Part 3 Chapters 1-8

   The first chapter of part three started with a brief explanation of “Mein Kampf”, the third book Liesel had received, saying that the book showed up at 33 Himmel Street perhaps and an hour later Liesel had drifted back from her nightmare. Going back to the end of part three chapter eight, Liesel and Hans were on their back home to Himmel street when Liesel could no longer take it. The book she had stolen from the ash was inside her shirt (as she was hiding it) now burning her skin. She pulled the book out, and Hans grabbed hold of The Shoulder Shrug. There was no explanation needed as it was clear she had stolen it from the bonfire. Hans studies the book probably wondering what kind of threat this book had posed to the hearts and minds of the German people. He handed it back and Liesel asked if he was going to tell Rosa. He asked her why he would, and Liesel answered, “Because I stole again. Hans bent down and stroking her hair, she told her he wouldn’t. Here, the narrator explains what Hans was seeing in his fast-paced visions. First, he saw the girl’s books; The Grave Digger’s Handbook, Faust the Dog, The Lighthouse, and now The Shoulder shrug. Next is the voices of Hans Junior from earlier that day, regarding those books on the table, where the girl often reads. He speaks: “And what trash is this girl reading?” Repeating the question three times, he makes his suggestion for more appropriate reading material. His visions stop there and tell Liesel: “This is our secret, this book. We’ll read it in the basement, just like the others—but you have to promise me something.” “If I ever ask you to keep  a secret for me, you will do it.” With Liesel promising to his words, they continued with the walking. Within the next few days, Hans managed to trade some cigarettes for another book, although this one was not for her. Knocking on the door of the Nazi Party office in Molching, he asked for a membership application, paying them with his last scraps of money and a dozen cigarettes. Receiving a used copy of Mein Kampf, he headed out the door. The narrator explains there must have been a share of mixed feelings at the moment for Hans. His idea had sprung from both Liesel and his son.

   The second chapter was on the delivery of the washed clothes. But first, these days paranoia was clinging onto her, and it was pretty bad the paranoia itself felt like a punishment. And the paranoia became even worse when picking up or delivering the washed clothes, to the mayor’s house. This was from the book thievery, as she predicted the person who was watching her do the act, was the mayor’s wife. On the first occasion, she came back home empty-handed, lying there were no people home. Rosa forced her to go again, and so she went to deliver the clothes for real, this time. With Rudy walking by her side, she reached the mayor’s house and tapped on the brass knuckle. The mayor’s wife, Isla opened the door and Liesel handed her the washing. In exchange, In exchange, the Mayor paid her and stepped back, closing the door. After the delivery was done, Liesel was relieved with euphoric, thinking the woman hadn’t seen her steel the book after all. The second visit to the mayor’s house was a few weeks later, and she had gone alone this time. This time, however, Isla motioned Liesel to step inside the house, and although she refused to at first, she was tempted to and did. What tempted her to do so, was Isla coming back to her with a handful of books. When she entered a room in the house, she was surprised, there were books everywhere. Liesel walked through the room filled with books for a few minutes until she realized she should get going. She exited the house but remembered she forgot to thank the woman. And so running back to the house, she tapped on the door again without noticing the mayor’s car was back in its place. Thus it was the mayor who opened the door first until Isla approached from his back. Liesel looked at her and thanked her.

   The third chapter was about a completely different person. The narrator explained he is a starving Jew, afraid, and his environment as a small black room. The small black room was located a few hundred miles northwest, in Stuttgart, far from Himmel Street. He sat on his suitcase waiting. The door of the room opened, and a figure crouched over him. It whispered, “Max, wake up. Sorry for taking so long, I think people have been watching me. And the man with the identity card took longer than I thought, but—... It’s yours now” He then gave him a book, telling him the card is in it. Leaving, the man said he’ll be back in a few days. He also left a small bag filled with bread, fat, and three small carrots, with a bottle of water. Max ate some of the food and picked up the book. He could not read the title in the dark, and whispered: “Please, please.” He was speaking to a man he had never met but knew his name. It was Hans Hubermann. Again, he was pleading “Please.” 

   The fourth chapter explained the four attributes of summer 1940. The first was advancing through The Shoulder Shrug every night. Soon after reading the book, they also realized the authorities’ problem with the book. The protagonist was a Jew, and he was presented in a positive light. Nonetheless, they read the book every night after Liesel woke up from her nightmares. Sometimes, they would even compete for a chapter the next afternoon. The second attribute is the mayo’s library. As explained in the second chapter, Isla, the mayor’s husband would let Liesel in her house, and into the room filled with books. This became a routine for them, whenever Liesel would come to collect/deliver the clothes. Liesel would sit on the floor with the books scattered around her, and read them. This particular time, it was her fourth time there, and she was going through and reading the books like every other time. She opened one of the picture books which had a name written on the inside cover. It read “Johann Hermann”. Hesitating to ask at first, she asked Isla who it is. Liesel apologizes for asking such a question when a few moments of silence passed, but Isla answered saying that he’s dead now and that he froze to death. Sometimes she wondered if she could leave the woman alone, but Isla Hermann was too interesting for her. The third attribution was on Himmel Street soccer. The fourth attribution is on stealing. On top of the rationing situation, his father’s business wasn’t doing so good, and Rudy was hungry. But as long as Rudy was playing soccer or riding bicycles, Rudy wouldn’t feel as hungry, and so that was what they did. On the arrival of hot days, another distraction of them was to swim by the Amper River. But Liesel’s depressing pea soup and Rudy’s hunger finally drive them to thievery. They joined the other kids of Molching and did some stealing in the apple farm near the Amper River. The group consisted of members as young as six, with a leader too. The leader was 15 years old, and his name was Arthur Berg. When Liesel and Rudy were done stealing, they had eaten all the apples, summing up six apples apiece within half an hour. That night, Liesel threw up the apples.

   The fifth chapter was on a little scene from Liesel and Rudy buying some candy, using the pfennig they found on the ground. It was the end of August and summer and found it sitting half rotten in some dirt, on the washing and ironing route. They rushed back to Frau Diller’s and burst through the door and ordered mixed candy. The unexpected smile on Frau Diller’s face made them smile as well, but not for long. She tossed a single piece of candy on the counter and said “Here. Mix it yourself.” Outside, they unwrapped it and shared it together.

   The sixth chapter was on the Jewish man named Max, earlier from the third chapter. The narrator explained it was November third, that he was finally out of the storage room and riding on a train with a copy of the book Mein Kampf, his savior. Going back to the end of the third chapter, the promised return visit didn’t take days, it took a week and a half. Then another week till the next, and another until he lost count. He was relocated once more to another small storage room, where there were more light, visits, and more food. However, time was running out. His friend Walter Kugler, a friend of Max’s from his childhood told him he was leaving for the army. He left Max a small razor, a spoon—the closest thing to a mirror, shaving cream, and a pair of scissors. With a clean-shaven face and neatly combed hair, he was out of the building looking like a new man. He walked out as a German and walked to the station. Showing his ticket, he made it on the train and for most of the journey, he made his way through the book, trying never to look up.

   The seventh chapter was on the stealing of food. Liesel and Rudy would often make a few more journeys with Arthur Berg and his friends, to places such as a potato farm, or an onion farm. Liesel and Rudy’s biggest achievements, however, were the ones they managed to do by themself. They first watched a boy from school, named Otto Storm deliver foods to the priests for a month, and got on to their plan. On a Friday in October, Liesel was carrying the washing around the neighbors, with Rudy holding a bucket in his hand. (At this time, Rosa’s washing clients had decreased to the number of two, but it wasn’t as bad for Liesel, as one of them was still the mayor.) Just before two o’clock, Rudy poured the water onto the road in the exact position where Otto would pedal around the corner. By doing so, the water would turn into ice, making a disaster. Although there was a small portion of guilt at first, the plan was a success. They took the basket full of produce and ran away from the scene. As tempting as it was to keep the victory to themselves, they went to Auther Berg, bus to an overpowering sense of loyalty. Gathering his other friends, they ate it all. Five days later, Auther Berg invited Liesel and Rudy on the next stealing project at the potato farm. This time, however, the farmer found them. Although everyone was able to escape the scene, the farmer probably found Arther soon later, as a few weeks later, he moved to Cologne. The last time Liesel and Rudy saw him, was on one of Liesel’s washing delivery rounds. He handed her a brown paper bag containing a dozen chestnuts. They never saw him again after that, but the narrator did. It was when the Cologne sky was yellow and rotting, with his sister in his arms. She had stopped breathing.

   The eighth chapter was about Max again, and here, it takes a sudden twist. The narrator explains his arrival on Molching and Himmel Street. He was holding his suitcase in one hand, and the book Mein Kempf in the other. There were many emotions that were building up inside him that moment when he imagined the safety that might be awaiting him. He was happy and almost relieved, but the scratchy feeling of sin had also hit him. How could he do this? How could he show up and ask people to risk their lives for him? How could he be so selfish? Waking up from his thoughts, he found himself standing in front of a pale house that stood with an iron gate and a spit-stained door. From his pocket, he pulled out the key and slowly opened the door.