Review of The Book Thief (2013) by Brendan R — 20 Sep 2014

I've read the bad reviews, and I understand why many feel that way - it was sentimental and bittersweet, and somewhat underplayed the horrors of Nazism. However, that wasn't the point . . . it was merely a tender tale hidden away in a small community where nationalism was standard and information was sparse, and surrounded by horrors that could not even be perceived.

We typically see tales of Nazis as inhuman monsters representing ALL Germans, leaving out the small towns and villages where people went about their lives as war raged around them. The beauty of friendship, family, education, books, words and humanity did indeed exist in the midst of Nazi horror - and that story is rarely told. I thought this was done beautifully.

I saw many parallels for today's society - nationalism, exceptionalism, patriotism and moral superiority eating away at humanity while people quietly go about their lives in communities large & small . . . and the need to stop and listen to the simple beauty found within the imagery of words that many would rather ban, burn or replace with paranoid hyperbole.