The Book Thief Seminar: Family & Community

What is expected of family, friends and community during a crisis

By: Divya, Mubasshira, Janet and Athi

Family Hans painting with Liesel

Friends Rudy stealing with Liesel

Community Liesel reading to Frau Holtzapfel

Distraction

Family

Hans paints words with Liesel in the basement

“Papa would say a word and the girl would have to spell it aloud and then paint it on the wall, as long as she got it right. After a month, the

wall was recoated. A fresh cement page.” (page 72)

Friends

Rudy steals apples with Liesel

“He pushed her toward the fence, threw the empty sack on the wire, and they climbed over, running toward the others. Rudy made his way up the closest tree and started flinging down the apples. Liesel stood

below putting them into the sack.” (page 152)

“When they made it back to the river, hidden among the trees, he took the sack and gave Liesel and Rudy a dozen apples between them.”

(page 153)

The apples, she thought happily. The apples, and she vomited one more time, for luck.” (page 153)

CommunityLiesel reads to Frau

Holtzapfel as she mourns over her son’s death

“The brother shivers.The woman weeps.

And the girl goes on reading, for that’s why she’s there, and it feels good to be good for something in the aftermath of the snows of

Stalingrad.” (page 471)

Mental SupportFamily Hans soothing Liesel after nightmares

Community Liesel reading in bomb shelters

Friends Rudy encouraging Liesel in class

FamilyHans sooths Liesel

after nightmares by reading, teaching, and helping her cope with worries

“As usual, her nightly nightmare interrupted her sleep and she was woken by Hans Hubermann. His hand held the sweaty fabric of her pyjamas.

‘The train?’ He whispered.Liesel confirmed. ‘The train.’

She gulped the air until she was ready and they began reading from the eleventh chapter of The Grave Digger’s Handbook. Just past three o’clock they finished it, and only the final chapter remained. Papa, his silver eyes swollen in their tiredness and his face awash of whiskers, shut the book and expected the leftovers of his sleep. He didn’t get them. The

light was only out for barely a minute when Liesel spoke to him across the darkness.‘Papa? Are you awake Papa?’

‘Ja’Up on one elbow. ‘Can we finish the book, please?’

There was a long breath, the scratchery of hand on whiskers, and then the light. He opened the book and began.’ Chapter 12: Respecting the Graveyard.” (page 86)

Community

Liesel supports community members by reading aloud during air raids

“By page three, everyone was silent but Liesel. She didn’t dare to look up, but she could feel their frightened eyes

hanging on her as she hauled the words in and breathed them out. A voice played the notes inside her. This, it said, is your accordion.

The sound of the turning page carved them in half. Liesel read on.” (page 381)

Friends

Rudy encourages Liesel when she cannot read in front of the class

“’Come on, Liesel!’ Rudy broke the silence.

The book thief looked down again, at the words. Come on. Rudy mouthed it this time. Come on, Liesel.” (page 77)

Physical SupportFamily Hubermanns taking in Max

Friends Ilsa Hermann giving Liesel the black book

Community Hans painting his neighbors’ windows

Family

Rosa offers Max all she can to help him survive

“Rosa admitted that there could not be much food, to which Max fervently asked her to bring only scraps, and only when they were not wanted by anyone else. ‘Na, na’, Rosa assured him. ‘You will be fed, as

best I can.”’ (page 140)

Friends

Ilsa gives Liesel a blank book for encouragement

‘’As it turned out, Ilsa Hermann not only gave Liesel Meminger a book that day. She also gave her a reason to spend time in the basement—her favorite place, first with Papa, then Max. She gave her a reason to write her own words, to see that words had also brought her to life.”

(page 352)

Community

Hans paints windows black for little in return

“He was even known to paint people’s blinds for half a cigarette, sitting on the front step of a house, sharing a smoke with the occupant.

Laughter and smoke rose out of the conversation before they moved on to the next job.” (page 241)

AcceptanceFamily Hubermanns accepting

Liesel

Friends Hubermanns accepting Max

Community Rudy accepting Liesel when she arrives

Family

Hubermanns accept Liesel despite her communist background

 “Those first few months were definitely the hardest.Every night, Liesel would nightmare.

Her brother’s face.Staring at the floor.

…Possibly the only good to come out of these nightmares was that it brought Hans Hubermann, her new papa, into the room, to soothe her, to love her.” (page 36)

 When Liesel finally had a bath, after two weeks of living on Himmel Street, Rosa gave her an

enormous, injury inducing hug. Nearly choking her, she said, “Saumensch, du dreckiges—it’s about time!”

After a few months, they were no longer Mr. and Mrs. Hubermann. With a typical fistful of words, Rosa said,

“Now listen, Liesel—from now on you call me Mama.” She thought a moment. “What did you call your real mother?”

Liesel answered quietly. “Auch Mama—also Mama.”“Well, I’m Mama Number Two, then.” She looked over at her husband. “And him over there.” She

seemed to collect the words in her hand, pat them together, and hurl them across the table. “That Saukerl, that filthy pig—you call him Papa, verstehst? Understand?”(page 35)

Friends

Hubermanns accept Max, a Jew, into the family

“Hans and Rosa, both steeped in the despair of the predicament, made no argument, not even in regard to the cold. They heaved blankets down and topped up the kerosene lamp. Rosa admitted that there could not be much food, to which Max fervently asked her to bring only scraps, and only when

they were not wanted by anyone else.‘Na, na,’ Rosa assured him. ‘You will be fed, as best I can.’

They also took the mattress down; from the spare bed in Liesel’s room, replacing it with drop sheets—an excellent trade.

Downstairs, Hans and Max placed the mattress beneath the steps and built a wall of drop sheets at the side. The sheets were high enough to cover the whole triangular entrance, and if nothing else,

they were easily moved if Max was in dire need of extra air.Papa apologized. ‘It’s quite pathetic. I realize that.’

‘Better than nothing,’ Max assured him. ‘Better than I deserve— thank you.’With some well-positioned paint cans, Hans actually conceded that it did simply look like a collection of junk gathered sloppily in the corner, out of the way. The one problem was that a person needed

only to shift a few cans and remove a drop sheet or two to smell out the Jew.‘Let’s just hope it’s good enough,” he said.

’It has to be.’ Max crawled in. Again, he said it. ‘Thank you.’” (page 140)   

Community

When Liesel first arrives, Rudy accepts her into his circle of friends

“On the way to school, he tried to point out certain landmarks in the town, or at least, he managed to slip it all in, somewhere between telling his younger siblings to shut their faces and the older ones telling him to shut his. His first point of interest was a

small window on the second floor of an apartment block. (page 34) 

At one stage, Rudy rushed ahead, dragging Liesel with him.He knocked on the window of a tailor’s shop.

It was not yet open, but inside, a man was preparing articles of clothing behind the counter. He looked up and waved.

“My papa,” Rudy informed her, and they were soon among a crowd of various-sized Steiner’s, each waving or blowing kisses at their father or simply standing and nodding hello (in the case of the oldest ones), then moving on, toward the final

landmark before school.” (page 35)       

THE END

By: Divya, Mubasshira, Janet and Athi