The Book Thief

As part of a summer reading assignment, I came across Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, which is now one of my absolute favorites. Here is a letter to Mr. Zusak, explaining my emotional feelings towards his story. Warning: THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS! Skip over the letter for the review!

Dear Mr. Zusak,

             I came across your book as a summer reading assignment. Contrary to the views of some of my classmates, I did not find the size intimidating - in fact, the large volume was quite inviting. I could not fathom what would await for me inside, I only knew at that point that I was dreading having to read yet another lengthy novel. Being the novelist that your are, you would probably assume that statement to be contradictory to my previous one. Yes, Mr. Zusak, it certainly is. You see, I welcome a lengthy novel - it presents more time to love, to obsess, to lose. But when you have to read four other lengthy novels when there are five others you would rather be reading, you come to dread it. I must say that The Book Thief surprised me. But with a little help from my Literature teacher and my classmates, I was able to delve deeper into its meanings.

            Let me begin with the conclusion, or near-conclusion of the novel. I must implore you - was it honestly necessary to murder every character that I had come to love? Mr. Zusak, I truly appreciated your work, because it was an exceptional one. But was there any obvious reason for you to take a world I had come to respect, take the characters I had lived with, and simply smash them into oblivion? I would very much like to learn your reasons behind doing so. If I may, I would like to make a small comparison to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. Everything was going so well in the story, well, as well as things can go for a couple that has one half living with cancer that is likely terminal. It was all somewhat sunshine and daisies until Green takes it upon himself to give the other half of the couple highly-terminal cancer. And yes, Mr. Zusak, that half does perish before the story's end. So again I reiterate  - why is there a reason to crush the hopes and dreams of one very intrigued reader? Nonetheless, there is another aspect of this tragic ending that I greatly appreciated. The conclusion was real and true. I have often told myself that one day I would write a story in which nothing had a happy ending. I do not find that to be a morbid thought, and I believe that you would understand why. Too many stories end with a happy ending. I believe we have Walt Disney to thank for that. You comprehend that not everything in life is rainbows and butterflies, and it was evident in the way you presented the ending of the story.

            In addition, I would like to hone in on your narrator. I found it brilliant that you used the being of Death to present the story. To me, Death had a story. I asked myself, "What if Death is Liesel Meminger?" Now, at this point you probably think I am going way too deep into this, which I probably am. But if you think about it, in some twisted, parallel universe, it could be true. Imagine this: years ago Death began to get tired of its monotonous life. So, it went on a journey to find an identity. Death came across a story of a girl named Liesel Meminger. It became so consumed in the girl's story, the story of her life that she herself had penned, that Death assumed the life of the girl. So in that sense, Death could truly have been Liesel. Now, in a more realistic sense, Death was the shadowy figure of a teenage boy. That was probably much easier to comprehend. I truly believe that the story would have been utterly different if Death had been removed as the narrator, but not as a character. Death's insights caused you to look at life in a different way. Life has struggles that must be endured, but none can be as difficult as the life lived by Death. Death had courage in the sense that he took things as they came, despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to escape his personal monotonous circle of hell.

            Furthermore, I would like to discuss with you the importance of books. Obviously as an author, you can greatly appreciated and truly comprehend the wonders of books. Mr. Zusak, if I may, were you ever in a position as a child where you needed an escape from reality? I can honestly say that I found myself in that position often. Subconsciously, I believe I used books as an outlet of escape. Sometimes, I feel I immerse myself so much into a story that it becomes a bit unhealthy. I believe the term "fangirling" would apply? I know this is certainly something I can lecture to you about, free of judgment. I hope you can agree with me in saying that words have much power. I recently delved into a bit of that power in Theology class. But that is besides the point. Words can have a wide affect on people, especially in a book. You proved that with your use of Mein Kamp in the novel. But words not only have the power to control, but they have the power to enlighten and to scare. Many people discourage themselves from books due to the fact that they see many words and feel fear. They tell themselves, "It would just be easier to watch the movie." But we both know, they are the ones who lose the joy that a number of pieces of paper, all bundled together, can bring.

            Above all, Mr. Zusak, I would like to commend you on your overall fabulous novel. It was nothing like I had read before, and the new spin on a popular topic in historical fiction was exceptional. I never could have thought that Death could be such an adored narrator. Even though I have read many a novel in which characters I came to love were lost, I never experienced such emotional distress as I did with The Book Thief. I sincerely hope that there will come a day that I will you will share with me the unknown wonders of your novel, for it was truly one that I will remember and recommend for quite some time. Congratulations, Mr. Zusak, on a job well done.

_________________________________________________________

The Book Thief brings more meaning to the little things in life. Liesel was stripped of her family and shipped of to a new one, where she spent a life poor in material things, but rich in love. She had her best friend Rudy, her new parents Ilsa and Hans, and she had the books which brought her joy and importantly, freedom in a time when it was scarce. Our narrator, Death, opens our eyes through his little "gems" which offer advice on life's littlest and biggest issues. So let me just say that 

The Book Thief will cause you great emotional distress, it will cause you to fall in love with it, and it will teach you how to open your eyes to the little things that matter. Most importantly, it will teach you that the world is much bigger than you. The world is a story - your's is just a few pages.

                                                                                                                        

Across the Universe

Beth Revis's Across the Universe centers around an ideal society that crashes and burns because of a teenage girl's intuitiveness and insight on a world that left her behind. Dystopian much? Well that's nothing new considering 99.9% of today's teen literature falls under that category. Yes, John Green, I'm speaking directly to you considering your book is causing me emotional distress...

Anyway, climb aboard Godspeed, a fantastical, futuristic spacecraft carrying two thousand living souls and another batch of souls frozen in cryostasis to a new earth. Nonessential cargo Amy is well, unplugged and melted by God-knows-who (well you will know after you suffer through a mind-blowing 200 pages). She turns the ship upside down by her different appearance (everyone is mono-ethnic) and her insane stories of earth. Amy begins to fall for Elder, the boy who is next in line to be leader of the ship. Amy begins to delve into the secrets of the ship, the lies used to cover up the truth, and works to stop the mass murderer who is working on exterminating the ship's frozen cargo.

Now, Across the Universe may seem simplistic, but trust me it is simply described as MESSED UP. you work to discover the truth before the characters themselves do - sometimes you succeed and sometimes you do not. A lot of the time, I felt myself thinking exactly what the characters believed. Beth Revis clearly knows  how to entice a reader while baffling them by having them think on the same track as the characters in the story.

Now, please understand that this story has abosolutely nothing to do with the 2007 movie musical, Across the Universe. The book includes nothing about drug-addicted, Beatles-singing soldiers. I can promise you that.

With Across the Universe, I was stepping out of my comfort zone a bit considering I'm such a fantasy buff while this is more science fiction which really is not my thing. Surprisingly, I fell in love with the story from the first chapter. Revis has a unique concept on her hands. Props to her for such a well-written story. So don't turn away just because it's not your typical genre. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Exclusive Interview with Dayna Lorentz

Dayna Lorentz, author of No Safety in Numbers, so graciously agreed to do an interview with me! Hope you enjoy this exclusive content!

1. This really bugged me that it was just left alone. I'm probably over-thinking but when a certain character happens to break out of the mall does this cause the virus to go airborne? 

The virus is already airborne! The bomb injects it into the air flow within the mall. ACK! 

2. Was the subtle love triangle between Shay, Marco, and Ryan planned from the beginning, or did it evolve with the story?

Everything in the novel evolved through the writing process. I knew from the beginning that Ryan would be entranced by Shay, and that Shay would be interested in him, but the relationship with Marco was a surprise, and certainly the ways in which all of the relationships in the story developed was a product of the writing process and following where the characters and their stories led me.

3. How many books (surprise!) are you planning on writing in this series? Will the books be limited to life in the mall, or will we venture into the Outside?

There are three books total in the series, including No Safety in Numbers. And you don't really want me to give anything away, do you? 

4. The last chapter really surprised me. I mean REALLY surprised me. I was pretty much at a loss for words. Did you decide the ending when you initially began writing?
I found the ending as I was writing the story. It surprised me as well!

5. What made you decide to take a completely different course than your previous books? How did you take such a creative spin on a common topic?

I had the idea for the story back in 2007 when I was at a mega-mall with my husband after seeing a movie late at night. The theater was on the topmost floor, and the lower floors of the mall were dark as we descended to the parking level. There were people on these darkened floors, and their voices echoed around the cavernous empty space. In that moment, the mall seemed like an alien and scary place--and the idea for the trilogy was born!

6. Did you have to do a lot of research because the book revolved around a lot of scientific fact?

Yes! I did tons of research, and also sought out the help of "experts." I have a friend who's a doctor who has helped me with the medical stuff, and another friend who's a big gamer, and he helped with some of the gaming details. 

7. Where did all your inspiration come from? It had to be difficult to create four completely different main characters who intertwined in so many ways. Even the secondary characters played big roles!
The four main characters came to me almost instantly, though I got to know them through the writing and revising process. The situation lent itself to a big cast of characters, so as their stories developed, I met the other characters. For example, in my first idea notes, I had Marco being chased by Mike and Drew, but it was only once I started writing that those two connected with Ryan and his brother.

8. What is your advice to aspiring young writers?

Keep on writing! The more you write, the better you will become. And READ, as much as possible, as often as possible! It is only through reading and thinking critically about what you read that you can become a better writer.

The Hiding Place

Summer reading usually sucks. I love reading, and I'm proud to say it. But I'm sure that's pretty evident since I have a blog about books. But anyway, that's not the point. So far, summer reading hasn't sucked for me. So now I'm going to make you a bit jealous that your summer reading isn't as great as mine and give you the inside scoop on Cornelia ten Boom's The Hiding Place.


For those of you who know everything about world history, you would know that a hiding place was a secret room in which Jews were hidden during the Holocaust in Europe. For those of you who fall asleep during history, now you know. This Holocaust drama captures the life of a one Cornelia ten Boom, who is sent to prison when it is believed that Jews are hidden in her home.

The Hiding Place creates a portrait of life not in the hiding place or in a Jewish concentration camp or even a Japanese camp. It doesn't try to capture the violent side of the war. It captures the war within the war - the war about religion. (The story discusses the Christian faith often so it may not appeal to all of you.)

Since you have an entire new perspective on the Holocaust, you can learn that it wasn't only the Jews who were treated like animals. Sure, the people who hid them weren't always killed. But they were imprisoned, starved, housed in the poorest conditions, and worked until they keeled over.

Miss ten Boom decided to turn her plight into something great. Now obviously, we all don't have the opportunity to be taken into custody by the Nazis, be released, and teach people valuable lessons from our suffering. I mean, doesn't everyone get to do that? No. But, to be a tad of a lecture, the point of the book is to turn everyday hardships into a gift for God.

Personally, I find books about the Holocaust fascinating. So, even if you're not into non-fiction or religion, it might do you some good to read this book. Might even change your life.

Exclusive Interview - Huntley Fitzpatrick

The wonderful author of My Life Next Door so generously agreed to answer several questions that I sent her out of the blue. She so willingly gave her time to answer these questions - so please enjoy them! And remember - My Life Next Door hits bookstores June 14th!

1. Your biography said that you grew up in a sleepy New England town - were the characters and events at all based on your life?

I think all writers use little pieces of themselves and their past in every story, but MY LIFE NEXT DOOR was not autobiographical to a large degree. Like Samantha, I was a watcher who wondered about other people’s lives and tried a little too hard to look good.  I did a lot of family-watching (and a lot of boy-watching).

2. Was forming the characters difficult? You must have had to really work on background stories, especially for characters like Samantha's best friend Nan, and Nan's brother, the drunken Tim.

The characters in this book came to me so clearly that it wasn’t difficult. Samantha’s mother was the only one who was a real struggle.  To write someone you have to understand them and their responses to every circumstance and that was a challenge with Grace.

3. Was there ever a family like the Garrets in your neighborhood when you were growing up?

Only in my imagination! I grew up writing endless stories about very large families.  For some reason, the dynamic of how they work has always fascinated me.

4. Who was your favorite character and why?

 It’s hard to pick a favorite character—like choosing your favorite child. I have my favorite moments with almost every character. Tim and George were the most fun to write; Jase the most satisfying.

  

5. Do you plan on writing more novels? Will they be for teens or adults?

I hope I never stop writing novels. I’m working on Book 2 now, but have a few more already buzzing around in my brain. Writing YA seems to suit my voice. Maybe someday I will lose my fascination with those intense teen years, but it seems unlikely.

6. My Life Next Door was not an average summer romance novel. How did you put little spins on classic topics to make it unique?

I’m not sure. Summer has always been my favorite season, and looking back on my teen years and what romances there were then, the most intense times always seemed to happen during the summer. Maybe that came through into this story.

 7. What is your advice to aspiring authors?

Read everything. When you find an author you love read all they have written, once for pleasure, then again to see how they worked their magic. Keep a journal in which you write your absolute truth. Record your thoughts, conversations you have, conversations you overhear, everything. Don’t be too critical of yourself. The only prerequisite for being a writer is writing.

8. How did you decide that you wanted to be an author for young adults?

I’ve always been a reader and I’ve always been a writer. Looking back, the books which affected me the most intensely seem to have been those I read as a teenager. Maybe that’s why when I returned to writing after a hiatus YA was the natural genre to turn to.

 9. Tim was one of my favorite characters in the story. Can you tell me about your formation of TIm?

I’m so glad. I have a huge soft spot for Tim, even though he was an incredibly disobedient character.  He was originally intended to play a small role, but every time I put him in a scene he never did what I’d planned. I had many a conversation with my best friend where I’d call her in frustration and complain that he was walking away with the book. In the end, I don’t think he did, but he certainly got a lot more page time than I’d intended.  As for his inspiration, I think we’ve all known a Tim or two.