The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak is a historical fiction novel about World War II. It seems easy enough to throw into that category, but this book is so much more. It truly delves into the depths of the human soul. I found myself this morning with tears streaming down my face as I tried with blurred eyes to continue experiencing the story. I still get choked up thinking about the characters in the book and what they experienced.

The story takes place in what the book refers to as Nazi Germany. This is the first book I have read from the German people's point of view. While many of them truly supported Hitler in all his efforts, the author clearly portrays the hesitation and sadness that I imagine the Germans actually felt when they watched as Jews were marched through the streets, past their very homes on their way to Dachau.

The times were very difficult even for these German families. The war had a profound effect on all the world, but I never thought to stop and wonder about these German families. The world would blame them for their hatred and for the lives of the Jewish who were slaughtered and surly they deserve some blame but how much? Can we stereotype them and consider them all evil the way they stereotyped the Jews? Honestly, before this book, I hadn't given it much thought. I had read stories of heroic Germans who saved the lives of their Jewish friends, but never a story like this.

I was filled with unimaginable gratitude as I held my son in my arms this morning and thought of the people who lived during that war. Many families were brutally torn apart without the chance of a goodbye. As the present day war drags on I am even more grateful that it isn't our streets that are riddled with bombs. It isn't our families that are torn apart in such an abrupt and brutal way. War means many difficult and horrific things, and yet as I think about the soldiers overseas fighting at this moment, I am filled with gratitude. They fight in distant countries to keep our homeland safe. While many families of these soldiers are torn apart from the losses that are ineviable in war, at least for most, they got to say goodbye. They watched and waved as these soldiers were deployed knowing it might be the last chance they ever got to see them alive. I am grateful for these soldiers and for their families. I am so grateful for our country and amidst the struggle and strife we experience during a war and a failing economy, I know I am so lucky to be here and to have my family.

I hope that whoever reads this will find a copy of The Book Thief and experience it for themselves. It helped me throw out the politics and reasons for war and look at it from a different point of view. Whether or not you agree with the War in Iraq, you cannot look at the sacrifice made by these soldiers and their families and not be grateful for their willingness to serve and for the country they represent. We are truly a blessed nation.