Book Thief by Markus Zusak ~ March Book Club Online

[JoanP]

The Book Club Online is  the oldest  book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone.  We offer cordial discussions of one book a month,  24/7 and  enjoy the company of readers from all over the world.  everyone is welcome to join in.

 

The Book Thief -  March Bookclub Online
Everyone is invited to join in!  

"Fortunately, this book isn't about Death; it's about death, and so much else."   "Some will argue that a book so difficult and sad may not be appropriate for teenage readers. "The Book Thief" was published for adults in Zusak's native Australia, and I strongly suspect it was written for adults. Many teenagers will find the story too slow to get going, which is a fair criticism. But it's the kind of book that can be life-changing, because without ever denying the essential amorality and randomness of the natural order, "The Book Thief" offers us a believable, hard-won hope. The Book Thief is a complicated story of survival that will encourage its readers to think." (Bookmarks Magazine) "How can a tale told by Death be mistaken for young-adult storytelling? Easily: because this book's narrator is sorry for what he has to do. The youthful sensibility of "The Book Thief" also contributes to a wider innocence. While it is set in Germany during World War II and is not immune to bloodshed, most of this story is figurative: it unfolds as symbolic or metaphorical abstraction. "The Book Thief" will be widely read and admired because it tells a story in which books become treasures. And because there's no arguing with a sentiment like that." (New York Times)

Discussion Schedule: March 1-2 ~ Prologue March 3-7 ~ Part I & II (the gravedigger's handbook; the shoulder shrug) March 8-14 ~ Part III & IV  (mein kampf; the standover man)               March 15-21 ~ Part V & VI (the whistler; the dream carrier)                 March 22-28 ~ Part VII & VIII (complete duden dictionary; the word shaker) March 29-April 4 ~ Part IX & X (the last human stranger; the book thief)

Some Questions for Your Consideration

March 3-7 ~ Part III & IV  (mein kampf; the standover man)

1. Do you think Hans intended to give that copy of Mein Kampf to Liesel, as his son had suggested he should do, or was he merely trying to get accepted into the Nazi Party membership? Why did he decide to send it to Max Vandenburg instead?  

2.  Why did Liesel  "forget" to deliver the laundry to the the mayor's wife the week following the bonfire?  What do you think of this woman who does not speak - or smile?  How does Zusak portray her,  using very few words?  What do you know of her husband, the Mayor?

3.Were you surprised that Ilsa Hermann allowed the unkempt little Himmel Street waif into her house, into her magnificent library?  How can you tell that Liesel's reading skills are improving?

4. Why does Fran Diller, the cold, bloodless candy shop lady,  regard her paying customers with such contempt?  "The triumph before the storm," we're told.  How did the children "triumph"?  Do you anticipate Fran Diller will take part in the coming storm?

5.  How does Max answer Liesel's question whether Mein Kampf  is a good book?  Have you ever  read it?

6. Do you notice how Death's comments give an indication as to who will survive the coming devastation and who will not?  How are we made to understand that Rudy Steiner will be among the survivors?

7.  Why had Hans not previously joined the NSDAP as the majority of his neighbors had done?  How did Erik Vandenburg's accordion save Hans from ostracism?   Why does he change his mind and reapply  for membership now?
 
8. The wildcard.  Do you think Hans was surprised at mama's reaction to the challenge of hiding a Jew in the house? Were you?  Max  says he would never die a slow painful death like his uncle did, but isn't that what he's doing now in the Hubermann's  freezing cold basement?

9.  How does Hans convince Liesel of the  need for absolute secrecy about Max?  What of his threats convinces her most of the need for absolute secrecy?

10. Is Max beginning to take Hans' place as Liesel's "standover man." How are her 12th birthday gifts from Hans and Max similar?  

Relevant Links:
Readers' Guide Questions: Prologue; Parts I & II ;   A Brief History of German Rule;   Dachau;   Mein Kampf;   The Book Thief Metaphors ~ Our Favorite Zusak expressions;
  
  

Discussion Leaders:  JoanP & Andy

[Laura]

I find the relationship between the Mayor’s wife and Leisel intriguing and full of mystery.  The mayor’s wife was the person in the shadows who saw Leisel take the book The Shoulder Shrug from the bonfire.  I think the mayor’s wife felt sorry for Leisel, that she wanted to read and own books so badly that she was willing to risk taking one from the burn pile.  The mayor’s wife seems very lonely and eager for company, yet is also very detached.  I am hoping to get a better understanding of what is going on with them as the book continues.

[JoanP]

"Have you noticed that once you start reading on a subject, you find it everywhere?" JoanK  Oh yes, Joan - sometimes it is really shocking.  Is there a word for this phenonmenon?

Some more thoughts on the banning of Hitler's Mein Kampf in Germany, which Ella finds pointless.  I found
the article in the British Telegraph that tells of the ban that will be lifted in 2015 - five years from now.  An interesting article.  The book has been banned since 1945.  The new release in 2015 will be annotated and used in schools.  The Jewish leaders in Germany are okay with this new edition.

Laura - I see Liesel questionning Max about whether the book is any good or not.  My money says she'll read it.  Poor Max!  I think that it would be worse reading Mein Kampf - than spending the winter in the freezing basement.  Why is he reading it?  Is it because there is nothing else to read?  Or?


countrymm - thank you so much for your list of favorite Zusakisms.  I enjoy reading them too, Ella.  There so many in these pages, it's easy to overlook - or forget them.  Here's the page where we are keeping the expressions that you are posting here.  We'll keep the list going until the end of the discussion, and then Pat will create an html page for the Archives.  I'll put this link to the page in the heading - in the meantime, you might want to check that I caught your favorites - if I missed something, please post here and I'll add yours to the list -

 Our favorite Zusak expressions

[JoanP]

Laura - I find the Mayor's wife fascinating too.   She saw Liesel pluck the book from the bonfire - these were books which the Nazis found objectionable enough to toss in the bonfire in celebration of Hitler's birthday.  Not only did she see Liesel do this, but she responds with sympathy - or empathy, or something.  We don't know why - because she doesn't speak!  To add to the mystery - the Mayor is a staunch Nazi!  What is their relationship about?

In just a few words, the author describes her as one whose mouth seems to bruise if she smiles. This is a very sad and lonely lady.  Do you suppose she is in shock?  Laura believes she is mourning the loss of a fiance...but where does the Nazi husband fit into this story?
I'm wondering about the books she has in her overflowing library.  Do you recognize any of the titles Liesel is reading?

[joangrimes]

I believe that she is mourning the loss of her child.  I seem to remember her saying that somewhere in my reading of this book. I will try to look and see if I can find the reference to it if I can come off cloud nine myself since I just heard that my granddaughter got inot Medical school today...Kind of hard for me to concentrate on a book discussion after this news in my own family.Joan Grimes

[JoanP]

Oh that is wonderful news, JoanG!  Med school!
When you do come down from that cloud - and check your book, please be sure that any informatilon you share here does not come from pages beyond Part IV. Quite a few of us are not reading ahead of the discussion.

Whatever her loss turns out to be, it surely took its toll on this woman.  She must have seen something in this young girl that prompted her to let her into her library and handle her books.

Again, congratulations, Joan!

Gum, I see on my calendar that today is Canberra Day - or maybe it was yesterday?  Did you celebrate?

[ALF43]

 Wow!  Congratulations are in order for your beloved grand daughter JoanG.  They sure can make us proud, can't they?

I do not believe that we yet know why Ilsa Hermann has made "suffering her triumph."
 When Leisel was browsing through the picture books, she noted the name Johann Hermann   written clumsily on the inside cover.  When she asked the mayor's wife who that person was she replied, "He is nothing now in this world, He was my...."  - leaving us and Leisel to still wonder who Johann was.  The narrator recognizes him:

"Oh yes, I definitely remember him.
The sky was murky and deep like quicksand.
There was a young man parceled up in barbed wird, like a giant crown of thorns.  I untangled him and carried him out.  High above the earth, we sank together to our knees.  It was just another day, 1918."

The only thing that we're told by Ilsa is that she is certain that "he froze to death."   She is engulfed and suffering from depression.  Who is HE?  We haven't a clue yet, just conjecture.

[ALF43]

JoanP- I can not find any reference to which titles Leisel is reading while she is discovering the power of words, at the Mayor's house.

She pities the mayor's wife and I wonder what will happen when "the mayor's wife let her down.  How quickly the pity would leave her and how quikcly it would spill over into somehting else completely."  Yikes, that sounds ominous, and like Laura, I wonder what could that pitiful creature do to upset Leisel to that extent?

[ALF43]

Joining up with Arthur Berg, our little book thief and her friend Rudy graduate from stealing books, to apples and food -meant for the priests.  I cracked up over that scene when they deliberately plotted against poor Otto Sturm, pouring water onto the road to cause the kid to spill from his bike.   Rudy said the priests were too fat anyway, and a grin ran across his face like a  
Like a skid- wonderful writing.
Liesel agreed because she wasn’t catholic anyway and she was hungry.”     (Very witty.)

Their thieving days were abruptly ended when Berg left town.  I love reading the thoughts of the narrator as he recalled and paid tribute to Arthur Berg- A STILL LIVING MAN.

[PatH]

JoanG, congratulations!  You must be very pleased.

You're right, the Mayor's wife is mourning the loss of her son, but I'm not quite sure where it says so either.  I find it remarkably hard with this book to pin down where I saw a detail or whether I got the right impression.  I wonder if that's on purpose.

[JoanP]

PatH - I think the implication is there, but not clearly stated.  How old would you say the sad wife of the Mayor might be?  This is 1940.  The young man was taken down by Death from the barbed wire in 1918. Did he die in WWI?   I really don't thnk that she'd be mourning the loss of a fiance all those years, but a son, well you'd never really get over the loss of a son, especially considering the way he died.  Does Liesel remind her of her lost child in some way, do you suppose?

Andy, the book that Liesel can't get enough of - that she reads every time she visits the library was called THE WHISTLER, I think.  It was s murder story set in Vienna, I think.  It made Liesel tremble whenever she read it - but she reads it anyway.  I'm wondering if such a book is representative of the books in this library?

[Laura]

Joan P asked:  How old would you say the sad wife of the Mayor might be?  This is 1940.  The young man was taken down by Death from the barbed wire in 1918. Did he die in WWI?   I really don't think that she'd be mourning the loss of a fiance all those years, but a son, well you'd never really get over the loss of a son, especially considering the way he died.  Does Liesel remind her of her lost child in some way, do you suppose?

I thought the mayor’s wife would be too young to have lost a child in World War I, so that’s why I think she is mourning the loss of her fiancée.  If you were married to someone you didn’t love, I think it would be very plausible to mourn a fiancée lost to death, even years later.  If we assume that she had a son at 20 and that he was 20 at the time of his death, that would make the mayor’s wife 60.  I didn’t get the impression that she was that old, but we really aren’t given enough information to know. 

[ANNIE]

Well, I started this book a few days ago and am still reading it and can't stop.  It really turned me off in the beginning.  I thought I was back on "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy which we discussed about 3 yrs ago.  That's how depressing it seemed to me.  But, once I got into the story of the "Book Thief", I couldn't resist just another page and then another.  Due to other commitments, I can't say much every day but I am really enjoying the posts.
By the by, I asked my librarian where they would catalogue the book and she said its in the ADULT section.  Although, a school publication thought it appropriate for high schools.
Laura
About the mayor's wife, I put her at circa 60.  Her fiancee???  Did I miss something??
Maybe she just wanted to share her library with a child who seemed to love books. As maybe, her lost son did.   Maybe she made this offer as she could read the handwriting on the wall, concerning Germany.   Before the eventual bomb that could come and end her life in that nice big house.   I can't figure out why she hardly ever speaks to Liesel, just sits there watching her choose a few books to read parts of, quickly, so she can remember them later.  I wonder why Liesel did that?
 
JoanG,
So glad your granddaughter is following her star.  How glad that must make you feel!

Its getting close to bedtime for Bonzo here in downtown Gahanna.

[okietxjenjen]

I don't want to give too much information about the loved one the mayors wife mourns, but later in the book you will know.   I want to share the page number really bad................

The unanswered questions and what will happen next in the book had me staying up very late at night just to find out.  

I was curious about Liesels first two books given to her,  Faust the Dog and The Lighthouse.  From what I can gather on-line, they were made up by the author?

[JudeS]

Regarding what Leisel is reading. On page 113 :
Leisel would choose a handful of books and read small segments of each until she found one she could not put down.  it was "The Whistler'......
The first event in the book was a murder. A stabbing...
It seems to me the Mayor's wife is sunk in mourning for her lost son or brother killed in WW1.
The book says" one of the picture books had a name written clumsily on the inside cover-Johann Hermann-"
The story continues about the woman embracing suffering.  Deciding to make it her triumph .
Death says "she is one of a worldwide brigade.  You've seen her before in your stories,poems and screens.  Why not on a hilltop in Germany.?"

In these statements Death has shown us that all suffer, over the whole world. He embraces all and notes the effect he, death, has on people wherever they live and no matter what they believe.

[salan]

I, too, think the mayor's wife is mourning the loss of a child.  Why else would she have a picture book with his name scribbled inside?  That gave me the impression that it was a child's book.  Surely she would not have had her fiance's book??
Sally

[Laura]

Sally said:  I, too, think the mayor's wife is mourning the loss of a child.  Why else would she have a picture book with his name scribbled inside?  That gave me the impression that it was a child's book.  Surely she would not have had her fiance's book?

Ah ha!  That makes sense.  The book is the clue.  OK, I think it was a son also.

[Ella Gibbons]

PATH said -  -"I find it remarkably hard with this book to pin down where I saw a detail or whether I got the right impression. "

(I keep forgetting how to put a quote in blue)

What PATH said is true for me also; I just read the questions in the heading and I think I will have to go back to the book to answer them.  I get impressions but not answers.

[Ella Gibbons]

I can say this about MAX.  The guilt he must feel is dreadful and as I remember Hans and his father were together in WWI, is that correct?  And that is the reason MAX shows up and is taken in?  How frightened Rosa and Hans must have felt to take in a Jew but they didn't hesitate because of Max's father.

Now I must go back to the book to see how Hans impresses upon Liesel the need for secrecy in regard to MAX. 

[ALF43]

Annie- there you are.  i'm so pleased that you decided to stick with us and enjoy the prose of this fine author.  You can not help but get swept up into his words.  When I bought this book it was in both sections.  It had a different cover in the adult section than it did in the Young Adult section.  I can understand why this book would be in the young adult section however.  These kids are savy kids and well understand the horrors of war.  Young Adults is usually 13-17, isn't it?

Ella- yes, I agree that the guilt for Max must have been great, but he had to survive somehow and to do that he must involve another person.  Hans was indebted to his father, a Jew,  who saved Han's life in the war and lost his own.  When Hans visited the widow after the war offering to help her, he met the young lad at that time.  

"What he didn't know was that his help would most definitely be needed, but not for painting, and not for another twenty years of so."

He felt obliged to help the son, now a grown man.

[salan]

I think that this phase in the book is when I started to "rethink" Rosa.  Yes, she is crude and mouthy, but she must have had kindness in her heart.  I'm sure they didn't get paid much, and maybe by now, nothing for Liesel's care.  Now she takes in a Jew.  Most risky and their food supply was limited.  What do you think?
Sally

[ALF43]

Sally- as crude as Rosa was I think it was all an act- perhaps an act of self preservation.  She assumed this tough exterior to protect her soft heart and emotions.  Something like "buckle up," get going" or it's no big deal."
Those statements give us a sense of control and conviction that all will be well.  (Even when we know they will not be.)

[JoanP]

Hello!
Just in from the annual Reading Promotion Partners meeting at the Library of Congress - told them all about you and what we do here!  They pulled up the site on the large screen computer - and looked in at this discussion.  The screen was huge! You would have loved seeing your picture magnified, Andy!

Annie, so glad you joined in!  Yes, we've concluded that the boy, Johann Hermann  -  must have been Ilsa Hermann's son and not a fiancé.  (A fiancé wouldn't have had the same last name.)  If he died in 1918, I think it's a good guess that Ilsa is about 60 years old.  (Not a word from you, Debbie - who stayed up all night reading ahead to find out more about Ilsa.  You can't even say if we are warm or cold, Deb!)

So why doesn't she speak?  Why does she just sit there, almost content, while Liesel turns the pages.  Jude, if the boy, Johann Herrman was the Ilsa Hermann's son, and if he died in WWI, then perhaps these  books did not belong to Ilsa, but rather to her son. the boy  From the description, "The Whistler"  doesn't sound like a book Ilsa would read. I'm wondering if all of these books didn't belong to  Johann Hermann.
 Ilsa likes to sit there quietly watching Liesel read, but she did not want to talk to her.  Might that break the spell?  Might she be imagining this was her boy on his stomach on the rug, reading his books?

I'm reminded by this example of Ilsa's suffering,  how events of World War I left a lot of issues unanswered in Germany...which is what led to WWII.

[ALF43]

So why doesn't she speak?  Why does she just sit there, almost content, while Liesel turns the pages

.

JoanP-the woman is totally depressed and distressed.  She has slumped into lethargy (my favorite spot when I am depressed.)
Her unhappiness and blue funk manifest itself in the form of inertia.  That is exactly how she feels.

OMG- I can not imagine seeing my face in the LOC.
 hahahah I was just reading a Baldacchi novel about the library of Congress and I was so excited because I knew after our DC visit exactly what he was talking about.  Now I can but imagine my face on a large screen being viewed.  (oh boy)  Watch out Meryl.

[JoanP]

Yes, Andy - it was a great big screen, not quite movie theater size...but you get the idea.
I have to say, that Ilsa probably is a very depressed person, but I think while Liesel is quietly reading those books in her library, the poor woman is as close to being at peace than she ever will be.

It's interesting the way we move from the privacy of the Hubermann's home - to Liesel's life outside, Himmel Street and then her secret hours spent in the Hermann's library.  She'll have to keep more secrets, now that Max has come on the scene.
And Max...oh, doesn't your heart break for him?  He'd been a normal happy kid - a fistfighter, full of himself.  And now the only word I can think to describe him  - he is a "broken" man.  Full of guilt for having left his family behind.  Are they in jeopardy?  Should he have stayed with them?  Could he have protected them if he had?  Are they better off without him in their home?  Traude mentioned briefly a few days ago that a young Jewish male was in greater trouble at this time.  Were not the rest of his family in peril as well?

I love the fact that accordion is playing such a role here, don't you?  Almost as if it is a character in the novel - like death.  How would you describe this its role?

Sally - "I think that this phase in the book is when I started to "rethink" Rosa."    What do the rest of you think?  We're told that Rosa is the wildcard.  Max and Hans don't know what her reaction will be when confronted with the situation.  Maybe Hans knew.  Liesel said it best when they finally told her they were taking Hans into their home - and that it was going to change everything.  Remember?  She asks "Who are these people?"

  Hans is just being Hans.  His reaction wasn't surprising.  He made a promise, he'll keep it.  But Rosa?  Yes, Sally, let's rethink Rosa!

[ALF43]

The accoridan breaths!  That is an important thought in the novel (IMO)

[okietxjenjen]

A few incidences disturbed me .  One is when Rosa punished Liesel with the wooden spoon and a stray yellow tear trickled down her face. (page 99)   The other was when Hans slapped Liesel.  (page 116).  I realize that both Rosa and Hans had their reasons for the punishment.

[okietxjenjen]

Good Grief!!  I'm sorry,,,, for some crazy reason I was still in chapters I and II.  Please ignore my previous post . 

 

[Babi]

 SALLY & ALF, I see you are coming to the same conclusion I did. My first
impressions of Rosa were rather negative, but I'm coming to appreciate
her more and more.

I'm reminded by this example of Ilsa's suffering,  how events of World
War I left a lot of issues unanswered in Germany...which is what led to
WWII.

[JoanP]
  So true! Most importantly, those 'issues' left the people vulnerable
 to the seductions of a man like Hitler.

 No biggie, OKIE. It's so easy to do. I think it was fear for Liesel,
more than anything else, that prompted the punishments. Far worse than
a slap could happen if she gets careless about doing all they have told
her to do.

 

[Ella Gibbons]

As I read about Liesel and the library, I had a different first impression of the woman - she was the MAYOR'S wife and the MAYOR was a Nazi.  I think she was a frightened woman, afraid to talk to the child for fear of being quoted.  She had books, were you supposed to have books in Nazi Germany?  And you certainly should not allow young German children to read just anything. 

But, yes, I think she was depressed, she had lost a child ("He is nothing now in this world") and this was a good reason to befriend another.

Rudy is another important person in young Liesel's life don't you think?  I hope Death leaves him alone. 

This book is full of sadness.   I am afraid to read further for fear of what Liesel will lose next.  I hope the book ends on a good note, the war is over, some survive.

[salan]

I think the mayor's wife felt a connection to Liesel because of Liesel's obvious interest in books.  All of us that love books feel some sort of connection with others who love books--even if our reading interests are not the same. 

It was obvious that the mayor's wife was very sad and depressed.  Reading can form an escapism when life gets unbearable.
Sally

[JudeS]

The Mayor may be a Nazi or he may just act like a Nazi to retain his position.

The Mayors wife is obviously sad about the death of a loved one but she may also be sad because she does not believe in the Nazi ideology.  A person who saves books could not abide the notion of book burning. 
Liesel's interest in her books assuages a bit of the pain she feels.  In an unspoken way the woman is sharing with Liesel the days when life was happier for her.

As far as Rosa goes-she seems to have a rough exterior but a soft inside.  The way she cares for Max is amazing.
Perhaps she too does not go along with the Nazi ideology. 
In fact I am beginning to think the real purpose of this book is to show us how variegated were the Germans that did not believe in the Nazi ideology but went along with it in a superficial manner in order to stay alive.

[marcie]

I'm sorry to be joining late but I've read all of your thoughtful posts and they are pulling me into the discussion of this fascinating book. I'm now reading it for the second time and have caught up through Part IV. You've brought up many of the things I noted in the earlier sections.

A couple of random thoughts:
on Rosa's swearing: the book is about the power of words. Rosa uses the most derogatory words to address everyone, including Hans and Liesel but I think they are her way of coping with the world and belie her true feelings for her husband and foster child. I found the swearing somewhat funny at times to relieve the tension of the serious focus of the book, for example, in section III, when Liesel first makes the trip to the mayor's house alone to visit the library, she turns back from the top of Himmel street and looks back to see Rudy waving. "'Saukerl' she laughed, and as she held up her hand, she knew completely that he was simultaneously calling her a Saumensch. I think that's as close to love as eleven-year-olds can get." I laughed out loud at that exchange.

The COLD plays a big part throughout the book. I think that both the mayor's wife and Max suffer the cold as a kind of self-punishment for surviving their loved ones. We learn that the mayor's wife thinks that Johann Hermann (I agree with those of you who think he was her son) "froze to death." Her house is kept very cold. She never closes the window in the library. "She could have shot herself, scratched herself, or indulged in other forms of self mutilation, but she chose what she probably felt was the weakest option--to at least endure the comfort of the weather." Max returns every day to the cold basement.

I plan to keep up with the discussion now.

[ALF43]

oxietxjean-  I know just what you mean.  I got caried away with this reading too and almost quoted something from Chapter VI.   I would be in deep ka-ka with my mentor, jumping ahead like that.

Babi- I agree with you and Jude about Rosa when she showed so much kindness to the young 24 year old Max.  She unbegrudgenly offered him more pea soup and then cleaned up his vomit after he ate.  Liesel could see the drawn face of the stranger, and behind it, the worried expression scribbled like a mess onto mama.
What a picture that paints.

Sally-

All of us that love books feel some sort of connection with others who love books--even if our reading interests are not the same.

That is so true even with all of here on an inline community full of book lovers.  We do have a connection, don't we?  AND- Reading is my very favorite form of escapism.

[Laura]

I expected Rosa to be willing to take in Max.  I was very simplistic about it.  I figured that if she was willing to take in Leisel and her brother, who we have deduced were children of enemies of the Nazis, then it follows that Rosa would be willing to take in another enemy of the Nazis, a Jewish man.  Yes, the Jewish man was a much greater risk.  However, I think the underlying principles which gave Rosa the ability to take in children would give her the ability to take in a Jewish man.

I think Max is so brave.  I marvel at the inner strength required to sustain oneself mentally in isolation and uncertainty.  It took great courage for him to leave his family, not cowardice, in my opinion.

I knew the accordion must have some part in the story!  However, I didn’t imagine just how.  I’ll leave the writing to the authors.  They are much cleverer than I!

[ALF43]

Marcie- bless your heart, I was posting at the same time as you.  Welcome aboard.  
That is an interesting posture you took with this book being about the power of words.
I completely agree but must throw in the power of the colors as well.
Max had a continuous affliction of guilt and felt that to live he must pay the price of guilt and shame.

Great thought on the need for the cold as a 'coping" mechanism.  Max felt as though the basement were the place for him. He was a Jew and if there was one place he was destined to exist, it was a basement or any other such hidden venue of survival.
Exhibiting a great deal of kindness Hans and Rosa offered a mattress and blankets to the stranger and "topped up the kerosene lamp" to ensure a bit more comfort, while he was housed in with the paint cans.  This part of the book deeply moved me as I slunk down, becoming a non-entity and prepared to hide with Max in the cold.

Laura-I agree that it was an act of bravery on Max's part.  When one loses all of their family and they are the ones to survive, it is with extreme guilt and pain that they must live on, alone.  Survivor's guilt is powerful.  You have to be a brave soul, like Max to surive that alone much less the Nazis chasing after him.

[joangrimes]

A couple of random thoughts:
on Rosa's swearing: the book is about the power of words. Rosa uses the most derogatory words to address everyone, including Hans and Liesel but I think they are her way of coping with the world and belie her true feelings for her husband and foster child. I found the swearing somewhat funny at times to relieve the tension of the serious focus of the book, for example, in section III, when Liesel first makes the trip to the mayor's house alone to visit the library, she turns back from the top of Himmel street and looks back to see Rudy waving. "'Saukerl' she laughed, and as she held up her hand, she knew completely that he was simultaneously calling her a Saumensch. I think that's as close to love as eleven-year-olds can get." I laughed out loud at that exchange.

I felt the same as marcie about this.

I wanted to thank all of you who commented on my granddaughter's  acceptance to Med School.   I am so very proud of her . However I need to get back to this book. Joan Grimes

[JoanP]

 

"I am beginning to think the real purpose of this book is to show us how variegated were the Germans that did not believe in the Nazi ideology but went along with it in a superficial manner in order to stay alive." (Jude)

Jude, I think that is one of the main reasons I was attracted to this book in the first place - for insight into what the German citizen was feeling and thinking during Hitler's regime.  In an early chapter, we saw how Liesel adored him - and we heard of his great charisma,  his ability to attract so many to his way of thinking.  But as we go along, we are meeting more and more of the disillusioned.  I find that satisfying.

Babi - I agree, those who could not accept the losses of WWI had no choice but to follow Hitler into yet another war - or to settle for extreme poverty - and ostracism.

Ella, given their choices, I am afraid I can't see the book ending on a high note.  As you say, some will survive, but the survivors will have lost so much.  Do you remember when Death said that he met  Liesel three times?  To me this can mean two things - the third time he came to carry Liesel away - OR - she is still living at the end of the telling of this story. Let's hope for that.
Perhaps the "good note"  you are hoping for will be the survival of the human spirit - the ability to sustain loss.  Are you finding any humor in the story?  Maybe that's what we need to look for.

JoanG - does the granddaughter have any idea of the joy she has brought to your life?  I hope you stay up on the cloud #9 - at least until she's graduated from med school!

[JoanP]

The author seems to be telling a story of the mothers'  ability to survive the loss of their sons.  Did he intend to do this?  Liesel's mother buried her six year old son - and disappeared.  Ilsa Hermann buried her 19 year old son and disappeared too, in her own way.  Rosa has lost her son to the Nazi army, without so much as a goodbye kiss to his mother. She has lost the intimacy with her daughter too, keeping the secret in the basement all during her Christmas visit.
All extremely painful, endured in different ways.  

Marcie, so glad that you made it.  We kept a warm chair close to the fire, just for you!  You point out an interesting fact -

the book is about the power of words. Rosa uses the most derogatory words to address everyone, including Hans and Liesel but I think they are her way of coping with the world and belie her true feelings

Don't you wonder what Ilsa Hermann would sound like, if she could bring herself to speak?  I  really appreciated the description of her "bruised lips" - too painful to speak of smile.  

Debbie, it's fine to refer to previous chapters - I find myself going back many times looking for something.  One fo the reasons it is so difficult - I can't read those page numbers!!!  I think Liesel was used to the Rosa's whippings - she expects them as a natural consequence.  But Hans had never laid a hand on her before this.  I think that made an impression on her...which is what Hans felt he had to do.

Ella, do you think it a bit odd that Max has been in the Hubermann's basement all this time - and Rudy has never suspected a thing.  I hope Death leaves Rudy alone too.  There was something that Death said in these chapters that made me think he'd make it.  I'll keep looking.  I want the assurance that he will be one of the suriviors. Did anyone notice that?

Laura - the accordion has already played a significant role in the story, don't you think?  Max doesn't seem to show much, if any interest in his father's accordion.  I wonder why not.  Have you noticed Hans playing it now that Max is in the house?

[countrymm]

Hello, everyone.  I'm loving this book and am almost caught up on reading your comments. I was away all day yesterday so am just getting back to the discussion. Would anyone else be surprised to find out that our author Zusak was born in 1975? He will turn 35 sometime this year.

I am amazed that he is so young. I would have guessed it was a much older person writing the book.  Zusak really has depth, doesn't he?  So much knowledge, such depth of emotion, so much insight about people and about life.

I saw another book by him when I was at the library today.  Can't remember the title but it was the story of 2 Jewish boys who fight each other.  Boxing, I believe.  I'm guessing Marcus Zusak is Jewish and that it appeals to him to write about Jewish people and their outlook on life.  Your thoughts on this?