Extended Book Review- The Book Thief--Ben

You can envision the stagnant composure in her expression, the blank stare of her blue eyes, and the calm composure of her pale skin and rosy cheeks as she stands in the blistering cold watching her brother be lowered down in the ground to never be seen again. Her life after this takes a sharp twist as she begins her new life in Germany. This is the first glance we receive in Markus Zusak’s “The Book Thief”. Published in 2005, this book rapidly began its limelight phase as readers were mesmerized by Liesel Meminger and her actions as she lives her life in Nazi Germany during WWII. The telling of Liesel’s life and thoughts, by a speaker better left unknown, reveals to the readers the complexities of doing what’s right behind closed doors, and even basements. 

The main character, Liesel Meminger, starts her story living with her mother. Liesel is then offered into the care of a family in Germany, in which she was not immediately welcomed right away into her new home. Her new father, after a short while, extended a hand to her and slowly began teaching her how to read and write more fluently, as she was made fun of in school for her undereducation. This helping action of her father helped shape a eager passion for reading and wanting to consume as much literature as she could, along with strengthening their friendship. This began her “rampage” of stealing books, in which at one point she steals books

from the mayor’s house. In Nazi Germany, many books were banned under Hitler’s rule because of many factors like Hitler simply not liking the author or the books giving messages Hitler didn’t want the public to take hold of. On top of that, there were many bomb raids and threats which instilled fear into many Germans. Instead of letting her fear eat her, Liesel often turned to books to help guide her through the worse and the worser. As dangerous as it was, Liesel’s family was hiding a Jew named Maxwell, who was a Jewish refugee seeking freedom. He also shaped Liesel’s hunger for reading because Maxwell was able to facilitate that hunger by reading with her or giving her books. Through this relationship, she was able to pick up new values that she would hold on to forever and use to her advantage. 

Throughout the novel, Zusak provides vivid imagery that allows for you to participate with the feelings the narrator describes Liesel having. Although the novel is historical fiction, you as the reader are able to delve and explore the emotions the speaker provides us and makes you feel like you are there with Liesel within the historical context. This imagery is the most important element of the novel because it lets you experience a time in history which you can’t experience for yourself. The reason why this is so important is because you are able to get a sense of thought and reasoning in a historical situation, which you are unable to get simply from a history textbook. Throughout the plot, Zusak uses all sorts of imagery to provide another step into the feelings of the character. Specifically, readers are able to pick up on the olfactory, kinesthetic, tactile imagery, and visual imagery the author provides to create a colorful representation of what the characters experience in this historical context. Zusak also uses a lot of irony in contexts such as family dynamics and to bring out character wit. This is important in

understanding the characters because they are the ones living the experience in the historical context the novel was set in. 

I would, and do, recommend this book to anyone hungry for a new perspective in literature, especially those who crave a plot line in which action, love, and historical events are all combined to create such a story. When inspecting all of the elements within the novel, it is safe to say it is action packed to the brim around the historical context of the setting, which makes it all the more enjoyable to grasp. Just the thought of being able to get a look inside such a unique persona in such a devastating time period is what makes the book truly unique. This book lets you be friends with Liesel in a sense and grasp her every thought and move. Although this is historical fiction, Zusak takes the historical events important to the setting and shapes Liesel’s life around it, making it convincing that the plotline could be in fact a narrative. Not only did this book feed my soul each time I read it, but it let me get close to Liesel Meminger each time sentence after sentence.