THREE incarnations of Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief". Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006/2007, hardcover/paperback, $16.95/$11.99

Holocaust classic a book worth stealing

By HADAS HORENSTEIN

article created on: 2008-11-15T00:00:00

“The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusak is an extraordinary novel about the power of words and reading.

It is set in Germany during World War II, when the Holocaust is at its peak. The story is about a non-Jewish girl, Liesel, whose foster family inwardly despises the Nazis and the Final Solution but outwardly supports them out of fear.

Liesel finds herself stealing books from Nazi book burnings, fully aware that if she is caught, the punishment will be grave. Yet, as Liesel becomes literate, she discovers the joy of reading and the ability of words to heal one’s soul.

However, it comes as an unexpected surprise even to Liesel when her family decides to hide a Jewish boy, Max, in their basement to protect him from Nazi persecution. Suddenly, Liesel views life with a new perspective and realizes that her life isn’t the only thing in danger; friendships, knowledge and love are at risk, too.

This book is beautifully written; the language is descriptive and allows for the reader to vividly imagine the story as if it’s taking place in front of him. The use of literary devices such as flashbacks makes this book a real page-turner.

Also, the novel is narrated from the point-of-view of Death, who with each passing day must reluctantly collect more souls than he spares. This creates a unique approach to the plot, for it gives a sense of how narrowly people escape death on a daily basis without ever being aware of it.

The dialogue in “The Book Thief” is very powerful and portrays the urgency, terror, distress and dread that propel the emotions of the main characters. The conversations are realistic and thought-provoking: Most people today cannot imagine the horror of living in such perilous conditions and the character interactions provide insight as to what it may have been like.

Finally, the character development in this novel is outstanding. The protagonists are extremely personable and very easy to relate to. Readers feel true empathy for the characters by the end of the novel; every hardship that Liesel, Max or others faced touches the reader’s heart as well.

This novel is profound in that it takes a tragic theme and turns into an engaging tale about love, courage and the hidden power that lies within us.

The author uses his amazing talent to extract wonderful ideas—heroes, the impact of relationships and the complexity of human desires—from the dark destruction of the Holocaust.

Most importantly, this novel encourages the Jewish people to recall our history and appreciate the freedom we enjoy today.

The book was first published in Australia in 2005 as an adult novel, then in the United States for young readers. It reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Hadas Horenstein is a senior at Wilson High School where she works on the school newspaper. She is a member of Congregation Shaarie Torah and a graduate of Portland Jewish Academy.