Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Last of The Book Thief (from me)

Last on The Book Thief
I finished the Book Thief and I can honestly say that the WHOLE book is fantastic! Really! It’s a great way to remember history, and look at how the Holocaust affected not only Jews, and Gypsies, but also every single German person. Also, it affected humans all around the world. You just simply can’t escape the drama of the terrible event.
As sad as I know it sounds, everyone but Liesel dies at the end of the book. The thing is, it is important to express the devastation of the time. How else would a book narrated by death end? Honestly, if you don’t expect the story ending in his work, I can’t imagine what you were thinking.
Near the end of the story, Liesel happens upon a group of captive Jews that goes through her town. She sees Max, and it kills her inside. To keep herself and family alive, she can’t do anything. Can you imagine how many children during this horrific even must have faced the same problem?
Often, I think it is a common misconception that only Jews were hurt during the holocaust, but as Markus Zusak points, that is VERY wrong. I wonder, "where would my family be if they were in Europe during the time?" I can’t imagine how devastating it would have been to say goodbye to my father who was called to war, and to have to pretend to conform to Hitler’s ideas. (Assuming I didn’t fit into the category of people who were so scared for themselves that they supported Hitler).
I truly admire the people like Liesel’s family, who stretched everything they had to bring some justice to the world. Their sacrificed their own protection for someone else who was being tortured. These acts are HONEST forms of courage that many wouldn’t be able to accomplish. Though this is a very sad piece, Markus Zusak inspired me through it.

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