The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a remarkable story, which revolves around Liesel, a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. Death, who is busy reluctantly coaxing souls from their dying bodies, narrates Liesel's struggle to hide a Jew in her foster family's basement, learn to read by stealing books, and stand up for what is right.
I would highly recommend this book because it is extremely well-written and thought-provoking. The characters and their emotions become real to the reader. Although this book is not based on a true story, it could be. The author uses foreshadowing to make you wonder what happens next without giving everything away. Death reveals enough to make you dread turning the page, but feel you have no choice. The Book Thief also makes us question the traditional perspective on this period of history. History is written by the winners, so the Allies are usually portrayed as "the good guys" and the Nazis as "the bad guys." However, this book offers a different viewpoint, one where the Allies are the enemies who kill Liesel's loved ones. The fascinating narrative also makes us think about Death, and wonder who the true enemy is: Death, or ourselves. The line, "Even Death has a heart," implies that sometimes people are heartless.
The conclusion of this story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. If I were to rewrite the ending, I would eliminate the slaughter of Liesel's parents and friends. Instead, the bomber planes would miss the town where Liesel and her friends live, and everyone would survive the war and live long and happy lives. Unfortunately, this is unrealistic. However, one of the ideas emphasized throughout the book is the premise that you live or die by chance. Although a few fortunate characters survive the war, why can't everyone live?
Reading this book is a memorable experience that will make you think long after you've finished it. Parts of the story are humorous while others are deeply moving. The Book Thief takes the historical facts of World War II and connects them to familiar faces, achieving the perfect balance between education and emotion.
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OMG, I am stunned, so stunned that I can't make any commment on this Comment Post. I am now sitting in the "sofa" and enjoying your writting.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Sofa means the first comment of a blog, now I am in a "Chair"
ReplyDeleteIt is undeniable, so undeniable, very undeniable that the book sound so good under the description of your.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree that "History is written by the winners" And I am so glad that you realized it, too. Hope in this case it's not because you just read the book and have been token control by the words of the author.
But anyways, I disagree with the line "Even Death has a heart." This line is a completely twist of the interpretation of the word "Death". Death does not currently exist on Earth, so the author and you do not know what a Death going to be like. And in today's society we have interpreted Death as a symbol of dark, suffering, bad luck and mostly as a foreshadow of danger plus all sorts of other bad things. So by saying "Even Death has a heart", the author meant that all those abiotic factors of one's life have ability to think and decide whether it's going to occur on you or not, which is a bad mockery by all means.
But I like the idea of Death itself, and under your hands it seems to be a very interesting character in the novel, so I decided I am going to read it.
But, however (I know, it's bad grammar, but I just want to use it), I need to make a comment on your view that "why can't anyone live?"
Though in this case you already realized that life is life, which filled up with tragedy that no man could ever avoid, you still hope, I believe, there are justice and good luck for good people. Sadly, it is no true; not logically, at least.
In Chinese proverb people stated "good people do not live long, while bad people survive years after years." There is plenty of logic and "because of" involved in explaining this statement, which I will not digging into it right here, but the main point is that the statement is true.
Sadly, the most important fact is, we do enjoy in tragedy, whether we laugh at them, or make ourselves rush into tear for them, we just love to see tragedy. Even you, Patty.
By the way, I am Jackson, just for you know...
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad that you are going to read this book because it'a a great story. However, I'm sorry, but I think this book proves that Chinese proverb wrong. The characters who survive are not "bad." They are kind, caring people who happen to have good luck on a particular day. Also, since the author and I can't know what death is like, that means you can't either. In the book, Death is portrayed as a spirit who takes souls from their bodies, so I think the author is trying to say that sometimes the enemy is other people, not the unknown. I also have to disagree with what you said about everyone enjoying tragedy. I think most people try to avoid tragedy, but obviously they aren't always successful.
ReplyDeleteLuck, Luck, Luck, life is not something that one could depend on the single word Luck. Life is a exam, as I just suffered through one of the toughest part a few minutes ago, I have the rights to say that luck is nothing, absolutely nothing if you consider it as a part in life. I once thought I do have one good, though not perfect family, but now even it is being threatened. Luck do not happen to the "right" people, it cause tragedy to anyone that so random and covering so many that is probably beyond your imagination. But whenever bad things happen, there will also be a chance for you to fix it and help yourself out, which is what we call “Luck”. Then, everything is depending on your skills. You need to do the best you can, even if that means you need to stand up against moral laws or social laws, which afterward, people will consider you as a "bad" man or woman. Being good is with a cost, if you follow the moral laws even when you are in great dangers, then there are only two possibilities for your ending. Whether you double the work and fix the problem at the end, or you die because you don't have the doubled strength to fix it.
ReplyDeleteAnd that was what I meant.
Luck could save anyone, but you need to catch on it tight when it come to you.
That's my comment.
By the way, if you read a tragedy and you say that book/novel is good, then you are enjoying in tragedy. You shall not, and cannot deny that...
Personally, I find that sometimes a good book and an enjoyable book can be different. To me, an enjoyable book to read would be something light, like Twilight, involving inhumanly beautiful vampires and happy endings. However, while, I did not enjoy bawling my eyes while reading the final chapters of The Book Thief, I thought it was a good book because it has a message that makes you think. I agree with you that luck favours the prepared, but I also think that some things are simply beyond your control.
ReplyDelete