The book thief by Markus Zusak

 Liesel is used to her mama calling her Saumensch or beatings for mistakes - tiny or large. She is even used to her mama scolding her dear papa in all colorful language and papa retorting back. 

But what she finds different this time is their whispering. This certainly is scary. Few days back,  she had asked to papa can she write a letter to her mama. The other mama, not the foster parent Rosa Hubberman. He had agreed. Since then she wrote many letters and today she posted by stealing money for the stamps. And she told mama why the money she collected is lesser. 

They are asking one another "Should we tell her?". Tell her what. What is wrong with her mama? Will she never be able to see her?

But on the day of celebrations, things become clearer to her. A speaker in the town square was praising Hitler and berating the communists. Communists - this is a word she has heard before. When people were questioning her mother. 

So is her mother imprisoned because she is a communist? Is that the reason she was given for adapting? 

And she declares "I hate Fuhrer" and her papa slaps her on the face. 

This is how the story of the book thief goes. And I am immensely liking it. Just like we love to listen to gossip, we love to read miserable stories of oppressed people who struggle each day to survive. Is it because we feel relieved that we are not there yet? Or because we feel empathetic to these imaginary people, which makes us feel better because we are empathetic people.