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Courtesy of Goodreads
Find out more about the author
Markus Zusak on Facebook, HERE. |
Zusak’s novel, The
Book Thief, follows the portrayal of the childhood years of Liesel Meminger
as observed by Death. We first encounter Liesel, as Death is aboard a train
that her mother, little brother, and she are traveling on through Germany
during the Holocaust era. Death is there to collect the soul of her brother,
and decides rather uncharacteristically journey with Liesel and her mom as they
bury him. It is from the events of the cemetery that Death sees Liesel steal
her first book, The Gravedigger’s
Handbook. It is at this moment, where we see how Liesel is described by
Death simply as the “book thief.” As the story progresses, Death observes
Liesel encounter times of sorrow, joy, fear, love, and facing a time where
existing outside of the government’s idea of perfection was dangerous.
The author selects a unique textual format for presenting the thoughts
of Death, creating a shifting reality for the reader. It is in this reality
that the reader can find some safety in knowing they are outside the events,
while experiencing all the emotion of them. This book is recommended to be a
part of any literary collection, more specifically would be well suited for
providing context and gaining the attention of the YA reader. However, it is
also recommended that emotional awareness of the reader should be present, as
the novel does explore a time and events where not only adults but people their
age and younger are facing hatred, danger, and death on a frequent basis. It is
recommended also that the reader be of an age where some knowledge about the
Holocaust has been taught such as by the age of 13 or older. This novel is
fantastic in the sense it captivates the audience in a surreal spectrum of
seeing events through the eyes of an objective observer.
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