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A review by a_mae13
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5.0
"The book thief wept till she was gently taken away."
I'm shelving this as reread not because I couldn't pay attention to the plot but because this book deserves to have the high school AP Lit analysis special. I'm sure there is a ton of symbolism and metaphors that I simply missed by reading this book for leisure rather than criticism. That being said, it's a beautiful story that should be deeply discussed for generations. WWII tales are always important but the addition of books and storytelling as a plot device is special.
This story is narrated by Death, as he watches souls die at the hands of WWII. Liesel Meminger lost her family due to death and Nazi intervention. Her brother died and her mother was taken away from her, forcing her into foster care. At her brother's funeral, she picked up a book called The Grave Digger's Handbook. Though Liesel couldn't read, she kept it, thus naming her the Book Thief. Her foster parents Rosa and Han Hubermann teach her to read and write and send her to school. She develops a very close relationship with her foster father and they spend many late nights sounding out words and writing down definitions. Rosa is a bit harsh with Liesel, but they're amidst war and poverty.
Liesel recognizes the power behind books and with all of the book burnings, she makes a point to try and grab these banned books before the pyre engulfs everything. Her best friend in school, Rudy, helps her find books. He's rescued books from freezing cold rivers and garbage cans, just for Liesel to keep learning how to read. He also accompanies Liesel while she delivers laundry for her foster mother. She befriends the mayor's wife while on her laundry trips, who lets her inside her private library. The book thief continues to grow her collection of books and learn about the world around her, specifically the continued rise in Nazi power. Her foster parents and Rudy don't support the regime, leading Liesel to learn more about communism and Nazi elitism.
The Hubermanns later shelter a Jewish refugee in their basement, Max. Liesel and Max become friends due to their love for reading and literature. Max is currently writing his own stories over the pages in Mein Kampf, Hitler's autobiography. Liesel starts to break in and steal more books from the mayor when they decide that they can't afford laundry services. The war intensifies, drafting both Hans and Rudy's father into the war. Max has to flee, again, to avoid further suspicions of the Hubermann family. Before he leaves, he gives Rosa the book he was writing with Liesel, The Word Shaker. The kids scattered bread in the streets before each Jewish "prisoner parade", as Hans did.
The last chunk of the book ramps up in terms of warfare and violence. Liesel sees Max in one of the prisoner parades and she tells Rudy how they sheltered him for a while. Hans comes back home after breaking his leg in a bus crash during his deployment, as Allied troops continue to drop bombs throughout Germany to stifle the war. The last moment we see Liesel in Germany is her final exchange with the mayor's wife; she gives Liesel a blank notebook to write her own story and history, as the book thief. Liesel writes her stories in the basement, as she did with Max, while the city is bombed. She was the sole survivor of the bomb, taking shelter without even knowing what was going on. She loses Rosa, Hans, Rudy, and all of her neighbors in one night.
Liesel is pulled from the rubble, leaving behind her notebook entitled The Book Thief, and Death rescues the book. He's seen her three times in her life; her brother's death, the death of the Allied pilot, and now the death of her town. He holds onto the book and watches her move in with the mayor and his wife. When the war subsides and the concentration camps are freed, Liesel is finally reunited with Max. This is probably the only happy moment in the entire book, prepare your tissues. Liese grows up, moves to Australia, and has her own family. Death comes to see her one final time in her last hours and gives her the book that she wrote years ago.
Like I said at the top, this book deserves to be analyzed, appreciated and studied. There are so many stories wrapped up in this one novel, especially between Liesel and Max, and all of them are beautiful and heartbreaking. This is definitely one to be remembered and shelved as a classic.
I'm shelving this as reread not because I couldn't pay attention to the plot but because this book deserves to have the high school AP Lit analysis special. I'm sure there is a ton of symbolism and metaphors that I simply missed by reading this book for leisure rather than criticism. That being said, it's a beautiful story that should be deeply discussed for generations. WWII tales are always important but the addition of books and storytelling as a plot device is special.
This story is narrated by Death, as he watches souls die at the hands of WWII. Liesel Meminger lost her family due to death and Nazi intervention. Her brother died and her mother was taken away from her, forcing her into foster care. At her brother's funeral, she picked up a book called The Grave Digger's Handbook. Though Liesel couldn't read, she kept it, thus naming her the Book Thief. Her foster parents Rosa and Han Hubermann teach her to read and write and send her to school. She develops a very close relationship with her foster father and they spend many late nights sounding out words and writing down definitions. Rosa is a bit harsh with Liesel, but they're amidst war and poverty.
Liesel recognizes the power behind books and with all of the book burnings, she makes a point to try and grab these banned books before the pyre engulfs everything. Her best friend in school, Rudy, helps her find books. He's rescued books from freezing cold rivers and garbage cans, just for Liesel to keep learning how to read. He also accompanies Liesel while she delivers laundry for her foster mother. She befriends the mayor's wife while on her laundry trips, who lets her inside her private library. The book thief continues to grow her collection of books and learn about the world around her, specifically the continued rise in Nazi power. Her foster parents and Rudy don't support the regime, leading Liesel to learn more about communism and Nazi elitism.
The Hubermanns later shelter a Jewish refugee in their basement, Max. Liesel and Max become friends due to their love for reading and literature. Max is currently writing his own stories over the pages in Mein Kampf, Hitler's autobiography. Liesel starts to break in and steal more books from the mayor when they decide that they can't afford laundry services. The war intensifies, drafting both Hans and Rudy's father into the war. Max has to flee, again, to avoid further suspicions of the Hubermann family. Before he leaves, he gives Rosa the book he was writing with Liesel, The Word Shaker. The kids scattered bread in the streets before each Jewish "prisoner parade", as Hans did.
Like I said at the top, this book deserves to be analyzed, appreciated and studied. There are so many stories wrapped up in this one novel, especially between Liesel and Max, and all of them are beautiful and heartbreaking. This is definitely one to be remembered and shelved as a classic.