Have you ever wanted a deeper insight into what Germany really was like during World War ll? If so, we definitely recommend reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The book takes place in Nazi Germany, 1939, where the Hubermann family lives peacefully on Himmel Street. Everything has been going well until Hitler has become more and more powerful. People start believing his persuasive words. However, if you, as a reader, think that all Germans believed in Hitler’s cause and were not in danger, killed, or had any fear for their lives,  this book will be a good one to read to open your eyes. We know it did for us. This is only one of the many stereotypes that the book breaks.
To understand the book, you first need to understand the author. Markus Zusak was born in Sydney, Australia in 1975. According to gradesaver, his inspiration came from the stories of his German mother and Austrian father. Most of the stories that he wrote in The Book Thief are from real life experiences that his parents had during their childhoods. It seems reasonable to assume that one of Zusak’s main purposes for writing this book is to show others how World War ll really was, compared to what the documentaries never show about that time period. Admittedly, when we first saw that this book was part of the historical fiction genre, we weren’t too excited about reading it. Now, looking back on it, The Book Thief is one of our very favorite books, and we would definitely read it again. Take a chance on this book even if you're like us, and would never think about reading a book that is historical fiction.
One of the reasons why we love this book is because of the unique narrator. The Book Thief smoothly switches between first person and third person. This is done in the most splendid way, and though it seems like it would be confusing at times, it always makes perfect sense. Death is a phenomenal narrator. He is our favorite part of this book because he makes it so interesting. He breaks into the story at times, clarifying things or just making it more interesting to read. The way he narrates the book makes us love the book even more. We also enjoy how he leaves readers on a cliff-hanger by telling us little things that we don’t find out until later on in the book, so we keep wanting to read it. Death is not the stereotypical “death” that you would think of. He doesn’t show up wearing a hood and holding an ax to take your soul, he actually is an overworked, sensitive person who doesn’t really enjoy his job. He gets especially depressed when he has to take all the souls of the people who died because of Hitler. The narration of Death breaks the stereotype that we often presume of Death. The themes in The Book Thief, like stereotypes, are very noticeable and continue throughout the whole book. The way that Death narrates also helps you, as a reader, understand the main characters’ personalities and internal conflicts.
These main characters in this book are Liesel Memminger, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, Rudy Steiner, and Max Vandenburg. Liesel is an adventurous, brave, book thieving, and stubborn little girl with Hans and Rosa as her adoptive parents. Hans has a huge impact on Liesel, as he teaches her to read and write. They form a special bond, the two of them. Max also has an incredible relationship with Liesel. He inspires her in so many ways. They have the same feelings on Hitler; he is the absolute worst person to ever walk the earth. They both have nightmares about their family that they left. They also share a love for words. Liesel’s neighbor, Rudy, is a spunky, lemon-haired boy who becomes Liesel’s best friend and her partner in crime. They have many adventures together on Himmel Street. The German and Jewish join together to defeat their enemy, Hitler.
This book really opened up our eyes to what actually happened during this time. We saw everything in a different way, especially Germans. We had never really thought about if they got tortured and hurt during this war like so many other people did. What we have come to conclude is that Hitler was a very powerful yet selfish man who would not mind killing innocent people in the process. But we also realized that while all the bad and terrible things were going on, there were amazing and heartwarming things that happened too. We think that is one of the main points that Zusak is trying to get across in this book. His book makes you want to keep reading and reading. The Book Thief is filled with laughter, sadness, adventure, fear, joy, and many other emotions. We would definitely recommend this book because it is remarkably interesting with just the correct amount of information.