The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one of the most powerful stories that I have read. Taking place during the Holocaust, this book’s depth is immediately apparent (as is any story in the face of such a great tragedy.) The story centers around a girl named Liesel, who loses her family at the novel’s opening, and thus finds herself in the care of the Huberman family. The Huberman family provides Liesel with a new warmth that had been lacking previously in her life–they represent, for her, a true family. But, when she discovers that the family is hiding a Jew, the situation quickly becomes tense as the family comes face to face with the evil of Nazi Germany.
With an examination of intense themes such as grief, childhood innocence, and death, this book is compelling both in theme and story. Zusak’s novel has characters as lovable and memorable as those in Marvel or DC and, thus, a story that has brought tears to nearly everyone that has read it. Both because of its setting in one of the worst epochs in human history, and a story that forces such lovable characters to face trials of incredible magnitude, the emotional impact of this novel cannot be overstated: it is a literary experience that I will never forget. For this reason, this book earns a well-deserved 4.9 stars out of 5.