Prior to cracking the pages of this Adolescent novel, I did not know what to expect. I had heard both good and bad things about “The Book Thief,” and of course, I had heard the movie reviews. But I was so interested to find out for myself just what story, or stories rather, this novel would tell. I cannot tell you how perplexed I was at the story’s beginning as to whom this all-knowing narrator was, and for quite some time, I just wanted him, or her I suppose, to reveal his identity. Mark Zusak, however, likes to keep his readers guessing, and his beautiful imagery, unique story-telling devices, and interesting perspective on this extremely dark time in our World’s history simply compelled me to move forward on the journey with Liesel Meminger, even when I thought it would be too difficult to continue reading. The novel, set in Molching, Germany during World War II, largely takes place on Himmel Street, the slums of Molching, and it is on that street that three stories would collide. “The Book Thief” is the story of a courageous young girl whose book thievery becomes an escape, an escape which awakens her to a world of words and connects her to the most unexpected of people in ways unimaginable. Markus Zusak’s “The Book Thief” contains the themes of identity and belonging, and the characters greatly struggle to find these as the novel progresses, and though set in a different time period, the struggle Liesel, Hans Huberman, and Max Vanderburg endure greatly mirrors the struggle of adolescents today.
Liesel Meminger, “a girl with a mountain to climb” (Zusak 86). From the very beginning, Liesel Meminger struggles with her identity. After losing her mother to “Communism” and her brother to sickness, this brave but timid young girl knows not who or whose she is. Upon her arrival at Himmel Street with the Huberman family, Liesel was shy and afraid, but she finds belonging there, especially with Hans and eventually Max. Her new father, Hans, wakes her from her nightmares each night and loves her back to wholeness, Rosa Humberman too, in her own way. Liesel finds love and safety in Hans, and she experiences belonging in that home like never before. He gives to her a gift in the form of words, and there, too, in that gift she finds a sort of belonging that would change her life forever. The narrator explains of Liesel, “She was the book thief without the words. Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain” (Zusak 80). This is such a beautifully telling image of how words would give Liesel the courage to stand for what she believed in as she learned to find her voice. Perhaps my favorite of all “The Book Thief” characters, is fatherly Hans Humberman, and like Liesel, he struggles greatly with his identity and belonging in his time. He challenges directly Hitler’s regime and lives a life against the grain. He chooses not to sign up for the party like the rest of the men of his town and the whole of Germany and suffers great social alienation because of it. Hans does not belong but chooses kindness and fights injustice, instead. Even when it means he does not belong and when it means his life and family is at risk, Hans takes in a Jew. He seeks what is right and good, and even at his death, he regrets not his choice to resist the evil that had taken over his country. He models bravery for his young daughter, Liesel, and in the face of persecution, finds belonging with the ones who mattered to him most. Hans Humberman, though struggle he did with his identity, found closeness with the most unexpected of people, a young orphan girl and a Jew. Every time this man spoke, I knew there was always something deeper to his words. His wisdom, bravery, and humility are truly inspiring. If anyone knows what it feels like to struggle with identity and belonging, it is Max Vandenburg. A Jew in Germany under Hitler’s control meant that he was an outcast. His identity was one of secrecy and fear. After travelling from home to home under the cover of darkness and taking up temporary residence with compassionate but fearful hosts, Max makes his way to Himmel Street with nothing but a book, a key, and a promise he hoped would still be fulfilled despite the circumstances. The man with the accordion would surely keep his promise, and Max would find belonging with the Huberman family like never before, especially in Liesel. Mark Zusak would bring these two lives together in such an unexpected way, and for the first hundred and fifty pages, Zusak would juggle the two stories leaving his readers breathless at the anticipation of what was to come. The narrator eventually explains, “The juggling comes to an end now, but the struggling does not. I have Liesel Meminger in one hand, Max Vandenburg in the other. Soon, I will clap them together. Just give me a few pages” (Zusak 168). Zusak certainly claps them together, and though his true identity kept him from experiencing a full life, he lived each day with joy through Liesel. She used words to paint pictures of the evening sky and the sunset when he could not see them himself. She gave him snow to touch and to remember, but most of all, Liesel gave to Max the gift of being known, truly known and loved. All three of these beautiful characters experience struggle with their identity and with belonging, and these struggles mirror those which many adolescents experience even today. “The Book Thief” seems to ask the questions, “Who are we?” and “How do we fit in this world in relation to each other?” Jeffery S. Kaplan of the ALAN Review writes that “most adolescent readers view characters in young adult novels as living and wrestling with real problems close to their own life experiences as teenagers. At the center of all these themes are questions of character and identity and values” (16). Young people today long to know that they are not alone, and literature has the ability to reach them during their time of identity crisis and help them cope with feelings of insecurity and loneliness. In reading about Liesel, Hans, and Max, adolescents have the opportunity to see a part of themselves in these characters and feel belonging at a time in their lives when they feel like the world is against them. Caroline C. Hunt, contributor to Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, writes, “All psychology textbooks tell us that identity is the adolescent’s main concern; the teenager, we read, vacillates between a child’s role and an adults…The Young adult novel may focus on gaining and accepting adult status (as in the classic coming-of-age stories) or on realizing and accepting one’s real self—origins, strengths, and limitations, one’s real being” (Hunt). “The Book Thief” directly challenges readers to search for and even create their own place in the world, and through kindness and compassion, building relationships, and standing up for what is right we find out who we really are. While just a few chapters in, I wondered how this novel could be classified as adolescent literature. With the dark tone, the horrific real-life tragedies, and the death ever-present in the novel, I just did not see how young people would be able to relate with the events of this story. I quickly learned, however, just how wrong I was, and I began to see how relevant “The Book Thief” truly is to adolescents today. The characters mirror the very struggles with which young people are going through, and the story enlightens readers, both young and old, about a time in our world’s history that changed everything. To say that I liked this novel would be quite the understatement. Mark Zusak’s story-telling and beautiful words flowed beautifully together to create such a meaningful and impactful account of life in Germany under Hitler’s control. Most of the pages of my book have now been bunny-eared and have many notes and underlines etched on them. So many words and so many phrases created such beautiful images, and while reading, I felt as if I could actually see the little home on Himmel Street, Rudy’s blond hair and mischievous grin, Hans Humberman’s strong hands holding worn and crackled books by lamplight, Max’s body shivering beneath mounds of blankets, and Rosa’s stern gaze with piles of laundry surrounding her. I could see Liesel, the book thief, strong and brave, shimmy her way through the open window of the Mayor’s home to retrieve the books, cautiously pick up the scalding book from the Nazi fire, and gather “The Grave Digger’s Handbook” from the snow beside her brother’s grave. The imagery is perhaps my favorite thing about this novel. Zusak did not simply tell me what happened to Liesel, the Hubermans, or Max, he showed me, and that, to me, makes for an excellent and impactful story. I have thought long and hard as I have tried to come up with something that I did not like about this novel, but the challenge simply proved to be too much. After reading, I can honestly say that there is nothing about this novel that I did not like. While I do not like the fact that Jews were persecuted, tortured, and killed throughout the course of the novel or the fact that so many good people had to die, I love that this novel mirrors real life. Zusak’s story is not one of make-believe in which a happy ending is shared by all, but it is one of heart-break, persistence in the face of a challenge, and doing what is right even when it might cost everything. I saw parts of myself in little Liesel as I read. I saw in her a zeal for words and the worlds created by them, a passion for people and for justice, and a desire to know and be known by others. Perhaps I feel so connected with Liesel now because I want to be more like her. I want to be brave and fight courageously for what is right and good like she fought for Max and for her mother. “The Book Thief” is truly an unforgettable read, one that I will surely never forget. Works Cited Hunt, Caroline C. "Counterparts: Identity Exchange and the Young Adult Audience." Children's Literature Association Quarterly 11.3 (1986): 109-13. Project MUSE. Project MUSE. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. Kaplan, Jeffery S. "Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century: Moving Beyond Traditional Constraints and Conventions." The ALAN Review (2005): 11-18. The Research Connection. The ALAN Review, 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. Zusak, Mark. The Book Thief. New York: Random House Children's, 2006. Print. |