The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The narrator of this fascinating novel is Death. [Note: in the movie, Death is not a person, but a voice-over, which seemed a bit disappointing to readers.]
Death is sympathetic at times to the plight of mankind. He is also surprised by the dichotomy of human cruelty and kindness. 
The novel provides different perspectives of people (and death) during the Holocaust. Liesel, the daughter of a communist, is taken in by a couple who end up harboring a Jewish man. 
The innocence of childhood is prevalent throughout the novel in Liesel, Rudy, and the other children. Some children were easily brainwashed as they participated in Hitler Youth Camps. While some children, like Liesel, were exposed to some of the harsh truths surrounding Hitler's ideas of eradicating people because they are different.
The idea of books and words being able to persuade people to either make people grow and prosper or to make them wither and die was a prominent throughout the novel.
The ending was also discussed because readers wanted to know if Liesel ended up marrying the Jewish man, Max. It seems as though the author has left that up to the reader to decide.

Meeting Attendance
Karla
Kara
Sheryl
Kathy
​Bill