The Book Thief

A couple of months ago, I finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for the second time. I really like to read, but I rarely read a book more than once. If I do, I must have really liked the book.

I first read The Book Thief a couple of years ago and I loved it. The book was well written (although maybe a little hard to get into at the very beginning) but I soon became attached to the characters. The book made me cry. It made me laugh. It made me feel scared for the characters. I thought about the message of the book for a long time after finishing it. 

The movie, based on the book, came out in 2013. I saw it and I thought they did a good job with it. I realized, though, as I watched the movie, I couldn't remember the details of the book and that I wanted to read it again. I didn't pick it up again until a couple of months ago and, as I started reading it, I remembered why I liked it so much. The author does a good job with character development and keeping you interested in the story.

The narrator of the book is Death and I know some people might find that weird, but I feel like it works in this case. As odd as this may sound, Death becomes fascinated by a little girl named Leisl, who lives in Nazi Germany during World War II.

Leisl is surrounded by death and suffering at a young age, but continues strong and courageous in the face of it. Leisl and the people she is surrounded by, show Death that humans are worth it, that even with all these humans killing other humans, that humans can be beautiful and brilliant creatures and that words are powerful whether to persuade for good or for bad.

I won't go into great details about it all, but I really just wanted to say that I love the book The Book Thief. It is sad. It is funny. It is thought provoking.