The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I have been meaning to read The Book Thief for a while now. The first time it caught my eye was on display at Barnes and Nobel and it was being touted as one of the best new novels for teens. The title itself was one that, as a lover of literature, had me intrigued. I guess I am a homer, and the mere thought of a book about books made me want to read it. I mean, what English teacher does not love a good book, therefore a book about books is as good as it can get.
My second meeting with the novel came in the classroom. I was subbing for a teacher that teaches striving readers. I was looking around at the books in the classroom and saw that it was there. I asked her about the book and she gave it a glowing review. However, I noticed that it was not a short text, and knowing that she teaches striving readers I asked her if many of the students pick it up and read it. She said that five of her students had already read it, and they loved it. Five may not seem like many, but when she teaches only 25 students, five is 20 percent. She offered to lend me the book, but at the time I had other novels on my list that I needed to read first. Then low and behold it showed up on my book list for my Lit class. I knew that I had to read it, it was calling to me.
I wish I had not waited so long. The novel did not disappoint. It was everything I was hoping for and more. One of the things that drew me in from the onset was the narration. Who has Death narrate the story of a girl? However, it fit with the story. The holocaust was a time of death and sadness. It was a constant reminder of what was happening all around Liesel; it reminded the reader that Death is always close by. This is definitely reinforced by the fact that the book starts with the death of Liesel’s brother. I think the way that Zusak wrote Death was not only for a creative was to tell a story, but knowing that it was Death allowed the reader to put the story in perspective.
Like I said before, this is a text that is read in a striving reader’s classroom, and I can see why. In the class the teacher is constantly looking for texts that engage her students. This novel is one that does this in spades. I went into her classroom again this week just to get her feedback as to why her students like the story so much. One of the most common answers for her is because they fall in love with the Characters. Whether it is Liesel, Rudy, Max, Hans, Rosa, or the Mayor and his wife, Zusak does a great job developing well rounded characters that students are able to connect with. With Death narrating, the reader is constantly aware of what might be waiting around the corner and with that they find themselves turning the page and dreading something bad, but hoping for something good. The other aspect of the story that many of the students really enjoyed (and I did as well) was the perspective from which it was told. So much of the WWII literature out there that the students had experienced was either told from an American in the war, or a survivor of the concentration camps. This was a new way to see the war. I think that is does a good job giving students a glimpse as to what life was like in Germany, especially for those who did not agree with what Hitler was doing. Rudy’s father was sent away for refusing to send Rudy to the Nazi program, and Hans was drafted into a war that he despised. While they listed those two reasons, among others. I think that the main reason the students like the story is because it makes them feel. Zusak does a great job making the reader care about the characters, and hope that they can find happiness. At times it can bring the reader to tears, and at other can have them thankful for what they have in life.
Zusak is a masterful storyteller. He tells the story of a girl growing up in one of the saddest and most depressing times in the history of the world. The setting is important to the novel, but I feel that Zusak also does a good job explaining the larger human experience than just what happened during WWII. Like Death says, “you are going to die”, but that does not mean you have to let that affect the way that you live.