The Sound of Sirens

In September and October, I will be leading two discussions of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for Sandusky District Library's One Book, One Community program. The following is a passage in which I found particularly powerful:

"Not long before the sirens signaled the end, Alex Steiner -- the man with the immovable, wooden face -- coaxed the kids from his wife's legs. He was able to reach out and grapple for his son's free hand. Kurt, still stoic and full of stare, took it up and tightened his grip gently on the hand of his sister. Soon, everyone in the cellar was holding the hand of another, and the group of Germans stood in a lumpy circle. The cold hands melted into the warm ones, and in some cases, the feeling of another human pulse was transported. It came through the layers of pale, stiffened skin. Some of them closed their eyes, waiting for their final demise, or hoping for a sign that the raid was finally over.

Did they deserve any better, these people?

How many had actively persecuted others, high on the scent of Hitler's gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his opus? Was Rosa Hubermann responsible? The hider of a Jew? Or Hans? Did they all deserve to die? The children?

The answer to each of these questions interests me very much, though I cannot allow them to seduce me. I only know that all of those people would have sensed me that night, excluding the youngest of the children. I was the suggestion. I was the advice, my imagined feet walking into the kitchen and down the corridor.

As is often the case with humans, when I read about them in the book thief's words, I pitied them, though not as much as I felt for the ones I scooped up from various camps in that time. The Germans in basements were pitiable, surely, but at least they had a chance. That basement was not a washroom. They were not sent there for a shower. For those people, life was still achievable" (p. 375 - 376.)

The Trilogy

In September and October, I will be leading two discussions of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for Sandusky District Library's One Book, One Community program. The following is a passage in which I found particularly powerful:

"Dear Liesel,
I know you find me pathetic and loathsome (look that word up if you don't know it), but I must tell you that I am not so stupid as to not see your footprints in the library. When I noticed the first book missing, I thought I had simply misplaced it, but then I saw the outlines of some feet on the floor in certain patches of the light.

It made me smile.

I was glad that you took what was rightfully yours. I then made the mistake of thinking that would be the end of it.

When you came back, I should have been angry, but I wasn't. I could hear you the last time, but I decided to leave you alone. You only ever take one book, and it will take a thousand visits till all of them are gone. My only hope is that one day you will knock on the front door and enter the library in a more civilized manner.

Again, I am sorry we could no longer keep your foster mother employed.

Lastly, I hope you find this dictionary and thesaurus useful as you read your stolen books.

Yours sincerely,
Ilsa Hermann"

(p. 369).

Death's Diary: Cologne

In September and October, I will be leading two discussions of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for Sandusky District Library's One Book, One Community program. The following is a passage in which I found particularly powerful:

"The fallen hours of May 30.

I'm sure Liesel Meminger was fast asleep when more than a thousand bomber planes flew toward a place known as Köln. For me, the result was five hundred people or thereabouts. Fifty thousand others ambled homelessly around the ghostly piles of rubble, trying to work which way was which, and which slabs of broken home belonged to whom.

Five hundred souls.

I carried them in my fingers, like suitcases. Or I'd throw them over my shoulder. It was only the children I carried in my arms.

By the time I was finished, the sky was yellow, like burning newspaper. If I looked closely, I could see the words, reporting headlines commentating on the progress of the war and so forth. How I'd have loved to pull it all down, to screw up the newspaper sky and toss it away. My arms ached and I couldn't afford to burn my fingers. There was still so much work to be done" (p. 336).

The Mayor's Library

In September and October, I will be leading two discussions of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for Sandusky District Library's One Book, One Community program. The following is a passage in which I found particularly powerful:

(p. 134)
"Jesus, Mary..."

She said it out loud, the words distributed into a room that was full of cold air and books. Books everywhere! Each wall was armed with overcrowded yet immaculate shelving. It was barely possible to see the paintwork. There were all different styles and sizes of lettering on the spines of the black, the red, the every-colored books. It was one of the most beautiful things Liesel Meminger had ever seen.

With wonder, she smiled.

That such a room existed!

Even when she tried to wipe the smile away with her forearm, she realized instantly that it was a pointless exercise. She could feel the eyes of the woman traveling her body, and when she looked at her, they had rested on her face.

There was more silence than she ever though possible. It extended like an elastic, dying to break. The girl broke it.

"Can I?"

The two words stood among acres and acres of vacant, wooden-floored land. The books were miles away.

The woman nodded.

Yes, you can.

Bookish News

Two pieces of news:
(1) I was recently recruited to lead the discussion for my local library's One Book, One Community program next month. The selection, one of my favorites: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

(2) The annotated bibliography in which I created as part of my final exam for LIS 6530 -- Exploring Books Across Genres: A Guide to Teen Lit for Girls -- is going to be published by Sandusky District Library.

The 940s

I've kept this blog free of politics with the exception of library funding issues and my recent announcement of non-partisan candidacy for Watertown Township trustee -- the latter has been kept to a bare minimum. However, I recently spotted this image making its rounds via Facebook (a friend shared the image via the page, Being Liberal) and I couldn't resist sharing. I think it's a great point...

I find it not only disgusting and disturbing that someone could even make a comparison, but feel that those who make such statements are minimizing the atrocities committed by the Third Reich. Regardless of your political affiliations, there is simply no comparison and the subject is certainly nothing to joke about...

Further (and the main reason for sharing this), anyone that compares a U.S. President to the infamous dictator with a toothbrush mustache smacks of ignorance and cannot be very knowledgeable in 20th century history. I strongly encourage them to visit their local public library (it's free) and do some reading up in the 940s. While they're in the 940s, they should also read up on Stalin -- who murdered an estimated 20 million people. Once again, there is no comparison.

Use Libraries and Learn Stuff.

/end rant

Other posts I've made about Hitler:

Mein Kampf: Case Study

Meeting Mein Kampf

Mein Kampf

Projects!

A week ago, I finished and submitted my final for LIS 6530 and later in the week watched the last lecture. So what have I been up to? Rebuilding the tractor registry for the Thumb Two-Cylinder Club -- while I am working from a print copy, the actual digital database was accidentally lost when my predecessor's hard drive was formatted. (I am currently on page 8 out of 12.)

When my eyes feel like I've dumped sand in them, I switch gears and work on an annotated bibliography of Holocaust literature for tweens and teens -- which I hope to publish in the near future.

Project soundtrack: Juno (Music from the Motion Picture)

Annexed

Thanks to a recommendation by a classmate, I've picked up another piece of Holocaust Literature: Annexed: A Novel by Sharon Dogar.

From Houghton Mifflin:

"Everyone knows about Anne Frank and her life hidden in the secret annex – but what about the boy who was also trapped there with her?

In this powerful and gripping novel, Sharon Dogar explores what this might have been like from Peter’s point of view. What was it like to be forced into hiding with Anne Frank, first to hate her and then to find yourself falling in love with her? Especially with your parents and her parents all watching almost everything you do together. To know you’re being written about in Anne’s diary, day after day? What’s it like to start questioning your religion, wondering why simply being Jewish inspires such hatred and persecution? Or to just sit and wait and watch while others die, and wish you were fighting.

As Peter and Anne become closer and closer in their confined quarters, how can they make sense of what they see happening around them?

Anne’s diary ends on August 4, 1944, but Peter’s story takes us on, beyond their betrayal and into the Nazi death camps. He details with accuracy, clarity and compassion the reality of day to day survival in Auschwitz – and ultimately the horrific fates of the Annex’s occupants

A bookish except:

August 26, 1942 -- Peter Discovers the Joys of Reading 

"I'm in the attic. The sun shines and I sit in it and read. The book makes time change. Stops it hanging. Somewhere I can hear the breeze in the tree behind me. I can feel the sun on my back and the pages turn and I forget. There are only the people on the page and what will happen next. What will happen to the people in the book, not what will happen to me -- or what might be happening to Liese. I forget everything. I even forget the time -- until I hear Papi behind me." (page 37, 2010 hardcover edition)

Side note: In just a few hours, I'll be heading to Marshall, Michigan to tour Marshall District Library!

Now

Yesterday morning, I picked up, from the library, a book which I interloaned: Now by Morris Gleitzman. Now is the sequel to Once and Then -- Holocaust / Historical Fiction. Here's a passage that can be found on page 24 (hardcover) which really struck me:

"Felix looks at me, gives me a nod, and carries on chewing.

He understands.

He knows that lockets on their own can't make everything okay. No jewelry can.

It takes more than that.

Felix knows the secret.

So many sad things happened to him when he was a kid. Losing his best friend and his parents and the strength in his legs. And yet he's the happiest person I know. Because he's really good at doing happy things.

Reading books and making cakes and having hot baths and dancing.

Felix knows that as soon as bad things have happened, they're in the past. Which is the place to leave them.

From now on, I'm going to do what Felix does.

Leave the bad stuff in the past and concentrate on being happy now.

If I can."

 I highly recommend these books and I am really looking forward to the release of the fourth book, After!

Four Becomes Five

As part of my final for LIS 6530 (Young Adult Literature), I am required to read four books on a single subject/topic and then write a paper explaining how the books contribute to the overall theme. Expanding upon the literature review I first began in LIS 6510 (Current Literature for Children: Infant - Grade 3), I am continuing to read my way through Holocaust Literature; however, this time the primary audience is tweens and teens. Selecting just four books has proven to be a challenge and I wanted to choose books in which I haven't yet read...and books that were written from different angles. It looks like I'll be covering five...

 Once by Morris Gleitzman

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

Emil and Karl by Yankev Glatshteyn

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys



Once by Morris Gleitzman is the first book in a series of four with the fourth still yet to be published. Naturally, I couldn't resist reading the others. Here's a passage out of the second book, Then:

"One of the Hitler Youth at the front of the marching column yells something to he others and they all stop.

Right next to us.

Four of the Hitler Youth step out of the column and stride towards us. Behind them, a Nazi soldier raises his gun like he's keen to join in.

My insides are throbbing with fear.

I get ready to throw myself at the Hitler Youth if they touch Zelda.

But it isn't Zelda that they touch. It's Cyryl. They grab him and slap him and punch him really hard. His mother lets out a shriek, but when they turn to her she smothers her mouth with her hand.
They punch and slap Cyryl some more.
I get furious.
I can't help it. When I see how much those Hitler Youth thugs are enjoying what they're doing, I stop being Wilhelm and take a step toward them.
As soon as I do, I come to my senses. What am I doing? I'm not a fighter. I can't protect Cyryl. All I'm doing is getting my family into trouble.
Genia grabs me and pulls me back.
The jolt makes the Richmal Crompton book fall out of my shirt onto the ground. For a moment I think I'm sprung. I brace myself to be arrested.
But nobody notices.
Mrs. Szynsky is too busy helping Cyryl to his feet. The Hitler Youth thugs are too busy taking their places back in the column.
I crouch down to grab the book.
Just before my hand makes contact with it, the Hitler Youth leader yells something again.
I look up. He's not yelling at me, he's yelling at the column to start marching again, which they do.
But as the column marches off, one of the other Hitler Youth, not one of the thugs, stares at the book on the ground in front of me.
And does an amazing thing.
He grins at me. And with a small movement of his hand, so the other Hitler Youth can't see him, he gives me a thumbs-up.
I blink. Did he really do that?
Is he telling me he's a Richmal Crompton fan too?
I grab the book and stuff it back inside my shirt and stand up and try to look like nothing has happened.
Nobody seems to be looking at me.
Well, hardly anybody.
The Hitler Youth column is halfway across the square now, but the boy who saw the book is still throwing glances back in my direction."