In school, you read Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. Basically, it's a lot of Shakespeare with a little William Golding and Harper Lee. But, what about Markus Zusak's work, The Book Thief? Should The Book Thief be taught in schools?
Despite this book holding a heavy plot and some disturbing writing, when I bought this book, I found it in the teen section. I loved reading this book, and I wouldn't disagree if it were taught in schools. The writing is amazing, and coupled with the creative narration of "Death," it's a very interesting read. English classes would have a lot of fun reading this novel as it has complex themes and characters, and despite its length, it's pretty easy to read. The connections this book makes to real-life experiences in Nazi Germany are also something to note. The idea of censorship during WWII is demonstrated very thoroughly. The burning of communist and Jewish literature, the fear of badmouthing Hitler, and the mandatory display of the Nazi flag all contribute to helping the reader understand the atmosphere that happened in real-life during this time.
"Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, slain people, and of course, books. They enjoyed a good book burning, all right" (Zusak 84).
The Book Thief's main subjects include the power of words, human cruelty, and censorship. These all connect to important and interesting themes to study in an English class at school. This book itself has not been banned, however, it has been challenged due to its sensitive content. You can read more about it here. It does have some explicit language, so do take that into consideration, but it should be fine in high school. In my opinion, being hidden and barred from some types of explicit content such as this will only keep one from learning more and going farther in life. Therefore, whether or not this book is taught in schools, it definitely is a good read for anyone looking for an interesting, slightly controversial book.
Would you be willing to learn or teach "The Book Thief" at school?