Weeks Four and Five

Question: Do you think maybe Zusak has had lots of encounters with death that may have caused him to write from the point of view of death, or do you think he may have just wanted to have an interesting narrator?

Thoughts about the book: I really was not a big fan of the book. There were so many similes that they started to get on my nerves! And I think death was an interesting choice of narrator to begin with, but by the end death seemed a little... flighty? Like he couldn't quite stay on track or keep one train of thought going for too long. It drove me crazy. I don't know. Maybe it was just me, but I just don't like these kinds of books I guess...

Final Post

I really enjoyed reading 'The Book Thief'. I thought it was a fantastic book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading at all. The book is so varied that people who enjoy any genre will like it. My favorite part of the novel is the perspective it gives you. Not only do you have a unique narrator in death, the book also offers a non-mainstream view of World War II. Most books in this setting tend to favor the setting in concentration camps. My favorite part in the story is when Liesel is motioned into the mayors house by his wife and shown their library. It's humorous how Liesel returns to thank her after she forgot.

Bookthief final post

 I thought that the Book Thief was an interesting dark book that I really enjoyed. While it is fiction I felt like I had a window into the daily life of regular Germans living in Nazi Germany. When I think of Nazi Germany I picture a bunch of radical Nazis praising Hitler and discriminating against Jews. Yet the reality is that not all people supported Hitler or his ideas. Another think that really stuck to me about this book was the use of Death as a narrator. This is the first time I had read or even heard of this point of view. The book is not told through third person as it appears but first person with Death telling the story.  Overall the book did not have a lasting impression on me except for the things I mentioned above, It was a nice story but it just isn't a story I will remember. Unlike Of Mice and Men where George kills Lenie, the book thief does not have a shocking ending or a powerful message at the end that I will always recall. This book did have a sad ending with the destruction of Himmel street and Max but this book is not Kite Runner, where I felt depressed at the end, I didn't really feel any remorse. This is a good book and I would defiantly recommend this book but it is not one of my favorites.

Final post

Overall I thought that The Book Thief was fantastic. One major thing I liked about it was reading it from a different point of view. I mean many books about WWII are usually based in the concentration camps; this one was just a different perspective. I also liked how the book was told from death. It gave the book a different feeling when reading it, it also made it sadder when we find out how it ends. One of the parts I liked the most was when Liesel visits the mayor’s house in the earlier part of the book. I think it’s really cool how the wife lets Liesel read their books. It just seems like it really changed Liesel. This book really made me think more about WWII in general and how unfair it was. I never really thought deeply about this topic but after reading this book I really did. Overall I thought this was a fantastic book, sad at times, but would recommend it to anyone.

Final Post

When I first started reading The Book Thief, Death first foreshadows Liesel encounters with him. I could tell the book was going to be sad, and tried to enjoy the happy parts of the book, assuming the end would be completely devastating. As soon as I read when Death foreshadows Rudy's fate, including Liesel finally kissing him, it definitely had an effect on how I viewed the book. I could simply think that the book was depressing, but that's not the case. It was such a nice surprise to learn that Max lived through World War II. The characters were very memorable. Rudy was like a breath of fresh air, bringing joy to Liesel's life when it would otherwise be gloomy. Rosa was another nice surprise. She started off seeming abusive and one-dimensional, but then I realized that Rosa loved Hans and Liesel, especially when she played Hans' accordion. Even Death was not simply a depressed figure that tried to distract himself. He was human like, not able to cope with deaths easily and instead noticed the beauty in the colors of people's souls. Overall, I loved the book. The descriptions that, though unnecessary, reflected how precious each moment with Rudy and her foster parents was, and how amidst the atrocities of the war, there was hope. I recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate stories even if they are sad.

Final Post

Overall, I think that this was an excellent book. I really enjoyed the interesting viewpoint Death gave as the narrator. I think that his demeanor and the mood he gave were very original, and were extremely compelling. I also think that this book gives a new type of look at WWII, and what it's like in Nazi Germany. Many other books are very intensive on looking at the combat side of the story, but this novel's concentration on a single person, and how they live through this horrible time is awesome. I would most certainly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a unique and quality novel about WWII. I hope that this book is chosen for summer reading next year, because it was a very good book.

Final Post

Well, I finished the book about a week ago, but I haven't gotten around to writing this post. I thought the book was good, but I didn't think it was very difficult. The ending was poignant and emotional, which was a nice change after having read so many books with crappy endings. While this book was good, it was a little easy. I liked the description and the flow of the sentences a lot, but the plot was a little used. I think that this book was an original idea, but it was not written in a complex manner. I did like the use of Death of a narrator, I thought that was inventive and creative. I also liked the characterization of the supporting characters. By supporting, I mean the characters who weren't Liesel but were still important. I didn't like Liesel as much as the others because her naivete and insolence made the plot less interesting. I would recommend this book to others with the caution that it isn't very complex but it is still a very good book.

Post # 5 - Overall Feelings on the Book.

After nearly finishing the book [About 30 pages to go], I do think Zusak has written a book that is high quality. If we could manage to convince the administration to put The Book Thief on the summer reading list with our "proposal assignment", something tells me people would dread Enriched English 10 much less, in comparison to reading something such as The Iliad. The blunt attitude which Death used when introducing the main aspects of the novel is what pulled me into it in the first place, but as you progress with the book, Death's ideas and input becomes less frequent. Frankly, I'm fortunate they became less frequent though. As you carry on with the book, the characterization of various people such as Liesel and Max becomes much stronger, and you can depend much less on Death to help understand their actions and intentions. Another thing that was very refreshing about Zusack's writing, is that he did not have a case of "same character syndrome." Essentially, he did not have two characters that acted the same and could barely be distinguished from one another, but that's something very common to see in books these days. The review on the cover of the book which states, " "Brilliant and hugely ambitious... It's the kind of book that can be life changing" - New York Times " might be a little bit too patronizing of the book, but it was still interesting to read.

Final Post

I loved the book! At times I though it got a little slow, but in the end I really enjoyed the good messages it sends. I learned a lot from The Book Thief. Not only historical things about the war, the holocaust, and what people in Germany during this time had to go through, but also a lot about trauma in peoples lives and how they cope with it. I also really liked reading a book where the narrator is death. While sometimes I forgot it was even him talking, other times it completely changed the way I thought about the book. It was so interesting for me to imagine what death looked like and why he said certain things, and it definitely made the book unique. The death of many of the characters I had grown to love was hard at the end, but it was what I expected. Even though I knew it was coming, it was still very sad and really made me think about how horrible stories like this happened to so many real people. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and I would recommend it to anyone.

Discussion #5 - Overall Reaction

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Book Thief  and thought it was a great book. I've always enjoyed books about the Holocaust and Nazi Germany which is a reason why I chose this. The first chapters caught my attention right away because of the way Death (the narrator) described things. Death was such a unique and interesting narrator and it was nice to have a different point of view during this time period unlike other books. This book was hard to put down because something was always happening. I liked the small notes/side comments from Death and although they were a bit random at times, they helped point out important information to remember.  Another thing I enjoyed about The Book Thief was Markus Zusak's use of figurative language. Zusak helped put a picture in my mind of what was going on and makes readers feel like they are Liesel or anyone of the characters. I would recommend The Book Thief  to anyone because it has a deep meaning. Although the book is classified under the Young Adult section, I think adult readers will enjoy this book too. 

Final Post - Overall

Overall, I thought The Book Thief was a very good book. I think Markus Zusak did a great job with developing the story and keeping the reader engaged. My favorite aspect of the story was that Death was the narrator. It gave a very unique twist to the book that I have never seen before in a book. Another thing that I really liked about this book was that it was not like other books you read that take place in Nazi Germany. Most of the time, those types of books will be from the point of view of a Jew or someone sheltering a Jew. Having the main character be a typical German girl that is still effected by the holocaust is also a very unique aspect. I loved how the relationships between Liesel and all the other characters were developed and how it made the reader feel like they were a part of it. The Book Thief was a very fast read, but it was still done very well and it has a great overall meaning. I would recommend this book to just about anyone.

Week 5 - Overall Opinion

Overall, I thought The Book Thief was good, but not as goods as it claims to be. I've heard numorous people say how excellent this book is, which made me expect it to be absolutely amazing. Part of the reason I didn't think it was amazing was that it is Teen Fiction, a genre I can't stand. I thought this book might have strayed from those elements of Teen Fiction since many adults find it amazing as well. It had not. Some things I didn't like about the book were how I always felt like the author was trying too hard by overemphasizing things. The most obvious example of this was the random bolded phrases throughout the book. They serve no purpose except to emphasize things the author felt would bring a sort of staged depth to the story. A book should be able to have depth without this added effort. Another way depth is forced is how the last scentence of each section or chapter is overly dramatic. I feel like a book's substance should be dramatic (if that's the purpose of the book, as it is for this book), and not focus on the last scentence. However, there were some things I liked about The Book Thief, such as its use of figurative language and the idea that Death is really afraid of humans. I liked how throughout the book Death is acting tough and sarcastic, and at the end we discover it's only his way of covering up the true fear he has of us humans. Scenes such as the bomb raids where the entire street was crowded into and waiting in silence in that one basement, as well as Death's character made me think more about war and what a horrible destructive power humans really are. I also reccomend to anyone who hasn't already to read or at least skim the interview with the author at the back of the book. Finding out what Marcus Zusak's own thoughts while writing The Book Thief really made me appreciate it more as a whole.

Discussion 5- Overall

Overall, i really enjoyed this book. I think that Markus Zusak did a great job with portraying the horror that people faced in the Holocaust, even the Germans. One aspect that i really enjoyed about this book was the fact that it is written from the perspective of death. I heard that in the beginning, so i was a little hesitant about reading such a gruesome, depressing story, but it was only dark in depressing in a couple of areas. My favorite scene was the scene where Rosa comes to Liesel's school to yell at her about a hairbrush when she really wanted to tell her that Max was safe. Another scene that was the most touching to me was when the Jews were walking through Liesel's neighborhood and Hans couldn't stand their suffering so he gave one of them a piece of bread. This was so touching because the Jew was so shocked and dropped on his knees and hugged Hans. This scene really shows how harsh the Jews had it and how grateful they were when someone was willing to give them a simple piece of bread. But although there were some significant scenes that stood out for me, the entire book was so intriguing and interesting with Zusak's unique writing. I love how he would have certain parts bolded to show their importance to the novel. I also love his vivid descriptions of different things and actions in the novel. Even though it was a pretty easy read and i went through it really fast, it has a deep meaning that I will never forget.

Week 5- Overall

Overall I really enjoyed the book, it was a very fast read and I had to pace myself over the past five weeks. The beginning really pulled me in with the first chapter being in the point of view of death. I have never read a book that had its narrator as death and that added a new twist. I also enjoyed it because even though it took place in the time of the holocaust, it was about something different than other Nazi Germany books, it was about a little girl who wasn’t Jewish yet she was affected by the surrounding issues. The book started to become more interesting when Max came into the picture; he added that sense of adventure and fear. Rudy was also a fun character, in the beginning he was so willing to become Liesel's friend, plus I thought that the Jesse Owens incident was hilarious. Throughout the book I began to love Rosa and Hans Hubberman, even when Rosa yells. My favorite scene is when Rosa comes to Liesel’s school and starts yelling at her about a hairbrush. Even with the yelling it was such a cute moment to have Rosa then say back to Liesel, you said to yell to make it believable (or something along those lines). The way this book was written also intrigued me, how there would be the random bolded center notes. I never really understood why it was like that, but I enjoyed it. Overall I thought this was a good read, but not a difficult text, but a good story.

Discussion #5- Overall Reaction

My overall reaction to The Book Thief was that it was a very good book. I enjoyed reading this book for many different reasons, one of them being the twist on Death being the narrator. I always love books that take place during Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. For some reason the always intrigue me, and this one did the same. I liked the little side comments throughout the book, and I especially liked the book once Max had come because it added an element of suspense. I really enjoyed the overall story and at times it was a hard book to put down. However, especially at the beginning, I felt like the story was a little slow and some parts would drag on. I loved all of the characters in the story, even Rosa, because they all added something different to the story. Something else I love about this book is that event though it is a pretty simple read; it is still very meaningful and complex in its own way. I really liked the different stories that were within the overall picture as well, such as Hans’ life with Max’s father in the past. I had heard so many great things about this book that at first I was a little disappointed when I wasn’t immediately captivated. However, as I continued reading I enjoyed it more and more. I would definitely recommend this book to others because it is an enjoyable book to read and is a wonderful story.

Discussion #5

Overall, The Book Thief proved to be a very interesting read. Beginning with the clever introduction of the narrator, Death, the story depicts the life of a neighborhood in the heart of Nazi Germany. However, this story of Liesel Meminger has proven to be a morbid tale, with many depressing and few joyful events. Throughout the reading, I felt myself being drawn to the book through this continuous sorrow, unable to put it down. It was the perfect blend of death as a narrator and as a symbol that compelled me to want to read more. Also, Zusak’s elegant use of countless literary elements enhanced the overall depth and importance of the book. The liveliness of the figurative language in this story practically cancelled out the gruesomeness in it. In general, this book showed me the power of words and the importance of reading through the continuous struggles of the time. It illustrated the fact that we should all cherish every book, since each one can be very important, regardless of topic. For these reasons, I would proudly recommend this book to any reader out there.

Discussion 5- Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed The Book Thief. It was really interesting, especially having the setting take place in Nazi Germany. I feel like that was a really important part of the book that made it that much better and more intriguing. I also really liked the plot about a girl who steals books, even though there are some sad parts. Zusak did a great job of writing the book and putting in the figurative language, which really made the book easier to understand. The thing that I enjoyed the most about the book was that Death was the narrator. It was different to read a book from that view and not even have death as a sad character. The characters in the book were very interesting, especially Rosa. A part of relief in the book is Hans and Liesel's relationship because they are so loving towards each other and they both definitely need one another. The book was definitely an easier read than some of the other books that we have read this year, but still enjoyable!

discussion #5

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. There were many unique aspects to the novel which made it extremely interesting to read. Throughout the story there were moments of hope, happiness, and despair. The range of emotions which I experienced was remarkable for a relatively "easy-read," and I enjoyed the book much more than I expected to. I loved that the story was written from the perspective of Death, and I really enjoyed the overall setting and time period of the novel. I am very interested in WWII and it was cool to learn about it within the context of the story. The unique writing style and use of figurative language gave the book unbelievable imagery and depth. At times I felt that the story was somewhat "dragging on," and I got bored at some parts, but the storyline kept me interested for the most part. This was definitely a fun read and it contained much more meaning than I would have anticipated. Overall, I would recommend this book to people.

D5-FINAL!!!

Okay, I thought The Book Thief was a good book and a fun read.  I liked it a lot and I will for sure recommend it to people.  Some of the things I liked the most was that it was told from Death's point of view and I have never seen that or anything like it before.  It made me think a lot more about how that influenced the way the story was told.  Also, the plot was interesting in that it was not told as a typical Holocaust story.  Most are told from a Jewish point of view whereas this one was from the point of view of a normal growing girl who lives in a normal German town.  This was good because we got to understand the hold Hitler actually had on the people of Germany, especially in the scene of his birthday. I also really enjoyed the simplicity, yet complexity of the story.  The facts of the story are fairly simple, and yet the story as a whole can be perceived in many different attitudes and ways.  Overall, the was a great book for discussions and Zusak's writing enthralled me up until the very last paragraph.

FINAL POSt-MOLLY g

Overall, i found the book to be very good. I loved the narration from death's point of view, as it enriched our understanding of the plot. I also enjoyed the diversity of the characters. Probably the main reason why I liked this novel so much is because the plot may not be very complicated and the story may seem simple, but there is vast room for interpretation by the reader. Also, I liked this book because of Zusak's unique style. He often used similes and personifications that not only brought objects to life, but the book iteself to life. This book was a fresh, unique novel that I know I will remember for the rest of my life. Rudy, my favorite character, provided an escape from the horrors of life on Himmel street. Zusak gives every character, chapter, and word a purpose, and I greatly respect him for that. I very thouroughly enjoyed this novel and would suggest it to nearly any avid reader.