I still have about 50 pages left in The Book Thief, so I'll post later tonight or early tomorrow morning. What I can say about it so far is this:
I really like the book's perspective on discrimination. When reading, it's always easy to empathize with the victim, but since the book is about a German girl who is not Jewish, I found myself asking other questions. What would I do if I was in the Hubermann's shoes? How much power did the German people have to fight the Nazi's? Who much power did they have to save the Jewish people?
My favorite part (so far!) is when Liesel and Rudy throw the breadcrumbs into the street for the Jews to find. What a creative, heroic, yet even childish thing to do!
I do think that the book is a bit lengthy- it's been difficult for me to find time to finish it, so I think that it would be hard for adolescents to find time to finish it. If I did teach it I would pair it with a non-fiction piece or maybe even a documentary so that the lesson about discrimination is more concrete.
On another note, I have been thinking about how this would work as a film, and I think that Alan Rickman (it may be spelled wrong, but think Severus Snape from Harry Potter), would be perfect to play Death! Any thoughts?
What Do You Mean No More Books?!?!
13 years ago
I think that maybe the way to go with the length of this novel is to make sure it's separated into manageable chunks. Otherwise, the kids may be overloaded before they even begin. It's always good to keep in mind those students who aren't avid readers and have to carve time out for an activity they struggle with and/or don't enjoy. Even though the story is good, there will always be some students who struggle to get through it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the lengthy part. If we have trouble with the time to read it, how do we expect our students to find time to read it... Good point!
ReplyDeleteI like the movie ideas!!!
Oh man, I can only hear Alan Rickman's voice now when I read the book. But I agree, he's perfect as death.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree that the book is lengthy--maybe unnecessarily so. I think that alot could have been cut out that was insignificant to the overall message.
"What would I do if I was in the Hubermann's shoes? How much power did the German people have to fight the Nazi's? Who much power did they have to save the Jewish people?"
ReplyDeleteI love these questions! I felt so empathetic toward Hans when he reached out to give the loaf of bread to the Jewish prisoner. It really helped me to consider the humanity of the Germans during this horrendous chapter of our history as well.
You are right. This book brings up so many questions. It is not the "typical" World War II story about the Jewish child or family trying to escape. While it does include this a little bit, the focus on a German girl is wonderful. We get to see Germany as it probably was back then. Full of secret heroes (and blatant ones too), as well as people trying not to notice or care, peoples so caught up in their own worries that they don't see what is going on, true nazis, people being dragged into the Nazi way of thinking. There is no way to classify the variety of perspectives, values, and actions seen in this novel. It surprised me, and I appreciated that it gave me a new perspective on such a serious subject.
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