author's writing, which, at times, is more poetry than prose. I frequently found myself reading passages of the elegantly written narrative aloud. Appropriately for the times, Death is our narrator and a major character. Death, the "gatherer of souls," writes of himself, "I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold. And I don't have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance. You want to know what I really look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue." In the Prologue, Death states, "Here is a small fact: you are going to die. Does that worry you? I urge you - don't be afraid. I'm nothing if not fair." The figure describes himself as amiable, even affable, but warns, "don't ask me to be nice. 'Nice' has nothing to do with me.'" When the novel begins, Death is gearing up for mass production. It is 1939 and WWII has just begun. By 1945 the entire world will be at war. And it is Death who comments on man's inhumanity to mad, almost without emotion, in as objective a manner as possible. This inhumanity will cause it/him to work 24/7 in various places in the world at once. That's what I call multi-tasking. Nine year-old Liesel Meminger is our protagonist, "the book thief," although when we meet her, she is unschooled and cannot read very well. Liesel, her little brother Werner, and their mother are on a train to Munich. All three are skinny and pale, with sores on their lips. It is on the train that Death comes to claim young Werner's soul. Liesel and her mother despair. The boy is buried near the city, and one of the gravediggers, an apprentice, drops a black book as he walks away in the freezing winter weather. Liesel picks up the book, without calling out to notify the gravedigger of his loss. The book is titled, in silver letters, "The Gravedigger's Handbook." It is the first book she steals. So much has been taken from her, the grieving child feels like she settles part of the score when she commits the theft. In Munich the girl's mother bids her good-bye and turns her over to a foster care woman. The mother disappears, never to be seen again. Liesel and the woman make their way to a small town, Molching, on the outskirts of Munich, close to the Dachau death camp. They stop at a small house on Himmel Street, where her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, await the little girl. Hans is a kind and loving man who quickly takes to Liesel and visa versa. Rosa is also basically kind, although she puts up a front as a shrewish loudmouth. She is a laundress by trade and Hans is a house painter who loves to play the accordion. He is not a member of the Nazi Party. When he realizes he is losing customers because of his lack of enthusiasm for Hitler and the Nazis, he tries to join but his papers are on permanent hold. Their two children are grown and live away from home. Liesel has terrible nightmares and occasionally wets the bed. Hans, hearing her late night screams, sits with her and comforts her, sometimes until dawn. Occasionally he plays the accordion for her until Rosa yells at him to "shut up!" The empathetic, kindly man and the traumatized little girl form a close bond and Hans begins to teach Liesel to read, especially as she is fascinated by words. She believes that words have great power, after all, Hitler didn't need guns to persuade the German people to follow him and to hate Jews. He used words. When she begins school and the teacher realizes that the girl can't read, she is placed in a class with younger children. Most humiliating! It is during one of Liesel's frequent nightmares, that Hans begins to teach her to read. Since the Hubers have no books of their own, Hans uses Liesel's "The Gravedigger's Handbook." as a teaching tool. Then another book, a copy of "Mein Kampf," is acquired, one of the few available books which have not been burned. And yet another book, "The Shoulder Shrug." which Liesel snatches from a pile of burning books, is added to her collection. "Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, books and of course, people." Eventually, Liesel acclimates to her new home and makes friends, especially with Rudy, the boy next door and her biggest fan. She never overcomes her nightmares, however, nor does she ever forget her mother and brother. It is at this time when she is forced to join Hitler Youth. Then Max Vandenberg, a German Jew in hiding, comes to ask Hans to fulfill a promise he made to his father, a comrade in arms who saved Hans' life during WWI. A Jew seeking refuge...what to do? Hans, an honorable man, feels obligated to keep his promise, even though it would mean death for Rosa and himself if Max were discovered in their home. Liesel is sworn to secrecy. The Hubers take the man in and set up living quarters for him in the basement. Max becomes part of the family and forms a close friendship with Liesel. She becomes his eyes and ears to the outside world. He eventually writes a book for her, "The Standover Man" - a simple, illustrated and haunting book about what it is like to be born Jewish in Hitler's Germany. Life goes on. Liesel learns to read and steals more books - fourteen in all. She and her friends adventure. Germany declares war on Russia. Death's work increases, especially on the eastern front and in the concentration camps. He/it feels overwhelmed by the souls to collect from the camps, gas chambers, battlefields, and causalities from air-raid bombings. Max begins to do crossword puzzles in the old newspapers Liesel occasionally finds for him. Rosa's and Han's workload diminishes significantly. Times are tough, rationing is strict, and people don't have money to send out their laundry or to have their houses painted. And, of course, Hans carries the stigma of not belonging to the Party. I don't want to include any spoilers, so I will stop my summary here. This is a powerful novel that kept me riveted throughout. As I wrote above, I sometimes stopped to read parts of the prose aloud. There is humor here also. One needs comic relief when reading a novel about such a heinous period in mankind's history. Markus Zusak's parents grew up in Nazi Germany and Austria. He frequently thought of writing about the things his parents had seen during the war. He says he thought about the "importance of words in that time, and what they were able to make people believe and do." The novel's last words belong to Death: "A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR: I am haunted by humans." Jana Perskie

The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak takes place in 1939 Nazi Germany. The main character Liesel Meminger is traveling to Munich via train with her brother and mother. Liesel and her brother were about to be given over to foster parents, when tragedy strikes and Liesel’s brother passes during the train ride. Liesel is only nine years old and is experiencing life-altering changes. Things don’t get much better when she arrives at the home of Hans and Rosa Hubberman in Molching. Liesel has nightmares every night for the first several months. Hans would sit up nightly with her helping her through her nightmares, eventually creating a trusting relationship between the two. Liesel starts school and is soon made fun of because she can’t read. The only thing that helps Liesel through the days and nights in Molching is her only possession that serves as a connection between her and her mother and brother; The Grave Digger’s Handbook. The presence of the Nazi party grows strong in Liesel’s new home. The burning of enemy propaganda takes place. Liesel finds a book that survives the burning and keeps it for herself. Little does Liesel know, she is caught taking the book by Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife. It turns out, Ilsa has an extraordinary collection of books herself in her home library and shares her loves of books with Liesel. Liesel and her school friend Ruby visit the mayor’s house frequently in the night to steal books from the library. Her actions become notably accepted when Liesel finds a dictionary/thesaurus left by the window of the library one night as a gift. Aside from Liesel’s book thievery, she carries another secret with her daily. In the basement of the Hubberman’s home lives a man by the name of Max. Max is the son of a the man who saved Hans life during World War I. In return, Hans offered to repay him in anyway possible. Max and Liesel became good friends after realizing that both of them have lost their families, are fist-fighters and both have nightmares. Max is also fascinated with the power of words like Liesel, and writes Liesel a book about his life for Liesel’s birthday. When the air raids begin, Liesel and Rudy’s families find protection in a neighbor’s basement after determining their basement’s were not deep enough to protect them from the bombings. Ilsa Hermann brings Liesel a black book one day so that Liesel may start writing the words to her own story. Liesel is in the basement writing her book as bombs begin to drop on Himmel Street, where Liesel lives. She emerges from the basement to find her mama, papa and Rudy dead from the bombings. Liesel is taken away by air raid officers and it is then that Liesel’s book is found. The Book Thief ends with the story of Liesel’s death by age after living a life in Sydney, far from Molching and Himmel Street with her husband, her three children and her many grandchildren. Ever too often do you pick up a book where there is just word after word filling page after page. However, in Markus Zusak’s young-adult fiction novel The Book Thief, Zusak appeals to many different elements of literary composition. I enjoyed how the book was separated into ten parts plus a prologue and an epilogue. This helps you follow Liesel’s story as she grows into a strong, young women throughout the Nazi invasion in Germany. I also liked the bold text inserted selectively within the text serving as means of clarification for parts of the story. Sometimes, the bold text would be a definition, an excerpt of dialogue or thoughts from inside the mind of one of the characters. The plot of the story is simply surviving the Holocaust. However, embedded within this broad plot are smaller character plots such as Liesel’s struggle to learn to read while stealing literature and Hans ability to protect his family from the Nazi invasion. I think the author’s decision to include multiple story plots allows this book to be enjoyed by a wider audience. Adolescents and young-adults can enjoy the youthful spirit of Liesel and her will to steal books and learn how to read while living through Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Older audiences can enjoy the adult ideas of safety, protection, war, sacrifice and choosing between right and wrong. The layered effect the author uses here keeps the book entertaining and constantly evolving without losing the reader. As a reader, I felt confused, scared, brave and inspired with the characters. The use of a narrator combined with segments of the story being told from the character’s perspective also adds to the author’s ability to share these emotions with his readers. As part of my Reading Across Curriculum Course at The Ohio State University, I was expected to choose a book to use as a multi-genre book project piece. I remembered the title The Book Thief and the great reviews about the book and the film. Instantly I knew this was the book I would choose with my passion for world history. The book contains historical topics that can generate rich discussions in the classroom around ethics and communism with middle school and high school students. Since I teach first grade, it was much more difficult to decide how this book would be appropriate in my classroom. If you think about Liesel, much of what she experienced happened to her when she between the ages of nine and eleven years old; not much older than the students in my own classroom. Some of the things she was experiencing, can be comparable to the students in my classroom as well. For example, Liesel couldn’t read. She was determined to learn how to read and went to some far measures in order to become literate. This topic could potentially create a rich classroom discussion amongst first grade students. We could also share Liesel’s story in a first grade appropriate manner, and take on the roles of Liesel, Hans, Ilsa and other important characters in the book and interview them on their thoughts about being able to read, especially girls.

Although there is a plethora of books that have been written on Nazi Germany, The Book Thief is an unforgettable story about a Christian girl's plight in a German town. Definitely one of my top 10 all time favorite books and I would rate it a 5+ Star book. I had a hard time putting this book down. The author has chosen "Death" as the story's narrator. Death provides interesting descriptions as well as foreshadows several of the events. He would often talk about life in colors and what he as well as the characters were feeling at the time of death as well as during the events leading to death. The book opens in 1938 with Liesel, her brother Werner, and her mother on a train. Liesel's mother is taking the children to an orphanage when Werner dies on the train. Within the week, Liesel loses her entire family and is struck with nightmares for years to come. She is placed with a foster family and grows very close to her foster father, Hans, who is a painter. Rosa, her foster mother, is a tough, rough around the edges, woman who takes in laundry to help support the family. They have Jewish friends and after the Jewish people are swept from the town, Hans has less work than others because he never joined the Nazi party and is seen as a Jewish sympathizer. However, the family has enough to survive. Because of her upbringing, Liesel has never learned how to read. Hans teaches her to read each night after she is awakened by her recurring nightmare where she relives the death of her younger brother on the train. She is initially put into a class that is well below her age, but within a few months gets moved to an age appropriate class. She loves to read, but books are rare. She takes to stealing them from the mayor's wife library one by one. Liesel's best friend, Rudy, is both smart and a gifted athlete. Rudy comes from a large family and he helps Liesel steal books and he steals food. The two have many adventures and clearly share a love for one another. Liesel brushes off Rudy's attraction for her in the beginning of the story, but recognizes that she indeed loves him by the end of the story. Rudy is respectful as well as protective of Liesel throughout the book. Max is the son of a man who Hans fought with in WWI. The man died in WWI and Hans promises the widow that if her family ever needed anything, that he would be there. Hans is called upon 20 years later (after Kristal Nacht) as the family is Jewish and Max is hiding in need of help. Hans takes in Max and hides him in the basement for several years. He is the family's secret. Liesel takes to Max and the author creates a touching relationship between the two characters. As the war progresses, Liesel's town is often subjected to air raid sirens and the neighbors are forced into basement shelters. During these times, Liesel will read to the neighbors to pass the time in the basement. The story is full of family sacrifices from Hans/Rosa, to Rudy's family, Max as well as the crotchety next door neighbor. The story has a very dramatic ending and not what I was expecting. I did like that all of the characters stories were woven together very well and that at the end of the book, each character/sub-story line, had a defined ending (no hangers). The last line of the book was just a few words spoken by Death: "I am haunted by humans". It is an excellent read, a touching story of humanity, and a reminder of the horrific attrocities brought on by Hitler in WWII Germany.

Zusak, Markus,, and Trudy White. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Print 608 pages, US $6.99 on Amazon (on 05/13/2021). ***Spoilers will be included*** Liesel, the perfect example of showing that one can overcome anything if they try really hard for it. In the beginning, she struggled with reading since she didn’t know how at all. That was until her adopted father Hans taught her how. She was made fun of for being a slower reader than her classmates. She just has a way with words, which encouraged her to steal books even if cost her own life. Her family helped hide a Jew in their basement during the Hitler Regime, which is the equivalence of having a death wish. At a young age, she had to keep dark secrets from others just to keep her family alive. She learned the seriousness of war, how people won’t submit to the fears of Hitler so easily. This story shows the importance of education, how words make a person so strong. A part in the book mentions how she’s stealing the words that Hitler used to make people support him. Like I mentioned before, she didn’t know how to read. She became more powerful once she learned how to. I think that’s why it was so important for her father to teach her how to. This book made you fall in love with the characters. Rudy, the one who loved Jesse Owens and dreamed to be him. He was super athletic and was pretty smart in class. Which was why it wasn’t a surprised when they wanted him to join their new program for making the best race. Max, the Jew who is so selfish and felt like he had to be in some way. It was sad when they had to go to someone else’s basement for the bombings while he had to stay alone at Liesel’s basement. He even gave Liesel a book, with small pictures throughout the story. People around her really made Liesel’s life more bearable. Like how she became friend’s with the Mayor’s wife. The massive library in their house gave Liesel hope. That she will be surrounded with books her whole life. What’s different about this book is that it’s narrated by death himself. It was clear that he had some biases. It was harder for him to collect people’s souls compared to others. He was always attached the book thief and the people that surrounded her. I had mixed emotions about death spoiling the ending, like how he told the readers that Rudy died. However, it did create the suspense about how it ended up happening. In the beginning, it was hard to read because I didn’t understand it. It was talking about colors and random things such as bombings. It was a lot to handle but it eventually became more clear. The writing style was definitely unique and something I really appreciate from the author. In other books that relate to WWII, they mostly mention people that support Hitler either out of admiration or fear. This book was clearly different. Yeah they did their salutes for the leader, but they just did it when they had to. They didn’t care about him being leader. They went against him but they didn’t make it so obvious like those who join the revolution. Her father deserved a lot better, he did escape death twice so I guess a third time was impossible. I never expected that Liesel would be the only only one alive from her street. Her love for words was clearly so strong that it helped her stay alive through the bombings. Max is eventually liberated from the concentration camp that he was in and visited Liesel right away. I think that’s where everything felt rushed from me. I wanted to know more about Max’s story. How Liesel cooped with everyone’s death. Especially the death from her lover. Then again, it’s up to our interpretation for everything. I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction lover like myself. I read this book in two days, it was too quick. I spent many days rereading many scenes and noticing small details that I missed before. Liesel and everyone on Himmel Street, including the Mayor’s wife, their lives will continue to live in my soul. A 5/5 book indeed.

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak is an unusual, highly creative, captivating, and darkly enchanting novel. It tells the story of four years in the life of Liesel Meminger, a foster child growing up in Nazi Germany during the last years of World War II. We watch her grow from a frightened child of nine to a disillusioned and angry teenager forced to come to terms not only with the inhumanity wrought by Hitler's Holocaust, but also with her community's participation in it. Liesel's life is an uncommon story--one filled with both beauty and brutality. It makes for a riveting and compelling tale, and few readers, even those who find fault with the narration, will fail to be entertained. Liesel's life story is narrated by Death--a character who shares center stage along with the young girl as one of the book's most endearing and unforgettable protagonists. Death has a distinct fascination for this child. He rescues her autobiography from a garbage truck, and admits to having reread it thousands of times in an attempt to understand humanity. In the beginning of the novel, Death tells us: "in one of my vast array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell. It is one of the small legion I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right. Each one an attempt--an immense leap of an attempt--to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it." The language of the narrative is brilliant in its originality. What makes this possible is the otherworldly point-of-view that Death brings to the narration. Through Death's eyes, our human world is seen anew with distinctly fresh and vivid prose. Death does not appreciate the difference between animate and inanimate objects, between people and things--thus his narration is filled with countless richly original metaphors that entertain (and yes, sometimes distract) the reader at almost every paragraph. Take these phrases for example: passengers "slide" out of a train "as if from a torn package;" a man wears "a face with the shades pulled down;" a woman "empties [her] words out into the sink;" books stand upright on a table "as if in conversation;" two words of regret are "giants" that a girl "struggles with, carries on her shoulder, and drops as a bungling pair at" a woman's feet; an exchange of gunfire is "a conversation of bullets;" and kind words "drop out of [a man's] mouth like jewels." There is enormous reading pleasure to be had between the pages of this book merely by experiencing the narrator's richly creative prose. "The Book Thief" is being marketed as a young-adult novel, but it can easily be enjoyed and appreciated by adults. Although the story unfolds against a background of immense historical inhumanity, Liesel's story is one of courage, goodness, integrity, and compassion. This book has an overall fairy-tale-like quality, yet it deals with major themes concerning the human condition. I found this juxtaposition between the fairy-tale world and the real world jolting--for example, at times the character of Death entranced me, and at other times I felt his presence to be annoying and contrived. Also, the construction of the plot, although highly original, made it difficult for me to believe in the story or its themes. The author constructed the telling of Liesel's story to be twice removed from any adult reality: first, the story is written down by a young girl who naturally lacks a reliable understanding of the full breadth of human experience; and second, the story is read, reinterpreted, and retold by Death, a character who acknowledges his complete inability to understand the human experience. Yet, we the readers are supposed to derive deep understanding about the human experience from these two unreliable narrators. The fairy-tale-like quality of the work made it difficult for me to give credence to its weighty main theme, namely: given all the pain and inhumanity inherent in the human condition, is there still sufficient value in human existence? In all likelihood, the young adult reader will come away from this book answering this question with a resounding, "Yes!" But the adult reader may want more complexity and reality from a novel dealing with such a serious theme. For the adult reader, I believe the book succeeds better with its secondary theme concerning the enormous power of words to do good and bad in the world. As a young-adult novel, "The Book Thief" succeeds admirably. Its words are powerful and do good in the world. I recommend this work and eagerly look forward to reading more books by this gifted writer.

I was completely captivated by The Book Thief, a World War II story told through the eyes of Death—yes, Death—who narrates the life of Liesel Meminger, a young girl growing up just outside of Munich during one of history’s darkest chapters. What struck me most was how Liesel’s journey is not just about survival, but about the power of words to heal, resist, and connect. From the moment she steals her first book at her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s relationship with language becomes a lifeline. Her bond with her foster father Hans Hubermann, her fierce friendship with Rudy Steiner, and her secret connection with Max, the Jewish man hidden in their basement—all are rendered with tenderness and grit. Zusak’s prose is poetic and unconventional, often fragmented, but it mirrors the chaos and beauty of the world he’s portraying. The book doesn’t shy away from the brutality of war, yet it finds moments of light in stolen books, snowball fights, and handwritten stories shared in hiding. The hidden’s perspective of a child. This is not just a historical novel—it’s a meditation on humanity, grief, and hope. Liesel Meminger will stay with me for a long time.

I felt like this book drug a bit. However having death as the narrator was an interesting choice. I found similarities to Anne Frank within the storyline.