Markus Zusak: The Book Thief

This is a book that I read for the first time around four years ago when I first started teaching. This novel is one that I have loved ever since then.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak takes place in World War II in Nazi Germany. Liesel Meminger is not quite an orphan, but she is placed in foster care because her mother can't provide for her. Liesel goes to live with Rosa and Hans Hubermann, and they completely change Liesel's life. On her way to the Hubermann's, Liesel's younger brother dies on the train. In the graveyard where he was buried is where Liesel steals her first book: The Grave Digger's Handbook. Hans teaches her to read it, and inspires her love of the written word. The Hubermann's will then hide a Jew in their basement for a time. What will become of that hidden Jew? What will become of Liesel? What will become of Himmel Street, her friends, and her family in the wake of a violent and terrible war?

This book is probably one of my all-time favorite novels. The novel is written from the perspective of Death, who is a personified narrator. Death is not one to mince details or give you many surprises. He is very clear from the start exactly what is going to happen, and yet the tale of how they get there is fascinating and well-written.

I love the characters in this novel. I love the way everyone is described. I also love that we have a story from the German's side. Often historical fiction from this time period does not take place in Germany itself, and I feel that we miss that narrative a little. Not that I think the Nazi narrative of persecution and hatred has any place in literature, it is nice to see the author choose someone who just wanted to protect his family and the Jew living in his basement. Hans' clumsy attempts to join the party, and his love of people are sharply contrasted with Hitler's doctrine of hatred.

I think my complaints with this book are fairly few and minor. Sometimes Death's narration gets repetitive and a little clumsy. Zusak likes to write in extremely. short. sentences. Sometimes, that gets old, and feels a little disjointed from the rest of the novel as well.

In all, I rate this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a book I highly recommend to my students who like WWII novels.

There is one scene that might make some uncomfortable, and Rosa swears a lot.

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