The Book Thief

Categories: Staff Picks , Fiction

The Book Thief is one of the most moving and powerful books I've read in a long time. Narrated by Death, a charismatic and highly likeable character, the story revolves around Liesel Meminger, a foster child living near Munich during World War II. Liesel tries to make sense of her life and her surroundings by losing herself in books she pilfers from the trash, remnants from Nazi book burnings, and from the wealthy woman who employs Liesel's foster mother. Not your typical Holocaust tale, the Book Thief conveys to us how words can sustain and heal, as well as destroy. As one reviewer put it, "When Death tells a story, you pay attention." I found the Book Thief hard to let go of once I had finished- I think Death may just be one of the best narrators ever.