The Book Thief- Entry #5

In the story, The Book Thief, Liesel lives in Germany and is involved in many of their traditions. One of these traditions was burning any books that the Nazis felt were “un-German.” This event usually occurred on May 10^th, which is the anniversary of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” (rules/ideas about following Christianity). This is because these ideas were created in a castle inside Germany. This was also because the Germans felt so strongly about religion.

            This event wasn’t just the burnings of the books. There was also a parade, where the Nazi Party and students that were part of the “Hitler Youth Group” would march and sing. Then, the children (or the Nazis) would throw the books that people gave, into the fire. They didn’t just burn books; they would also burn things like Plays written by Jewish people. Even though not much happened at this “parade,” many people would stay and watch the burning. This was because the book burning, to Germans, is something very symbolic and meaningful.

Citation:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Book Burning.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/?ModuleId=10005143. Accessed on 12/1/11.