A Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a story told from the perspective of Death about a young girl living in Nazi Germany during World War II. Liesel Meminger’s life changes after the death of her brother. At his burial, she picks up an abandoned book that changes her life. A love of books soon blossoms in her, and her adoptive father teaches her how to read and encourages her love of reading and learning. Liesel has many tales to tell of her new friends and family, and along the way, she steals more books for herself. This earns her the nickname “Book Thief” from her closest friend.

The Book Thief is a modern classic and must-read for young adults to adult audiences. The historical details added throughout the book emphasize the reality that the book is based on. These historical details also give insight into the reasoning behind the characters’ beliefs. One aspect of the book that I appreciate is the hints about upcoming events. Some are laid between the lines of text while others are clearly stated. Even with the clues, the book still manages to lead to a different surprise at every turn. I also respect that no detail is left to waste. Every description has some purpose sooner or later in the story, even if it is not clear at first.

There are some content warnings I want to list before one reads this book. It does deal with themes or ideas of death, racism, ableism, heavy anti-semitism, verbal abuse, and abandonment. I would recommend this book to any readers mature enough to handle the difficult topics discussed and understand the message being told in the story. Overall this book was a great read in a variety of ways, and I would definitely read it again.