Each fall and spring, Chicago residents come together to read a selected book as part of the Chicago Public Library’s “One Book One Chicago.”
It is a time during which the city is united by art and the written word. This fall, a striking tale has been chosen; it binds humanity and reaches into the depths of the past.
“The Book Thief,” by Markus Zusak, follows the life of a young girl named Liesel Meminger and it narrated by a personified form of death. Liesel is living with her foster parents in Germany during the time of the Holocaust. When her father takes a Jewish man into hiding, her world blooms. She begins to absorb the reality of the time in which she is living in and uses literature to guide her way through pain, friendship, destruction and coming-of-age.
Zusak’s novel is a beautiful culmination of time, trauma, and good feeling. It bridges an age gap that inhibits certain audiences from books, molding a tale that is informative and awakening for both children and adults. It has much to teach both the young and the old alike; it universality compromises nothing.
“I thought that “The Book Thief” was much different than any other young adult novel I’ve ever read,” Said Micki Burton, a sophomore English major. “It definitely transcended age and didn’t feel patronizing. Zusak’s use of death as the narrator created a novel unlike any I’ve ever read before, and it presented a new and interesting take on mortality, specifically as it relates to World War II.”
Chicago is featuring various programs and events to deepen the city’s experience with the book. Markus Zusak made an appearance at the Harold Washington Library just last week. The Steppenwolf Theatre is also featuring a version of the book that has been adapted to the stage, offering a whole new tangible and visible way to experience the novel.
“The Book Thief” possesses the ability to bring Chicago together and also to explore what violence means on an intimate and intense level. Liesel’s journey is captivating; it narrows in on distinct sensation and experience in the midst of a topic that can overwhelm a modern audience. Her spirit is palpable and breathes vigor into history.
According to the Chicago Public Library’s website, “The Book Thief” is intended to play a part in a program called Now Is The Time (NITT) for which the Chicago Public Library, the Steppenwolf Theatre and Facing History and Ourselves have teamed up. The organization explores the role that the individual plays in violence.
This fall’s “One Book One Chicago” is one that will be remembered. It brings solidarity to the city, displaying the power of the written word and, in turn, the power of people. “The Book Thief” strings time together and re-reminds its audience what it means not to exist, but to take part in the world that it inhabits.