Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Book reviews

This summer I'm taking Resources for Young Adults. Some of the books have just been so-so, but I want to tell you about a book I finished a couple of weeks ago.



The Book Thief is set in World War II Germany and chronicles the experiences of Liesel -- the book thief -- and her friend Rudy. Neither are Jewish, but neither are they from families that whole-heartedly support Hitler's rise to power. This is not a book for the faint-of-heart and though it's marketed as Young Adult fiction, it is a challenging book even for many adults. It's over 500 pages long, is almost stream-of-consciousness, and is narrated by Death.

I read a lot and this is the first book that's made me cry in several years. Not lump-in-my-throat-blink-a-little, but wet-cheeks-why-did-I-wear-mascara crying. It's that good. It ranks up there with Poisonwood Bible, East of Eden, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

I'll post more recommendations later.

1 comment:

AbbieCRAZY said...

I mostly avoid any WW II stories - they just tear at my heart too much. This doesn't sound much better....

Maybe I can read it....