1) The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
Historical Fiction
222/550
2) I haven't read much this week, so not a lot has happened. Liesel, the book thief, was bullied in school because she can't read that well, and one day she got so sick of it that she beat up a boy in her class who bullied her. She almost killed him. Later the same day, she took a beating from her teacher for what she did, and was almost kicked out of school. She also started writing letters to her mom, but got no responses. Even the foster care center has lost all contact with her, so they see no chance of Liesel ever seeing her mother again. But Liesel still writes, and will not give up hope. On Hitler's birthday, the 20th of April, there was a bonfire. All the kids were there, including Liesel, Rudy, and Ludwig Schmeikl, the boy who she beat up in school. Most of the Germans support Hitler, but some don't, including Rudy's dad, Mr.Steiner, and Hans Hubermann, Liesel's foster dad. But even when Liesel figures out that her mother was a communist, Hitler hates communists, and that he took her away, and Liesel says to Hans that she hates Hitler for taking her mother away, Hans tells her to be quiet and slaps her face. Apparently hating Hitler is punishable by death, or so I read. Hans and Rosa Hubermann also have a son and a daughter of their own. The daughter works as a housemaid in Munich, and the son is in the army, also a supporter of Hitler. He will later go to Russia, and will never come back again. I learned that Liesel is fragile, but still strong. She deals with the most depressing problems in life, and she stays strong, but even the strongest will eventually brake. Liesel's hate for Hitler doesn't exactly make it easier for anyone either. Especially the relationship between her and Papa; she doesn't fully trust him anymore.
3) I think that more interesting things are starting to happen in the story, although I don't really like it yet. It is not as "life changing" as it is said to be. It even says on the cover; "BRILLIANT and hugely ambitious...it's the kind of book that can be LIFE CHANGING." This I don't believe yet, but who knows? It might change. I did expect more from the book, partly because of the quote on the front cover, but also because so many people say it's one of the best books they have ever read. My excitement for what might happen is still there though, so I still expect the same, and I think it will get better later on.
4) "I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that's where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate" (Zusak 109).
I chose this passage because it reveals more than you think about the story. This is an explanation for why Hitler wants to destroy so much, why there is war, why people like destruction. The scary thing, and the one to watch out for, is how quickly it escalates from sand castles to countries.This frustrates me a little bit, because the Soul Collector gives me the answer to one of my questions once again, but doesn't truly answer it. I wondered why, but he answered with how.
Markus Zusak
Historical Fiction
222/550
2) I haven't read much this week, so not a lot has happened. Liesel, the book thief, was bullied in school because she can't read that well, and one day she got so sick of it that she beat up a boy in her class who bullied her. She almost killed him. Later the same day, she took a beating from her teacher for what she did, and was almost kicked out of school. She also started writing letters to her mom, but got no responses. Even the foster care center has lost all contact with her, so they see no chance of Liesel ever seeing her mother again. But Liesel still writes, and will not give up hope. On Hitler's birthday, the 20th of April, there was a bonfire. All the kids were there, including Liesel, Rudy, and Ludwig Schmeikl, the boy who she beat up in school. Most of the Germans support Hitler, but some don't, including Rudy's dad, Mr.Steiner, and Hans Hubermann, Liesel's foster dad. But even when Liesel figures out that her mother was a communist, Hitler hates communists, and that he took her away, and Liesel says to Hans that she hates Hitler for taking her mother away, Hans tells her to be quiet and slaps her face. Apparently hating Hitler is punishable by death, or so I read. Hans and Rosa Hubermann also have a son and a daughter of their own. The daughter works as a housemaid in Munich, and the son is in the army, also a supporter of Hitler. He will later go to Russia, and will never come back again. I learned that Liesel is fragile, but still strong. She deals with the most depressing problems in life, and she stays strong, but even the strongest will eventually brake. Liesel's hate for Hitler doesn't exactly make it easier for anyone either. Especially the relationship between her and Papa; she doesn't fully trust him anymore.
3) I think that more interesting things are starting to happen in the story, although I don't really like it yet. It is not as "life changing" as it is said to be. It even says on the cover; "BRILLIANT and hugely ambitious...it's the kind of book that can be LIFE CHANGING." This I don't believe yet, but who knows? It might change. I did expect more from the book, partly because of the quote on the front cover, but also because so many people say it's one of the best books they have ever read. My excitement for what might happen is still there though, so I still expect the same, and I think it will get better later on.
4) "I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that's where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate" (Zusak 109).
I chose this passage because it reveals more than you think about the story. This is an explanation for why Hitler wants to destroy so much, why there is war, why people like destruction. The scary thing, and the one to watch out for, is how quickly it escalates from sand castles to countries.This frustrates me a little bit, because the Soul Collector gives me the answer to one of my questions once again, but doesn't truly answer it. I wondered why, but he answered with how.
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