Who Is Markus Zusak's The Book Thief

The Book Thief was written by Markus Zusak in 2006. It took him three years to write this book because he wanted to make it historically accurate. Since the book was first published, it has become a best-selling novel. The Book Thief was initially released in Australia, Zusak’s native country, for adult readers, but when it was marketed in the United States, it was aimed at young adults (8). This inevitably led to its rising popularity. The author, Markus Zusak, was born in Sydney, Australia, on June 23, 1975. Zusak got most of his information for The Book Thief from his parents (8). Each had their own World War II experiences. His mother lived in Germany as a young girl in a small town similar to Molching (9). In an interview, Zusak revealed what had inspired him to write this book: “I thought of Hitler destroying people …show more content…
The story jumps ahead several years and Death tells us how Liesel grows up, moves to Australia, and has a family. When Death finally comes to collect Liesel’s soul, he shows her the book she wrote, The Book Thief, all those years ago. He wants to ask her so many questions about humans but does not. In the end, all Death can say is that humans haunt him. The Book Thief is a very thought-provoking and touching novel. Zusak does a brilliant job developing the intricate storyline, although it is a little complicated at times. His use of literary elements help create the suspense that makes this book a real page turner. Zusak uses symbolism to help set the mood of the story and create vivid imagery. One example of this is in section, The Last Stop: The road of yellow stars." "Shaped like a long, broken arm, the road contained several houses with lacerated windows and bruised walls. The Star of David was painted on their doors. Those houses were almost like lepers. At the very least, they were infected sores on the injured German terrain"