October 2020 Classic of the Month: 'The Book Thief'

Why Markus Zusak's famous Holocaust story is truly like no other.

'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak, 550 pages - Instagram @c_reads_books

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The classic of the month for October 2020 is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. When I first read this book in school, I immediately fell in love with it, a love that has been unwavering ever since.

From the very first line, The Book Thief grabs your attention and lets you know that this is a Holocaust book like no other. Narrated by Death itself, this story follows Liesel Meminger, just a young girl when the Holocaust begins in Germany.

The story begins with Liesel’s younger brother Werner’s funeral, where Liesel steals her first book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook. Because her mother is sick and her father was taken away for being a communist, Liesel then goes to live on Himmel Street with her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She is wary of them at first, but when Rosa tells Liesel to start calling her Mama and Hans Papa, she complies.

Although Liesel knows this new life is meant to be a positive beginning, she can’t help her hesitation and ongoing nightmares about her brother’s death. Rosa is not a warm and comforting woman, calling Liesel saumench, meaning “pig girl.” Hans is more warm, but it still takes time for Liesel to warm up to him. She clings onto The Grave Digger’s Handbook as her only memory of her brother and mother. She feels abandoned, and holds onto the book, despite not knowing how to read it.

For a while, life becomes normal for Liesel with the Hubermanns, and Hans teaches Liesel how to read after discovering her first stolen book. He finds the book tucked under her mattress and discovers she can barely even read it. Although he is not the best reader himself, Hans begins teaching Liesel the alphabet, determined to help and encourage her. He paints letters on the cement walls of the basement and sets designated times for lessons.

One night, at a Nazi Party book burning, Liesel steals her second book, The Shoulder Shrug. She is driven by “anger and dark hatred” to steal the book. Having seen Liesel steal her second book, Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife, invites Liesel into her library when she comes to pick up the washing for her mother. Liesel begins to read more and more, but when Ilsa stops needing Rosa to do her washing, Liesel is furious. Instead of accepting The Whistler as a gift from Ilsa, Liesel begins to sneak through her library’s window and steal her books instead.

Meanwhile, everything begins to change as the Nazis gain more control and the Holocaust truly begins. Liesel’s friend Rudy joins Hitler Youth, yet meanwhile, a Jew named Max Vandenburg is hiding in the Hubermanns’ basement.

At first, Liesel is worried about and nervous and cautious of the stranger who now resides in her basement. At ten or so years old, Liesel is caught between the law and what is morally right. She sees the gradual transition from a Germany that, although flawed, is just and fair, to one that is despicable and inhumane.

In the beginning, Liesel protects her family’s secret because she’s told to, but eventually comes to do it because she wants to. She comes to care about Max and becomes his friend, reading books to him and giving him the greatest power and gift she can imagine - words.

After Hans is caught giving bread to a starving Jew, Max is forced to leave for fear of Nazis searching the house. For a few months, everything is relatively normal. Liesel sees Ilsa again, and she gives her a blank book, telling her to write her own story. Liesel begins writing her life story, starting with the death of her brother. Liesel also sees Max again, marching in a crowd with other Jews, and when Liesel runs up to him and quotes a book, they are both beaten by the Nazi guards.

After some time, Death reveals that Himmel Street will soon be bombed. Liesel survives, clutching the book she wrote, but Hans and Rosa are gone.

Telling a story about the Holocaust in a unique way, The Book Thief, although narrated by Death, is a beautiful and hopeful story. The power in words and books is something, maybe the only thing, that can never be taken away from you. For Liesel and others, including myself, reading is a sanctuary and a safe haven that cannot be destroyed, despite the most horrific tragedies.

The Book Thief is a story of death and destruction, but also of light and strength. Having read my fair share of Holocaust books, this one is probably my favorite. Each character is relatable and the hope they have throughout tragedy is truly inspiring. The Holocaust was an incredibly horrific and sadistic event that should never have happened, and through reading the stories it created, whether real or imagined, we gain a greater sense of empathy, which is truly invaluable. To quote death in the last line of the book, “I am haunted by humans.”