The Book Thief

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006. 560 pgs.
Young Adult Fiction
Hardcover: $17.99

Annotation: Death follows Leisel Meminger as she steals book after book during the horror and heartbreak of Nazi Germany.

Summary: Leisel steals her first book at her brother's gravesite before she even knows how to read, but The Gravedigger's Handbook becomes the satiric tome her foster father uses to teach her. Sent to the town of Molching, Germany during WWII to live with the Hubermanns, Leisel struggles with nightmares and her foster mother's caustic personality. But she finds a friend in Rudy, the German boy down the street who becomes her fast playmate and partner in crime. They steal apples from the neighbors and commit other petty acts, but it is Leisel who continues to steal book after book (including, hungering for the beauty of the words. Then Max appears, a Jewish boxer whose father Hans owes a favor. So they hide him in the basement, where he wastes away in fear and darkness, becoming friends with Leisel and ironically painting over the words of Mein Kampf to make her a comic book. Molching is caught between its citizens' desire to remain humane and the Nazi's increasingly constrictive tyranny; however, Leisel is somewhat protected by the sweetness of accordian-playing Hans. But even he cannot protect her when the Nazi's come to town and she will end up losing one of her most precious friends.

Evaluation: Juxtaposing horrific evil and resplendant beauty, Zusak writes one of the most moving novels to hit the literary world. The Book Thief is based on stories his mother used to tell of Nazi, Germany and although it began life as a 100 page novella, it blossomed into the 560 page volume we now know. The story is engrossing and the language is resplendant. Zusak's use of Death as the narrator is a brilliant, original choice and Death moves silently through the book, "haunted by humans" and his increasing death duties throughout the war, but providing an omniscient perspective and a grim wit. Leisel is a sympathetic character and the rest of the cast is well-wrought and increasingly more beloved. The book is haunting, lovely and superbly written. Line after beautiful line flows from Zusak's pen and it's difficult to choose a favorite phrase, but here are some of the choicest ones:

- "She was the book thief without the words. Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like rain."

- "I am haunted by humans." (Death)

- "Five hundred souls. I carried them in my fingers, like suitcases. Or I'd throw them over my shoulder. It was only the children I carried in my arms." (Death)

- "So much good, so much evil. Just add water." (Death)

- "It was a Monday and they walked on a tightrope to the sun."

- "I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant." (Death)

I listened to the audio version and was mesmerized by the narration of Allen Corduner, whose performance even brought Zusak's hard-bitten parents to tears.

Despite being set during the most apalling time period in history, the book celebrates hope. The New York Times writes that,  "hope is embodied in Liesel, who grows into a good and generous person despite the suffering all around her, and finally becomes a human even Death can love."
Significance: It's difficult to enumerate the power this book wields. Leisel teaches us that books have power. They have the power to hate and the power to heal. This is a title about Nazi Germany told from the somewhat rare perspective of the Germans who resisted the Nazi's pervasive influence.

Personal Choice: I have a fascination with books about the Holocaust and after reading several good reviews, this one caught my eye. I'm proud to say I began my literary love affair with Markus Zusak after reading this book.

Awards: Printz Honor Award, 2007 / ABA - Book Sense Book of the Year, 2007