By: Markus Zusak
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 2005
Publisher’s Description
“When Death has a story to tell, you listen.
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.”
Our Take
We’ve never read a book that was narrated by death before, and it was not at all what we expected. Set during World War II, we see events unfold through the eyes of both death and a young German girl named Liesel. We see that not everything during that time was black and white, not everyone had hate in their hearts, though there were many who did, and found that death has sympathy for humans and can see that the capacity for both good and evil in them is great. To summarize the conclusion of the story In Death’s own words… “I am haunted by humans.”
food to share
For this book, we thought it fitting to serve a German dish and a Jewish dish alongside each other. Fitting, because during World War II there were some who were willing to call one another friend, to help one another despite the risk, and to love one another even if it cost them everything.
on the menu:
- Matzoh Ball Soup
- German Meatballs in a Caper Sauce (Königsberger Klopse)
- A Crust-less Quiche
- Bread and jam
- Cherries
- Chocolate Babka
Atmosphere
One cover of The Book Thief features falling Dominoes, so we decorated our table accordingly. There’s a scene in the book where Rudy is playing Dominoes with his siblings, while the gestapo is in the next room talking to his parents. A decision is reached between the two parties, and, unknowingly, his fate is sealed just as the dominoes tumble down. It’s a bittersweet reminder not to take the simple things in life for granted.
discussion
- Who do you feel was the most admirable character and why?
- How did your opinion of certain characters change throughout the story?
- Liesel learned to read from the first book she stole, The Gravedigger’s Handbook. Some may think it an odd choice, but what does it say about the importance of a connection to or interest in a subject when it comes to learning?
- We often hear the word thief and attribute it to something negative, but how does being a book thief impact Liesel’s life? How does it impact those around her?
- Death says of Liesel, “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.” How did writing a book save her life?
quotes
“I am haunted by humans.”
“…one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.”
“I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both.”