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| Photo taken by Ms. C |
I had been in a Holocaust-themed reading rut for a long time prior to reading this book. In fact, I could not bring myself to read any literature on the Holocaust since visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau in April 2011.
I could research the topic into oblivion during my Undergraduate days... I would read book after book on the Holocaust prior to my visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Yet, I was now unable to read the first few pages of any Holocaust-themed item.
What was the weirdest part about my reading rut? The actual visit at Auschwitz-Birkenau did not move me to the degree that I thought it would. I found that the camp, while an emotional site, had become too tourist-centered. It was only after I returned to Canadian soil that the thought of reading about events at the place I had just visited began to disturb me. I could vividly picture what the authors were writing. I could recall walking in that very camp the authors were so expertly describing, and if I closed my eyes, their stories and my experiences at the same site began to overlap.
Consequently, I have a large pile of Holocaust literature sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read.
I told my friend, K, my reading problems... and the fact that I really wanted to read a book called
The Book Thief. After a little persuasion, I left a store with
The Book Thief placed neatly into my shopping bag. I began reading the book later on that afternoon.
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