Alexander Suarez Suarez itibaren Kirkton of Rayne, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire AB51 5AH, İngiltere
This was a fantastic book that I found hard to put down. I've read a lot of books about the Holocaust, but this was by far the most original. The story is told from the perspective of Death, and he narrates the story of Liesel Memenger and her foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Liesel loses her mother and brother early on in the book and is sent to live with Rosa and Hans and in their small German town. The Hubermann's are not Jewish, but they are not Nazis either. Liesel is illiterate when the book starts, but Hans teaches her how to read. They are so poor that Liesel starts stealing books and her books become her most prized possessions. The story takes a dramatic turn when the Hubermann's decide to take in Max, a Jewish son of Hans' war buddy. Max lives in the Hubermann's basement, where he reads with Liesel and paints in his sketchbook. Hans Hubermann has refused to join the Nazi party and clearly doesn't agree with any of Hitler's beliefs, but throughout the book we see how scary the Nazis can be, and how they used fear to control German citizens. When Hans gives bread to a Jewish man passing through their town in the way to Dachau, Hans is sent away to work for the military. Most books I've read about the Holocaust focus on the Jewish experience, such as Elie Wiesels' Night or Primo Levi's Survival in Aushwitz. The Book Thief focuses on the experiences of everyday German citizens who aren't Nazis but don't have the power to stand up to Hitler and the Nazis. Liesel is only a young girl when all of this is happening, but when her foster father makes her promise not to tell anyone about the "jew in the basement", she begins to understand the gravity of the situation. Her friend Rudy repeatedly resists joining the Hitler Youth, but he too soon realizes he is no match for the violent and cruel Nazi leaders. The Book Thief was published in Australia and definitely feels international. It's structure is more free-form than most American novels, and it's content is very mature for a young adult book. Often during reading The Book Thief I wondered why it was marketed as a young adult novel and not a book for adults. Without giving away too much of the ending, this is a story about death, and war, and ordinary people trying to survive unimaginable horror and destruction. I got the impression from reading the book jacket that it may have been loosely based on the lives of the author's grandparents, but it didn't say for sure that it was. There are lots of books out there about the Holocaust and WWII, but The Book Thief stands out as a unique story about a unique girl. It definitely leaves a lasting impression.