How very true. I just wish we humans would learn from our mistakes in the past.Hannellene wrote:Zusak shows us how small defiances and unexpectedly courageous acts remind us of our humanity.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
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- Maud Fitch
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Re: The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
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- Maud Fitch
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Nicely said, and so true.bookworm137 wrote:I've just joined onlinebookclub and the first thing I looked for was a discussion on The Book Thief. As you said it stays with you. After reading this I found myself haunted by it (much like Liesel and Death). It is a brilliant read heartwarming, devestating and unputdownable(!) I was hooked from the very first line "Here is a small fact : YOU ARE GOING TO DIE" ,what an opener! This is one of the most compelling books I have ever read. Zusak describes scenes and feelings in a very unique and out-of-the-box way. The characters are so well written and lovable. I could rave about this book forever. A must read.
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- Cnc_theft_auto
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- Redlegs
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Read the other posts here - I recommend you stick with it and you will be rewarded.Cnc_theft_auto wrote:I started reading this a few days ago after lots of hype at my school, but I find the writing style a little plain and boring. To me the story progression is slow, although I have only read about 40 pages so far...does the rest of the book get any better? I'm going to read it anyway, but I just want to know what I'm getting into.
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
- Cnc_theft_auto
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- primrose777
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I don't think I have read a book that has moved me as much, not only by the content and story but by the shape and structure of the words. Markus Zusak writes in such a way that words that would not normally be melded together are constructed in such a way that my heart was penetrated and the words lingered for a very long time.
The subject is not an easy one. WW2, Hitler, The Jews and the terrible inhumanity to man. I thought it a stroke of genius that the narrator was death, and very apt for the time. I have never read a book abut WW2 from the German peoples perspective,those caught in the crossfire if you like and found that insight very interesting. I think it can be forgotten that there were probably many Germans who were as appalled by Hitler as the rest of the world.
I thought this book brilliantly written, so sad, so moving, the characters vivid yet ordinary in an extraordinary situation.
I finish with these words... some of my favourite.
" Papa sat with me tonight. He brought his 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 ay me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes."
Beautiful.
- Maud Fitch
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On the topic of WWII, have you read "Maus", a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman?
I find the cartoons overwhelming, the message is very powerful.
It's hard for me to explain because it evokes similar reactions as "The Book Thief". Art Spiegelman was born in Sweden to parents who were Holocaust survivors. His brother, Richieu, did not survive, having been poisoned by an aunt in order to avoid capture by the Nazis four years before Art was born. He immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1951.
Growing up, his mother would occasionally talk about Auschwitz, but his father didn't want him to know about it. Because his father wouldn't talk openly about the Holocaust, Spiegelman interviews him about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The book (originally serialised) uses post-modern techniques and depicts different races of humans as different breeds of animal, with Jews as mice - hence "Maus" - Germans as cats and Poles as pigs. Sometimes labelled memoir, biography, history, fiction, a mixture of genres with a chilling subtitle A Survivor's Tale - My Father Bleeds History.
It was the first comic book to win a Pulitzer Prize. But definitely not one for kids.
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- MelMariah
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Everything you've said is perfectly correct. Zusak has done an amazing job on this book and it's definitely a favourite of mine.