We would like to say thank you to Martina for all her time, hard-work, dedication and friendship for the past few years! She and her family will be moving on and will be sorely missed. We plan to have a going-away party for her and her family and will let you know the details as soon as they are finalized. So please join us in wishing her and her family a safe and happy move and an easy transition into their new lives.
We will miss you!!!!!
Tuesday 17 June 2008
The Book Thief - by Markus Zazuk
On Writing the Book Thief:
The Book Thief was supposed to be a small book - only a hundred pages or so. When I was growing up, I heard stories at home about Munich and Vienna in war-time, when my parents were children. Two stories my mother told me affected me a lot. The first was about Munich being bombed, and how the sky was on fire, how everything was red. The second was about something else she saw...
One day, there was a terrible noise coming from the main street of town, and when she ran to see it, she saw that Jewish people were being marched to Dachau, the concentration camp. At the back of the line, there was an old man, totally emaciated, who couldn't keep up. When a teenage boy saw this, he ran inside and brought the man a piece of bread. The man fell to his knees and kissed the boy's ankles and thanked him...Soon, a soldier noticed and walked over. He tore the bread from the man's hands and whipped him for taking it. Then he chased the boy and whipped him for giving him the bread in the first place. In one moment, there was great kindness and great cruelty, and I saw it as the perfect story of how humans are.
When I remembered those stories, I wanted to build them into a small book, like I said. The result was The Book Thief, and it came to mean much more to me than I could have imagined. No matter what anyone ever says about that book, whether good or bad, I know it was the best I could do, and I don't think a writer can ask for more of himself than that.
Best Always,
One day, there was a terrible noise coming from the main street of town, and when she ran to see it, she saw that Jewish people were being marched to Dachau, the concentration camp. At the back of the line, there was an old man, totally emaciated, who couldn't keep up. When a teenage boy saw this, he ran inside and brought the man a piece of bread. The man fell to his knees and kissed the boy's ankles and thanked him...Soon, a soldier noticed and walked over. He tore the bread from the man's hands and whipped him for taking it. Then he chased the boy and whipped him for giving him the bread in the first place. In one moment, there was great kindness and great cruelty, and I saw it as the perfect story of how humans are.
When I remembered those stories, I wanted to build them into a small book, like I said. The result was The Book Thief, and it came to mean much more to me than I could have imagined. No matter what anyone ever says about that book, whether good or bad, I know it was the best I could do, and I don't think a writer can ask for more of himself than that.
Best Always,
The book club met last night to discuss our latest book, The Book Thief, by Markus Zazuk. It is a story told in the perspective of death as the narrator about life in Germany during World War II for a young girl and her family. It was a very interesting story that many of us found we could not put down after starting. The discussions of this book led to discussions about how different parts of Europe experienced "a different war" during WWII. It was an interesting and enlightening discussion for all. We had a great time and look forward to the next book, The Way The Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald. So if you are a quick reader (712 pages, small print), come join us on July 9th to discuss the latest. Even if you don't finish the book come and join us! Contact committee members or drop us an e-mail to find out the details of where and when.
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