BOOK
CLUB
IN A BOX
Bookclub-in-a-Box presents the
discussion companion for
Markus Zusak’s novel
The Book Thief
Novel published in paperback as a Borzoi Book by Alfred A. Knopf, 2007, New York. Original
publication, Picador, 2005, Australia. ISBN: 978-0-375-84220-7
Quotations used in this guide have been taken from the text of the paperback edition of The Book
Thief. All information taken from other sources is acknowledged.
This discussion companion was written by Marilyn Herbert, B.Ed. She is the founder of Bookclub-ina-Box, and an international speaker with more than 30 years experience as a teacher and school
librarian. Bookclub-in-a-Box is a unique guide to current fiction and classic literature intended for
book club discussions, educational study seminars, and personal pleasure.
This guide was co-written by Adina Herbert. For more information about the Bookclub-in-a-Box team,
visit our website.
Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion companion for
The Book Thief
(PRINT) ISBN: 978-1897082584
(E-PUB) ISBN: 978-1897082812
(E-PDF) ISBN: 978-1897082829
This guide reflects the perspective of the Bookclub-in-a-Box team and is the sole property of
Bookclub-in-a-Box.
©2011 BOOKCLUB-IN-A-BOX (2ND EDITION)
Unauthorized reproduction of this book or its contents for republication in whole or in part is strictly
prohibited.
BOOKCLUB-IN-A-BOX
Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief
READERS AND LEADERS GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
Novel Quickline
Keys to the Novel
Author Information
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Hitler Youth
Dachau
The Jesse Owens Incident
Book Burning
CHARACTERIZATION
Death
Liesel, the Book Thief
Hans Hubermann
Rosa Hubermann
Rudy Steiner
Max Vandenburg
Ilsa Hermann
The Others
FOCUS POINTS AND THEMES
The Power of the Book
The Book Thief, Stealing
Death as Narrator
Transformations, Rescue
WRITING STYLE AND STRUCTURE
Foreshadowing
Personification
Irony
Illustrations, Typeset
Open-endedness
SYMBOLS
Color
Fighting
Book Burning
Heroes
The Domino Effect
LAST THOUGHTS
Perspectives of Good, Evil
Big Questions, Social Commentary
Importance of Storytelling
Suggested Beginnings
FROM THE NOVEL (QUOTES)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
BOOKCLUB-IN-A-BOX
Readers and Leaders Guide
Each Bookclub-in-a-Box guide is clearly and effectively organized to give you information and ideas
for a lively discussion, as well as to present the major highlights of the novel. The format, with a
Table of Contents, allows you to pick and choose the specific points you wish to talk about. It does not
have to be used in any prescribed order. In fact, it is meant to support, not determine, your discussion.
You Choose What to Use.
You may find that some information is repeated in more than one section and may be cross-referenced
so as to provide insight on the same idea from different angles.
The guide is formatted to give you extra space to make your own notes.
How to Begin
Relax and look forward to enjoying your book club.
With Bookclub-in-a-Box as your behind the scenes support, there is little for you to do in the way of
preparation.
Some readers like to review the guide after reading the novel; some before. Either way, the guide is all
you will need as a companion for your discussion. You may find that the guide’s interpretation,
information, and background have sparked other ideas not included.
Having read the novel and armed with Bookclub-in-a-Box, you will be well prepared to lead or guide
or listen to the discussion at hand.
Lastly, if you need some more “hands on” support, feel free to contact us.
What to Look For
Each Bookclub-in-a-Box guide is divided into easy-to-use sections, which include points on
characters, themes, writing style and structure, literary or historical background, author information,
and other pertinent features unique to the novel being discussed. These may vary slightly from guide
to guide.
INTERPRETATION OF EACH NOVEL REFLECTS THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE
BOOKCLUB-IN-A-BOX TEAM.
Do We Need to Agree?
THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS NO.
If we have sparked a discussion or a debate on certain points, then we are happy. We invite you to
share your group’s alternative findings and experiences. You can contact us via our website
(www.bookclubinabox.com), by email ([email protected]), or by phone (1-866-578-5571).
We would love to hear from you.
Discussion Starters
There are as many ways to begin a book club discussion as there are members in your group. If you
are an experienced group, you will already have your favorite ways to begin. If you are a newly
formed group or a group looking for new ideas, here are some suggestions.
Ask for people’s impressions of the novel. (This will give you some idea about which parts
of the unit to focus on.)
Identify a favorite or major character.
Identify a favorite or major idea.
Begin with a powerful or pertinent quote. (Not necessarily from the novel.)
Discuss the historical information of the novel. (Not applicable to all novels.)
If this author is familiar to the group, discuss the range of his/her work and where this novel
stands in that range.
Use the discussion topics and questions in the Bookclub-in-a-Box guide.
If you have further suggestions for discussion starters, be sure to share them with us and we will
share them with others.
Above All, Enjoy Yourselves
INTRODUCTION
Novel Quickline
Keys to the Novel
Author Information
INTRODUCTION
Novel Quickline
In 1939, 10-year-old Liesel Meminger arrives at the Hubermann household as their foster child. Her
younger brother has died en route to Molching and it is at his burial that Liesel steals her first book,
The Grave Digger’s Handbook . Although Liesel cannot read, she takes the book as a connection to the
brother she is leaving behind.
We follow Liesel through the war years and watch as she grows, makes friends, learns to read, steals
books and other things, rescues and protects a Jewish person, and records her own story.
Death narrates Liesel’s tale and shares it with the reader because, of all the humans Death has
encountered over time, Liesel fascinates him. What Death seeks to unravel is how and why people act
as they do during times of horror and hatred. In the process, he discovers the capacity of humanity to
shine, even through the despairing clouds of war. Zusak’s book is a unique look at another side of Nazi
Germany during the Second World War.
Keys to the Novel
Narration
The narrative style of this novel is truly unique. While Death has been used before as a
commentator in film and in fiction, nowhere does he appear with the warmth, humor, and
sensitivity that we see in Zusak’s novel.
Death, a definite non-human, is humanized in this story. Because he is not a person, Death
has no self-interest in the events around him and, therefore, he can and should be objective.
His job is to collect souls, no matter who they are or what they’ve done, not to talk about
them.
Yet, here we have Death — the narrator, the tour guide, the scene stealer, and our half-time
entertainment. With his natural state of detachment, he qualifies as the key narrator because
he has the ultimate view of the unfolding story. Because he always knows what will happen
in the future, Death sometimes reveals forthcoming events. (see Foreshadowing, p.51)
Is Death the most appropriate narrator for this story? Consider how the story would
change if one of the other characters were to narrate it, for example, Liesel or Hans.
Perspective
Death sets out on his journey looking to make sense of the differing perspectives of good
and evil that people represent. His search teaches him, as well as us, that these two ideas are
never far apart from one another. He discovers that humans have the capacity for both good
and evil, and that it is the sequence of their lives that determines which way they lean. The
concepts of good and evil sit on a moveable continuum. A person can shift up and down the
scale depending on circumstance, motivation, opportunity, and personality. Each character
in the novel exemplifies this.
In addition, Death watches the characters as they alternate from bad to good, from passive to
active. While Hans, Rudy, and Alex Steiner each positively demonstrate this point, there are
others who disappoint: Hans Junior, Michael Holtzapfel.
The novel compels us to consider the ideas of perspective and change. It allows us a glimpse
into a heretofore little known portrayal of ordinary Germans who tried to stand up to the
injustices of the time and who were not complicit in the horror around them. Until fairly
recently, the arts have depicted the players in the Holocaust — the victims and the
perpetrators — as clear-cut absolutes. But as the decades pass, there are new generations of
German children and grandchildren who want to speak out about victims of a different kind.
Neither Zusak nor Death has love or sympathy for demogogues like Hitler, but they ask
questions about how their followers, who are linked inextricably to them, are painted with
the same broad brush of color. The novel reminds us that beyond good and evil, beyond
black and white, there are shades of grey and other hues to consider. (see Color, p.61)
The Power of Literacy
One of the central themes running through the novel is the power of language, words, and
reading. Zusak ingeniously explores how books can be used for both salvation and
destruction. Books, like Hitler ’s Mein Kampf, demonstrate how words can be used to
promote hatred, but can, unintentionally, also serve to rescue, as they do Max.
As Liesel learns to read (through Hans) and to interpret and form new ideas (through Max),
she becomes a wholly literate person. She becomes not only knowledgeable, but thoughtful
as well. In addition, relationships are formed through books: Liesel and Ilsa Hermann,
Liesel and Hans, Liesel and Max.
Throughout the story, Liesel and the reader learn that words carry ideas forward; without
words, those ideas fall flat and disappear. We come to understand that books, words, and
language depend heavily on the ability of humans to carry their cause. It is the energy of
human literacy that gives words their power, for better or worse.
Liesel’s gift of literacy opens up a whole new world of possibilities for her, and ultimately
saves her life.
Have you experienced the power and influence of words in either a positive or negative
way? Discuss these examples.
Author Information
Markus Zusak was born in 1975 in Sydney, Australia. He is the youngest of four children
born to immigrant parents from Germany. Zusak’s mother spent the war years in Munich,
and his father, a housepainter, is from Austria. For Zusak, the stories his mother recounted
of her childhood in Nazi Germany were a significant influence on this book. They include
the following and each appears in the novel:
Like Liesel, she was a foster child and never knew her own father.
There were examples of small rebellions against the Nazis, including the story of a
young boy offering bread to the Jews who were being marched through the streets
like cattle.
Zusak also heard accounts of Jews being hidden by Germans, descriptions of the
effects of Allied bombing on the city, and how the children played sports in the
street.
Zusak remarks that the “world of Germany was in my head the way English is in my head,
because of the stories I heard growing up. It was like I could reach for it the same way I can
reach for a word to use. ” (Mother Daughter Bookclub) He admits he did not hear about anyone
stealing books, although Zusak sheepishly admits to the theft of some school library books
when he was younger.
Zusak’s motivation for writing this kind of story was to put forward a different picture of
Nazi Germany, one that is not usually considered in fiction or in the history books.
We have these images of the straight-marching lines of boys and the 'Heil
Hitlers' and this idea that everyone in Germany was in it together. But there
still were rebellious children and people who didn't follow the rules and
people who hid Jews and other people in their attics. So there's another side of
Nazi Germany. (Creagh)
For Zusak, the truth, set in each of the little stories, emerges from an individual’s larger life
story. This is what interests Death as well, and so he tries to find the distinctive human
narratives that prove life’s worth. What began as a 100 page novella quickly became a 550
page novel; and, at its essence, is an exploration of the value of human existence.
Writing for the Young Adult Audience
Zusak’s book of fiction has found itself inadvertently caught between two diverse audiences.
While originally intended for young adults, his Australian editor thought it important to
share this book with adult readers. In Australia, publishing divisions are closely linked and
so the distance between the two age groups is less than it is in North America, where the
novel has been classified and is sold as a book for adolescents. The book, originally
intended for both sets of patrons, has found varying venues in different countries around the
world.
Zusak argues that there are always books that will transcend categories because they are
beloved or classic, citing examples such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye.
Regardless of where The Book Thief has been categorized, the response has been the same:
that of delight for a well written and significant look at a very dark time in our history.
There are valid reasons for us to consider this book as both young adult and adult literature.
While The Book Thief broaches the difficult and frightening subject of death, it also teaches
about the relationships between life and death; courage and cowardice; action and inaction.
It raises questions for young people to consider before their perspectives are hardened into
adult form. Two of his primary examples are the open-minded Liesel juxtaposed with her
rigid counterpart, Hans Jr.
For which readers do you feel this book fits best and why?
Zusak studied education in university and, in addition to being a school janitor for a while,
he taught high school English. In addition to his work in the classroom, Zusak now tours
schools and hosts writing workshops for students. Zusak himself began writing at 16 and
finished his first manuscript at 18. Before The Book Thief, he wrote and published four other
novels, written for adolescents and young adults. Zusak currently lives in Australia with his
wife and daughter.
The movie rights for the book were optioned by Fox in 2006, although there have been no
announcements yet about its release date. Zusak’s next novel, Bridge of Clay, will be
available in late 2011.
Bibliography:
The Book Thief (2006)
Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2001)
The Messenger (2002) (published in United States as I Am The Messenger)
When Dogs Cry (2001) (published in the United States as Getting the Girl)
The Underdog (1999)
Awards:
The Book Thief
2008 Ena Noel Award — the IBBY Australia Ena Noël Encouragement Award for
Children's Literature
2007 Michael L. Printz Honor book by the Young Adult Library Services Association
2006 Kathleen Mitchell Award 2006 (literature)
The Messenger (a.k.a. I Am The Messenger)
2006 Michael L. Printz Award Honor book
2006 Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
2005 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year (Children)
2003 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award
2003 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's
Literature
When Dogs Cry/Getting the Girl
2002 Honour Book for Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year (Older
Children)
Fighting Ruben Wolfe
2001 Honour Book for Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year (Older Children)
Shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Ethel Turner Prize for Young
People's Literature
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Hitler Youth
Dachau
The Jesse Owens Incident
Book Burning
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth (Hitler Jugend) was a paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party that existed
from 1922 to 1945. By 1930, the Hitler Youth had enlisted over 25,000 boys aged 14 and
older. Girls from 10 to 18 were placed in a parallel association, the Bund Deutscher Mädel
(or BDM): the League of German Girls.
In April 1932, Chancellor Heinrich Brüning banned the Hitler Youth in an attempt to stop
widespread political violence. However, the injunction was set aside by his successor, Franz
von Papen, as a way of appeasing Hitler, whose popularity was growing.
The Hitler Youth were seen as future “Aryan supermen.” The goal to instill in these young
people an enthusiasm to fight for the Third Reich was accomplished through physical and
military training. Alongside this was an indoctrination policy of anti-Semitism.
From 1936, membership in Hitler Youth was compulsory for all young German men and, for
some, became a stepping stone into the Schutzstaffel (SS). In the years 1936 to 1940,
membership grew from five to eight million members. Throughout the duration of the war,
there was massive conscription, resulting in virtually every young male in Germany
becoming, in some way, affiliated with Hitler Youth. Only about 10 to 20 percent were able
to avoid joining the movement.
By 1943, Nazi leaders turned the organization into a military reserve whose ranks would
replace the many military losses. This division was called into service during the Battle of
Normandy against the British and Canadian forces.
After the war, the Hitler Youth was disbanded by the Allies as part of their de-Nazification
process. Although some members were suspected of war crimes, because they were
children, there was no subsequent prosecution. While the Hitler Youth was never declared a
criminal organization, it was acknowledged that the adult leadership of the group played a
large hand in corrupting the minds of young Germans. As a result, many adult leaders of the
Hitler Youth were put on trial by the Allies.
Over the years, several former Hitler Youth members have been identified by the media:
Stuttgart mayor Manfred Rommel (son of the famous general Erwin Rommel); former
foreign minister of Germany Hans-Dietrich Genscher; philosopher Jurgen Habermas; and
the late Prince Consort of the Netherlands Claus von Amsberg.
In April 2005, the media reported that Pope Benedict XVI had been a member of the Hitler
Youth in his teenage years. While this is true, Benedict was not a keen nor active member
and tried not to attend meetings. His father was vehemently anti-Nazi.
Dachau
In March of 1933, Dachau became the first Nazi German concentration camp to be opened
on German soil. It was located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the
town of Dachau, about 10 miles northwest of Munich.
Dachau served as a model for the construction of later concentration camps.
Over 200,000 prisoners, from more than 30 countries, were housed in Dachau. Two-thirds
were political prisoners and nearly one-third was Jewish. It’s believed that 25,613 prisoners
died in the camp, with another 10,000 in its subcamps, primarily from disease, malnutrition,
and suicide. In early 1945, just before the camp’s final evacuation, there was a typhus
outbreak and even more prisoners died.
Dachau was the second camp to be liberated by the Allied forces in April of 1945. The first,
in January, was Auschwitz.
The Jesse Owens Incident
In 1936 at the Berlin Olympics, the young black American track and field athlete Jesse
Owens made history by winning four gold medals in the 100 meter sprint, the long jump, the
200 meter sprint, and the four times 100 meter relay. However, it was not Owens’
accomplishments on the field alone that cemented his legacy. What was spectacular was that
he did so against the essence of Hitler’s propaganda with regard to the superiority of the
Aryan race. People like Jesse Owens were not supposed to achieve what Owens did. Hitler
famously refused to shake Owens’ hand when he received his gold medals.
Jesse Owens’ accomplishments on the field would not be duplicated until the 1984 Summer
Olympics, when Carl Lewis won gold medals in the same four events.
Rudy’s role-play of Jesse Owens was his small rebellion against the ongoing tolerance of
the country’s leadership at this time.
Book Burning
Book burnings have taken place throughout history. Early descriptions of book burnings
appear in the Old Testament. In Maccabbee 1:56, the monarch Antiochus IV ordered Jewish
books of law to be burned. In Jeremiah 36:29, the prophet’s words were ordered burned by
Jehoiakim, the King of Judah.
In China in 213 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of all philosophy books
and history books from states other than Qin. This was followed by the live burial of a large
number of intellectuals who did not comply with the state’s ideology.
Other burnings of texts in early history include Egyptian alchemy texts, works of Epicurus,
Books of Arianism, and the multiple destructions of Alexandria’s libraries in 392 and 640
AD.
The medieval centuries introduced a wave of book burning throughout the world. These
included the writings of theologian Peter Abelard in 1121, the works of Maimonides and
several Talmudic texts in the 13th century France, all non-Catholic books at the hands of
Torquemada in the Spanish inquisition of the late 15th century, and many others.
Political book burnings reached a climax in Nazi Germany. In 1933 and throughout the next
decade, Nazis burned the works of Jewish and other authors considered “un-German” or
non-compliant with Nazi ideology. These burnings were public and widely attended.
On May 10, 1933, in Berlin, Nazi groups burned approximately 20,000 books from the
Institut für Sexualwissenschaft and the Humboldt University. Among the burned books were
works by Heinrich Heine, Thomas Mann, Karl Marx, Erich Maria Remarque, and H.G.
Wells. Student groups throughout Germany also carried out their own book burnings on that
day and in the following weeks.
Book burnings and condemnations did not end with the Second World War. In 1987, it was
discovered that 15,000 copies of Clandestine in Chile: The Adventures of Miguel Littin were
burned on November 28, 1986, in Valparaiso, by direct order of dictator Augusto Pinochet.
In recent times, author Salman Rushdie’s novel, The Satanic Verses, has been condemned by
Islamic opponents who argue that Rushdie’s novel is blasphemous. In the United Kingdom
and the United States, there were numerous book burnings and fire bombings of bookstores
selling the novel.
According to Heinrich Heine, a great German philosopher, “There, where one burns books,
one in the end burns men.” Books have burned throughout history to signify an objection to
the power of the words written inside. Unfortunately, where book burning begins, human
destruction can often follow. This was all too true of the book burnings in Nazi Germany.
(see The Power of The Book, p.41)
Consider the relationship of book burning and censorship. Do they accomplish the
same thing? Is one process worse than the other?
CHARACTERIZATION
Death
Liesel, the Book Thief
Hans Hubermann
Rosa Hubermann
Rudy Steiner
Max Vandenburg
Ilsa Hermann
The Others
CHARACTERIZATION
The Book Thief has a wide range of characters: those who are good and bad; young and old; brave and
not so brave; selfish and generous. In other words, they represent real people who face serious
situations and who have to make critical, moral choices within an environment that is completely
devoid of morality.
Until fairly recently, the portrayal of the Holocaust and its players has been more clear-cut: the
innocent Jews vs. the vicious Nazis. But Zusak reminds us that there were German children who were
greatly affected by the war and who simply tried to survive. There are recent generations who have
been impacted by a single-side portrayal of the events of the war.
Zusak personally wants to show what those children, his mother included, endured. His goal is to
profile another side of the suffering inflicted by war and to remind us that there were people who took
decisive action in the name of human goodness, despite the risk and personal cost.
Death
Choosing a narrator for his novel turned out to be much harder than Zusak initially
imagined. His selection changed three times: beginning with death as the sinister Grim
Reaper of our imagination, then Liesel in a first person narrative, and finally back to death
with a sympathetic side. Zusak says when he envisioned death as an entity haunted by the
depth and complexity of human action and suffering, he was, at last, convinced that death
would be in the best position to tell the story. After all, death’s timeless and limitless vision
is not bound by the temporal boundaries of human beings. (see also Death as Narrator, p.44)
...A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR...
I am haunted by humans. (p.550)
Death has no self-interest in the things that go on around him. He can and should be more
objective. It is precisely this reason that people fear death — there is no way to avoid dying
and therefore, no way to avoid giving up your life. You can’t bargain with Death. But we
shouldn’t be surprised that Death, a definite non-human, is given human characteristics.
The human fear of death is common and universal. Death is usually portrayed as a faceless
creature with a black hood, carrying a weapon (scythe), intent on getting his victims
regardless of time, place, or action. He is pretty scary.
But here we have a “Death” who is afraid of people, is haunted by the human capacity for
evil, and is terrified that he will find no reason for their wanton acts of destruction. In his
logic, if human life is only about destruction, then what is the purpose to the world?
Death’s job is to collect deceased human souls, the victims of time, disease, natural
catastrophes, and man-made catastrophes such as conflict and man’s inhumanity to others.
Death wonders how “we can be so beautiful on one hand and then so ugly on the other.
What better example of that paradox than the lives of ordinary Germans in World War II?”
(Creagh) Therefore, death looks for instances of beauty with which to balance the evil.
Often, I try to remember the strewn pieces of beauty I saw in that time as well.
I plow through my library of stories. (p.309)
The relentless search makes Death tired. The losses of life in Pompei and during the Black
Plague have worn him out, and this war is doing the same. Zusak uses his narrator to
emphasize the weariness of anyone who is working with the weight of war on his/her
shoulders. “Forget the scythe, Goddamn it, I needed a broom or a mop. And I needed a
vacation. ” (p.307)
Which version of Death is the truest — the traditional view or Death’s personal one? Who is
Death, if not us?
...A SMALL PIECE OF TRUTH...
I do not carry a sickle or scythe.
I only wear a hooded black robe when it’s cold.
And I don’t have those skull-like
facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from
a distance. You
want to know what I truly look like?
I’ll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I
continue. (p.307)
If we accept that Death is each of us, then he is both male and female. Although he refers to
himself as male, there are ambiguous, very Jungian qualities to Zusak’s presentation of
Death. He is immensely strong, capable of transporting tens of thousands of souls at once,
and yet, he is extremely gentle and embracing, carrying the children in his arms, rather than
in his pockets, or slung over his shoulder. “The human heart is a line, whereas my own is a
circle… ” (p.491)
How did you visualize the concept of death before and after you read this novel? Do you
agree with Zusak’s portrayal of death? How has the novel changed your ideas?
Liesel, the Book Thief
As our story opens, Liesel is a blond-haired nine-year old with “wirelike shins [and] coat
hanger arms ... a starving smile,” as well as dangerously dark brown eyes.
“You didn’t really want brown eyes in Germany around that time. Perhaps she
received them from her father, but she had no way of knowing, as she couldn’t
remember him. There was really only one thing she knew about her father. It
was a label she did not understand.” (p.31)
Liesel comes to our attention through Death’s observance and interest. Escorted by their
mother, Liesel and her brother are en route to a foster home in Molching. Their father,
presumably a Communist, has been taken away and the mother can no longer support her
children. It is likely that she too might be next on the list to disappear.
Death was at the train that day because, “as you might expect, someone had died.” (p.6) The
victim was Liesel’s younger brother. It was a blindingly beautiful winter day when the
“whole globe was dressed in snow” (p.6) and Death was distracted. When he noticed Liesel,
standing with her brother, he became curious and stayed a little longer than usual to watch
her. The grief-stricken child spotted a small book that had fallen to the snow. Thinking that
perhaps it was a link to her dead sibling, Liesel put it in her pocket. It was her first theft.
Liesel turns out to be many things besides a book thief. She is a soccer player, a fighter, a
member of Hitler Youth, a reader, a writer, a daughter, a friend and a rescuer of people.
Above all, Liesel is a survivor, not only of death, but of life’s lessons on morality and
immorality.
Notwithstanding that the book’s title categorizes Liesel’s criminal nature, she is not a thief
in the usual sense. First of all, when we meet Liesel, she does not know how to read. She is a
“book thief without the words … [but] the words were on their way, and when they arrived,
Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the
rain.” (p.80)
The act of learning to read directs Liesel toward many other things. She comes to accept
love, first from Hans, then from Rosa. She discovers friendship, loyalty and kindness
through Rudy. Through her involvement with Max, the hidden Jew, and through her
relationships with Ilse Hermann and Frau Holtzapfel, Liesel recognizes that rescue can
come in many forms.
Books and the power of words become Liesel’s savior, literally and metaphorically, and
forge her inspiration to save others. Liesel owns 14 books in all. Among them, six are
stolen, one shows up unexpectedly at the house, and two are made by “a hidden Jew. ” (p.30)
Liesel is busy writing her own book in the basement when the end of the world literally
comes to Himmel Street. (see The Power of the Book, p.41)
Consider the changes that occur in Liesel from the time she arrives at the Hubermann
house until the day the house is destroyed. Which of Liesel’s actions and activities do
you have sympathy for? Which do you not?
Hans Hubermann
As people go, Hans Hubermann was an ordinary person who was mostly overlooked by
others. He was a good painter and musician, but he would “appear as merely part of the
background ... Not noticeable. Not important or particularly valuable.” (p.34)
In addition to Liesel, Death also recognizes Hans’ unique persona. Where some people stand
out for their bravery, wisdom, or especially their evil, Hans is noted as being one of the best
kinds of souls. Hans’ particular qualities are found in his eyes, which are “made of kindness,
and silver. Like soft silver, melting. Liesel, upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans
Hubermann was worth a lot.” (p.34) (see Color, p.61)
But Hans Hubermann’s name evokes Hitler’s presence. They share the same letter of their
last names and Hans is also a housepainter – another allusion to Hitler and his profession
before he became bully of the world.
Hans’ surname, Hubermann, translates from German as “over person” and is a play on the
German term “übermensch,” meaning superperson. This descriptive tag was coined by
Nietzsche in 1883 as a goal for humankind to achieve. Nietzsche’s intention was to
encourage people to extend themselves in a positive way by being a better kind of human
being and building a more moral humanity than what already exists.
Fifty years later, Hitler twisted Nietzsche’s idea into the concept of creating a nation of
übermenschen, people who are thoroughly superior to all others. Hans Hubermann
represents Nietszche’s version and acts completely in opposition to Hitler’s proposed
viewpoint. Hans demonstrates the good that is present in each of us and, in the end, he really
does become a superior person.
Hans is an ordinary German who does his best to stand for what he believes in. He does not
join the Nazi party when others around him do and he assists those who “help the helpless.”
(p.418) Death watches as Hans gives bread to an old Jew being marched to the death camp
and as he paints Jewish-owned businesses that have been rejected by the world around them.
Hans takes in Max without question despite the risk to himself and his family. He does all
this in the name of and, for the hope of, humanity.
Perhaps Hans’ greatest achievement is teaching Liesel to read. This particular act opens her
world in the best of all possible ways.
Altruism is the practice of acting on behalf of others without regard to one’s own
interest and concern. Is Hans an altruist? How would you describe his behavior and
outlook?
Rosa Hubermann
Rosa Hubermann subsidizes her family’s well-being by working as a laundress. However, as
hard times intensify, her customers can no longer afford her services. This includes the
mayor’s wife, Ilsa Hermann.
From the outside looking in, Rosa Hubermann is the personification of every young child’s
nightmare. It is hard to believe that when Hans first met Rosa, she was “beautiful and
actually very quiet-spoken.” (p.355)
Now she swears, she yells, she hits and chastises everything and everyone in her path. Rosa
is a tiny woman with a strong mouth and horrible cooking who has the total ability to
aggravate everyone in her midst. Short, squat Rosa “looked like a small wardrobe with a
coat thrown over it … Almost cute, if it wasn’t for her face, which was like creased up
cardboard and annoyed, as if she was merely tolerating all of it.” (p.27)
But she too has many admirable qualities. She does love both Liesel and Hans, although her
way of showing it involves name-calling and a wooden spoon. Her bravado is all a facade
that wrinkles and cracks as the story progresses. When Hans is served with an order to
appear to the army, Rosa develops “a small rip beneath her right eye, and within the minute,
her cardboard face was broken. Not down the center, but to the right. It gnarled down her
cheek in an arc, finishing at her chin.” (p.418, 419)
Although Rosa is usually quick with a “watschen” and slow with a compliment, she soundly
demonstrates that she is “a good woman for a crisis.” (p.211) Like Hans, Rosa acts
decisively and morally on Max’s behalf. She accepts his presence in her home without
hesitation and works to keep them all safe for as long as she can.
Liesel wonders just what kind of people Rosa and Hans are, especially when they do not
include their own biological children in their circle of secrecy. This is one of the novel’s
central questions: what motivates people to jeopardize themselves and their loved ones for a
stranger? Is it kindness, ignorance, or insanity?
Hans is an open book from the story’s start, but it takes some time to open the drawers
of Rosa’s “wardrobe” personality. Has Rosa surprised you? Discuss Rosa’s public and
private actions in light of the seriousness of the situation around her.
Rudy Steiner
Rudy Steiner is “Liesel’s best friend, partner, and sometimes catalyst in crime.” (p.47) Death
takes a particular liking to Rudy, and, though he repeatedly reveals to us that Rudy will die,
he follows him admiringly right to the end.
Rudy is warm, kind, idealistic, and sentimental. One of six children, Rudy is continually
hungry and is considered more than a little crazy for pretending to be Jesse Owens, the
heroic black man who won Olympic gold in Berlin in 1936. (see The Jesse Owens Incident, p.19)
Rudy knows about running, but not about politics. His father tries to explain it, but it goes
right over Rudy’s heart. This may help to explain his later difficulties in the Hitler Youth
program.
Rudy is Liesel’s supporter, companion, partner in crime, and eventual confidant. It is Rudy
who points out that Liesel is absolutely not a book robber. Rudy lays the label of “thievery”
where it belongs – on the Nazi regime: (see The Book Thief, Stealing p.43)
“You know something, Liesel, I was thinking. You’re not a thief at all,” and he
didn’t give her a chance to reply. “That woman lets you in. She even leaves
you cookies, for Christ’s sake. I don’t call that stealing. Stealing is what the
army does. Taking your father, and mine ... All those rich Nazis up there, on
Grande Strasse, Gelb Strasse, Heide Strasse.” (p.482)
Rudy is also unequivocally in love with Liesel, but never has anything to show for it.
In truth, I think he was afraid. Rudy Steiner was scared of the book thief ’s kiss.
He must have longed for it so much. He must have loved her so incredibly
hard. So hard that he would never ask for her lips again and would go to his
grave without them. (p.303)
Rudy is one of those special souls, who can touch even the hardest of hearts. He manages to
make Death cry over him. Rudy touched Zusak’s heart and soul as well. Zusak confesses to
doing something very sentimental on a research trip to Germany. At the river where he
imagines Rudy jumping in to save Liesel’s book, he “carved [their] names into a tree with a
coin. ” (Teen Reads)
Rudy is presented as an innocent victim who is ironically killed because of his father’s
devotion. Had Alex Steiner allowed Rudy to go to the training school, Rudy might have
survived the war. Through Rudy, Death portrays the cruelty that is present in times of
conflict, and that results in the tragic loss of beautiful, young, idealistic children like Rudy,
no matter on which side of the fight they find themselves.
Consider the decisions we make in the best interest of our loved ones. Has Zusak
effectively used Rudy to depict the innocent victims of those decisions?
Max Vandenburg
Max enters the Hubermann’s story through Hans and confirms that life leads people in
strange ways and directions. In the First World War, Hans became friends with Erik
Vandenburg, a Jewish accordion player. They had much in common: smoking, card playing,
and music. They each preferred “shooting craps to shooting bullets.” (p.175) Erik did two
very important things for Hans: he taught him to play the accordion and he saved his life.
After the war, Hans visited Erik’s widow offering to paint her apartment or to provide
“anything you ever need. ” (p.179) He never expected to hear from this family, least of all to