'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak

If you're one of my Facebook friends or have ever had even a short conversation with me about books, I'm sure you know that my absolute favorite book is Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.  I want to dedicate my first "book post" at Embracing My Book Addiction to the beauty and brilliance that is The Book Thief.  

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When I talk about this book I seriously get goosebumps and all sorts of tongue-tied.  Have you ever read anything that took your breath away and made permanent imprints on your heart?  If not, keep reading, as I promise you will find your The Book Thief.  The story is beautiful, but it is definitely the beautiful language and incredible writing style that made this the best book I've ever read.  It's a book that I had such a difficult time reviewing because, like I mentioned before, this book makes me tongue-tied.   When I try to talk about it, I stutter... I flap my arms and squeeze my chest.  When I type about it, I rave and ramble (are you noticing that?).  So here I'll insert my original review of the book, as posted on Goodreads in February 2014:

 Rating:  ✯✯✯✯✯ 5/5 stars

  I am haunted by humans...

Every once in a great while, I read a book that makes me want to promptly open up my Goodreads app and start confiscating stars from the nearly 400 books on my “read” shelf. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one of these books. I have read a lot of books, but there are very few that come close in comparison to this one.

One of the most unique characteristics of The Book Thief is the fact that it is narrated by Death. In the prologue, Death describes that when he comes to collect a soul, he focuses on the color of the sky. We are introduced to Liesel, the little girl nicknamed “the book thief”, as Death recalls the colors of the sky during his three encounters with her, as he collected souls in her presence: white, black, and red. With this prologue, I was captivated by Death’s words and longing to know the book thief’s story.

The Book Thief is essentially the story of a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. Due to her failing health and social status, Liesel’s mother takes her to live with foster parents in a small town outside of Munich. The foster parents, the Hubermanns, are lovable characters, with Rosa (a.k.a. Mama) being a woman who pretends to be tough as nails, but has a heart of gold and Hans (a.k.a. Papa) being a soft-hearted, nurturing father figure who is Liesel’s hero in every way. The beginning of the book is mostly about Liesel’s pre-teen years, her growing relationship with the Hubermann’s, her friendship with a boy named Rudy, and the beginnings of Liesel’s book thievery. Starting with a book she found in the snow in a graveyard, Liesel becomes fascinated with the power of written words. The book thief is born.

Don't misunderstand me... The Book Thief is not just a book about a girl who loves and steals books. It’s also a chilling story about one of the darkest times for humankind, told from a perspective with which I’m not as familiar. Every time I read a book about the Holocaust, I can’t help wondering how in the world so many people were convinced/brainwashed to allow and participate in the genocide of other human beings. Most books that I’ve read about the Holocaust are from the perspective of Jewish families facing concentration camps. This book is instead about a family who were forced to feign loyalty to Hitler, while secretly hiding a Jewish man in their basement.

Really, I think everyone should read this book. It is one that I will never forget and will always treasure. I cried until my head throbbed and my chest literally ached. Of course, the story is sad and with the subject, of course I expected it to be. It’s the way Markus Zusak’s words hit you right in the gut that caught me off guard. When I read on my Kindle, I use the highlighting tool to mark phrases and paragraphs that really strike me and with this book, I found myself wanting to highlight the whole thing. Although The Book Thief will join many other books that I’ve given five star ratings to, it is definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read.

The Book Thief on Goodreads 

 “I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do I even simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant...I AM HAUNTED BY HUMANS.”
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief 

"For a while, she watched him. Then she sat and leaned back.
Sleepy air seemed to have followed her.
The scrawled words of practice stood magnificently on the wall by the stairs, jagged and childlike and sweet. They looked on as both the hidden Jew and the girl slept, hand to shoulder.
They breathed.
German and Jewish lungs.”
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

“Papa sat with me tonight. He brought the accordion down and sat close to where Max used to sit. I often look at his fingers and face when he plays. the accordion breathes. There are lines on his cheeks. They look drawn on, and for some reason, when I see them, I want to cry. It is not for any sadness or pride. I just like the way they move and change. Sometimes I think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.”
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

"His soul sat up. It met me. Those kind of souls always do--the best ones. The ones who rise up and say, "I know who you are and I am ready. Not that i want to go, of course, but I will come." Those souls are always light becausre more of them have been put out............ Liesel. His soul whispered it as I carried him.”
― Marcus Zusak, The Book Thiefe

 “He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry.”
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

 “She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Leisel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips. He tasted dusty and sweet. He tasted like regret in the shadows of trees and in the glow of the anarchist's suit collection. She kissed him long and soft, and when she pulled herself away, she touched his mouth with her fingers...She did not say goodbye. She was incapable, and after a few more minutes at his side, she was able to tear herself from the ground. It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on...”
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief 

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 I'll also have you know that I wrote a blog post about The Book Thief and only cried throughout the entire writing process.  ;)   I recommend this book to everyone who has ever read a book and I hope that this blog post will motivate you all to do so (if you haven't already).  If you do decide to read this book because of this possibly overly enthusiastic book review/post, all I can say is "You're welcome"... Oh, and don't forget a fresh box of tissues.

Happy reading!