Book Theif
By Marcus Zusak
Plot Overview
Narrated by Death, the Book Thief is the story of Liesel Memigner, a 9 year old german girl, given up by her birthmother to live in Molching Germany in 1993, before World War Three. On the train to Molching, Lisel younger brother dies, and she is traumatized and has nightmares for months about it, her foster father Hans Humerman comforts her through teaching her how to ride using a book she stole from the cemetery where her brother was buried. Liesel befriends and a boy from her neighborhood, Rudy Steiner who later falls inlove with her. At a Nazi book burning Liesel figures out that her mother and father were persucuted for being communists, and thats where she steals her second book, She later steals her third book from the mayors wife Ilsa, who lets Liesel come to her libary sometimes. Keeping a promise to a man who saved his life in war, Hans decided's to harbor a his son a Jew named Max in his basement, Max and Liesel become good friends and he writes two books about their friendship. But when hans publicly supports a jew, Max has to leave and Hans is drafted into the military, when the air raids over german city's had escalted. Liesel next sees Max being marched into a concentration camp in Dachau. Liesel begins to lose hope and disdain Hitler because she learns he is to blame for the war and the holocuast and the death of her biological parents. But Ilsa incourages her to write, so she writes the story of her life in the Humermans basement, where she barely escapes a air bombing that kills everyone else in her neighborhood including her stepparents and Rudy. But Liesel survives the war, and so does Max, and she goes on to live and long life. "I have hated the words and i have loved them, and i hope i have made them right." (528)
Emotions Experienced While Reading
At first the book was a bit slow and tedious and hard to understand for the first two or so chapters, but once you got into it it was really good, and was pretty exciting and full of action, but was also very emotional and very real, and gave a different look into world war three and the holocaust, unlike much of what i've read. By the ned of the book, I was definitely very connected to the characters so when Liesel's neighborhood was bombed and everybody in it died. It was really sad, and i definitely felt that. But i think that the whole book has a almost depressing feel to it because it is narrated by death.
Theme
I think that a prominate theme of the book is darkness. Just even having the book take place during world war three brings up the holocuast and all the other terrible things. But i think the book has a almost oppresive feel to it because it is narrated by death. "I am haunted by humans." (550) The book is framed by deaths contimplation of the worth of humanity, as it is often almost complaining about all the many lives he has to take during world war three, and death's inability too understand the remarkable cruelty and compassion that human being can show for each other. also i think darkness symbolizes ignorance and despair which are two thing that are played quite a lot in the book thief , i think that in this book darkness is a obsticale that Liesel and her family and friends are consantly trying to fight so they may see the words they read and write.
Who would want to read this Book
This book would be throughly enjoyed by most people i think, but i would say probably middle school age and up because of some of the mature ideas talked about world war three. Also because the book is pretty long and their are some big words. I think that most adults would also really enjoy this book, even though it was write more for young adults. But overall i really liked this book and would recommend it strongly. This book was also made into a major motion picture movie in 2013.