For my book club this month, Tess chose "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. It is a World War II story dealing with the sad, grim reality of World War II. I was upset about this book choice. I have read plenty of World War II themed books. I cried throughout The Diary of Ann Frank, I gained a new perspective about the meaning of life through reading, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. I hoped I was as brave as the Ten Boom sisters in The Hiding Place. I have watched various movies on the subject--Schindler's List being the most recent. I even lived in Israel and visited the museums, met descendants of the survivors, celebrated multiple Jewish holidays and tried to learn Hebrew. For gosh sakes, even my roommate my freshman year was Jewish! I have felt plenty of pain for the sufferings of the people during World War II. Why would I need to read another book on the subject. Why?
Because as much as I didn't want to like this book, I discovered that I not only liked it, I loved it. It is beautifully written. The story is narrated by Death and tells about World War II in Germany and about a German (non-Jewish) little girl. It was a fascinating and enjoyable (albeit with plenty of sadness) read.
Thank goodness for my book club, because otherwise, I would have never read this book and missed out on an amazing book reading experience. Thank you Tess!
5 comments:
I love history books as well. I'll have to put this one on my list.
Thanks for the suggestion! We had our book club tonight-we read Jane Eyre.
I just finished the Kite Runner on a recommendation from a friend, and I feel the same way about it. I would never have read something like that on my own, as it's about a boy in Afganistan, (which I can't even spell right) and the persecution that goes on there. Very moving and thought provoking book. But also very disturbing, so I don't know if I would recommend it to you, I'm just saying that it really makes you think, and remember how blessed you are to be living in America.
Oh, and now that I'm done with that one, I can get started on the Book Thief.
Janice, I completely agree with your comments on the book. I read it on the plane to and from Nashville and really, really liked it and have recommended it to several people and passed my copy on to a friend.
I am so glad you liked it. I cried - no sobbed - at the end. David, who mostly reads medical journals, even loved it. I gave it to my grandmother and she promptly gave it to her public library - oh well, you can't please them all. It won a Printz honor for this year...I think it should have gotten the prize.
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