The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Genre: General Historical Fiction

A beautiful book about one of the worst and darkest periods in human history, The Book Thief certainly demonstrates the power of books, of words, and, most importantly, of love. At first, I was worried about cliches, but it turns out my concerns were unfounded. The book is eloquently narrated from a personified Death's perspective of the lives of a German neighborhood. So, from the get go, the reader gets a different view of the devastation cast by Hitler during World War II. In the throes of war and human brutality, all victims are ultimately the same, whether they be Jew or German or fugitives or Nazi sympathizers--they are just simply people with fears and hopes and hearts.

Zusak said he wrote this book because he thought that words were powerful and that's how Hitler rose. He's certainly right. Words are powerful. For bad and for good.

Rating: Leaves a Lasting Impression

May 30th, 2011 5:46pm--transferred from ireadanything.tumblr.com