essay about the book thief

The Book Thief

Markus zusak, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Markus Zusak's The Book Thief . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Book Thief: Introduction

The book thief: plot summary, the book thief: detailed summary & analysis, the book thief: themes, the book thief: quotes, the book thief: characters, the book thief: symbols, the book thief: theme wheel, brief biography of markus zusak.

Historical Context of The Book Thief

Other books related to the book thief.

• Full Title: The Book Thief
• When Written: 2002-2005
• Where Written: Sydney, Australia and Munich, Germany
• When Published: 2005
• Literary Period: Contemporary Fiction
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Setting: Fictional town of Molching, Germany, 1939-1943
• Climax: The fire-bombing of Molching
• Antagonist: Adolf Hitler, World War II and the Holocaust
• Point of View: First person omniscient, with Death as the narrator

Extra Credit for The Book Thief

Bread. Zusak was inspired to write The Book Thief by a story his mother told him, which involved a boy giving bread to a starving Jew who was being marched to a concentration camp. A Nazi soldier noticed and whipped both the boy and the Jew. This scene is recreated in The Book Thief with Hans Hubermann in the place of the boy.

Rudy. Zusak's favorite character from any of his books is Rudy Steiner, Liesel's best friend.

“The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak Essay (Critical Writing)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is an extraordinary story that chooses to use death as a narrator of the story. The story centers on Liesel Meminger, a foster girl who lives with her foster parents outside of Munich. The story is staged during World War II in Germany. The relationship of Death with this girl is extraordinary, and the story revolves around a trait in this girl which makes her a passionate book thief. This trait in Liesel evolves the strings of relationships in the book which connects the characters.

Liesel carves out an interest and sparks in her life by stealing books which she cannot resist. She learns to read with the help of her accordion player foster father Hans Hubermann. She also shares her treasure with children during the times of bombing when they are confined. She also develops a reciprocal relationship with Jewish man Max Vandenburg, who lives in hiding in the basement of their home. He helps her create a new book by painting and drawing on one of the old books. The exposition of the story told by death revolves around these three main characters within the story.

The conflict arises when Rosa the mother interferes in the peaceful harmony of the father Hubermann and daughter Liesel and calls them names like ‘pigs’. The bloodshed, concentration camps, and bombings divert the mind from the soulful world of the books to the harsh reality which death exposes.

The climax is reached when Liesel finds herself forced into one of Hitler’s Youth Uniforms and has the opportunity to steal the book “Main Kampf” which becomes one of the most important books in her life. The book first helps to save a young Jewish man named Max Vandenburg, who is hidden by Hubermann’s. Max develops a growing relationship with Liesel as he gradually paints the pages of the book and creates with new illustrations a new book for Liesel. This helps evolve an everlasting relationship between Liesel and Max.

The falling action is the commentary made by the death, which reveals the claustrophobic outlook in which stealing is the part of the life that sustains the chord of ongoing action in the novel. The story revolves around the Nazi regime and the actions to help defend against the holocaust.

The desired building in Max’s mind to fight is the sign of resolution which evolves in the society where fighting has been the surface issue. The Book Thief addresses the issue of fighting as the source of survival and a sign of weakness. Fighting is shown in all its complexity. The resolution is seen in the dream where Max is fighting the Fuhrer. In the end, when he manages to strike Hitler, the fists of the entire nation attack him and he cannot fight them all. The book understands that winners often lose.

The real resolution comes from the fact that Death as the narrator is soft and gentle in its narration and has a very intimate relationship in the portrayal of the heroine of the story Liesel, who is embodied as the symbol of hope amidst darkness. She grows into a good and generous person despite exposure to innumerable suffering and misery all around her. She evolves into a human being who is adored and admired even by death. The power of hope and light which is shown in the character of Liesel is unquestionable faith which you hang on to in the midst of scarcity, battle, and brutality which has been the backdrop of the story. Liesel is the shining beacon of light that can help dispel darkness from all major protagonists’ life with the soulful use of the books…which feed the souls.

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IvyPanda. (2021, December 2). "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak/

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IvyPanda . 2021. ""The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak." December 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak/.

1. IvyPanda . ""The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak." December 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak." December 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak/.

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Historical Context

The book thief, by markus zusak.

Markus Zusak's 'The Book Thief' was written following the events that happened in Germany from 1939 - 1942 during the second world war.

About the Book

Article written by Juliet Ugo

Former Lecturer. Author of multiple books. Degree from University Of Nigeria, Nsukka.

It was written to show the horrors of war, the ill treatment of the Jews by the Nazi army and even touched on the holocaust, one of the most gruesome events in human history.

The Book Thief is set in Germany during World War II and the time of the Holocaust, where six million Jews were killed died. The leader of the Nazi party, Adolf Hitler, rose to national power in 1934 and started enforcing his anti-semitism policies and German aggression, which led to World War II. Some of the events that directly affect the story are the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany in 1941 and the Allied fire-bombings of Munich, Stuttgart, and the fictional town of Molching in 1942 and 1943.

In the book, one day Liesel hears a Nazi spokesperson speaking about the Nazi regime and Adolf Hitler’s rule. The spokesperson mentioned that all Jews and communists will die. She then remembered that her father was accused of being a communist and now she can’t find her father. She also tried to write to her mother after she learned how to write but none was replied. She then concluded that her mother had died. And so she blamed Hitler for the death of her father, mother, and brother.

The Book Thief is a genre of literature classified as historical fiction. This means that even though it is fiction and in this case, it is set in the fictional town of Molching, which is near Munich in Germany; it is still set through historical periods. The story is set and told through historical accurate events like the Holocaust, Jews marching to the death camps, Kristallnacht, burning of books, and others.  A major theme of the book is Liesel’s interest in the book and a major event that happened in the book was the book-burning by the Nazis.

The events in the books were either exact replicas of the Holocaust or similar to all the things that happened. The Holocaust was majorly religious against the Jews and to show Nazi supremacy over others. The Book Thief used places, events, and people in the book and tried to capture all the events that happened in Germany during the set period of 1939 to 1945. Many of the things that were captured in the story were based on true events since the author was inspired to write from the story he heard from his parents.

So the story was not based on present events or accounts or even modern-day conflicts. Markus Zusak’s parents were both immigrants from different countries of Europe and had witnessed what happened during WWII. They told their children stories from what happened in their homeland before they left. An example is a story that Markus’ mother told him about a boy who took pity on the marching Jews and gave bread to a particularly weak one. For that action, both of them were whipped by a soldier.

Publication and Legacy 

The novel was written and published in Sydney, Australia in the year 2005. The tone of the novel is casual and relaxed, with the narrator (Death) at times interrupting himself or interjecting reactions to the narrative. Though his voice employs humor, the overall sense is of sorrow and sadness.

The Book Thief celebrates the legacy of words: the power of words to do good, to do bad, to raise low and raise high, to create a Hitler, to allow a Hans Hubermann to exist, in essence, the power of words to change worlds. The book showed that words, indeed, rule the world.

The novel was adapted into a film that was released on 8 November 2013 and filmed in Görlitz, Germany. The script of the film was written by Michael Petroni, and directed by Brian Percival. The film starrs Ben Schnetzer as Max Vandenburg, Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson as Hans and Rosa Hubermann, Nico Liersch as Rudy Steiner, and Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger. John Williams wrote the music soundtrack.  

Is The Book Thief historically accurate?

Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is a category of literature known as historical fiction. This means that it is a fiction story, but one that is told through historically accurate events and time periods. It has elements of historical events like the Kristallnacht, the Jews marching to the death camps, in it.

Why is The Book Thief a historical fiction?

Historical fiction is a literary work in which the plot takes place in a setting located in the past. What makes The Book Thief a historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions, and other details of the depicted period.

What books did Liesel steal?

Here are the books that Liesel steals in The Book Thief : First is The Grave Digger’s Handbook, which she stole at the graveyard when they buried her brother. Next is The Shoulder Shrug, Mein Kampf, The Whistler, The Dream Carrier, A Song in the Dark, and The Last Human Stranger.

What year is The Book Thief set in?

Most of the stories in the novel took place in the fictional town of Molching, near Munich in Germany during the years 1939 – 1945. This is the period that the world witnessed another world war popularly known as World War II. Adolf Hitler, the German ruler, and leader of the Nazi party, rose to national power in 1934 and began enforcing his policies of anti-Semitism and German aggression, which led to World War II.

What inspired The Book Thief ?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was inspired by the stories the author heard when he was young. His parents were migrants from Europe so they witnessed the events of the Second World War and they told him the stories when he was a small boy. An example is a story his mother told about a boy giving bread to a weak Jew.

About Juliet Ugo

Juliet Ugo is an experienced content writer and a literature expert with a passion for the written word with over a decade of experience. She is particularly interested in analyzing books, and her insightful interpretations of various genres have made her a well-known authority in the field.

Cite This Page

Ugo, Juliet " The Book Thief Historical Context 🪖 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/markus-zusak/the-book-thief/historical-context/ . Accessed 12 April 2024.

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The Book Thief Essays

Best known for his book the Book Thief, Australian born author Markus Zusak has been writing for young adults since the age of seventeen(Grade Saver). Born in Melbourne, Australia to German and Austrian immigrants, Markus Zusak lived a very humble and quite life. However being the youngest of four...

1 391 words

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Imagery: “First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try.” (1) Describe: The first passage of “The Book Thief,” already leaves the reader questioning what on Earth these words could mean; however, the answer to this question...

2 145 words

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is set in Nazi Germany in World War II. Narrated by Death, the novel takes as its protagonist Liesel Meminger, a girl who grows up in a foster home where Jews aren’t seen as evil, in a departure from attitudes in the rest of Nazi Germany. Max, a Jew living in...

1 017 words

In The Book Thief, Zusak expounds upon the concept of death as a passive force and not a vengeful creature. Zusak presents the character Death in a manner that is more effectively conceived than the traditional rendition of Death’s personae. This unconventional characterization is validated...

There are endless notions and assumptions about the character of Death. Death’s popularity had inspired constant production of literary and mythological works. This essay will try to conduct a comparative analysis of two portrayals of the character of Death in two stories namely “A Dirty Job” by...

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Review of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak It seems sometimes like the market for young adult literature is written down to the readers, almost in a condescending manner. That is why a book like The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is so refreshing in this sea of cookie cutter romances and fantasies...

1 183 words

Markus Zusak writes the exciting account of The Book Thief; the book is placed in Nazi Germany. Hans’ ability to avoid death has often left Hans’ depressed or feeling like “It should have been me” (Zusak 477). This state of mind leads him to make the decision to Shelter Max, who is the son of his...

The Book Thief “Even death has a heart. ” (The Book Thief, pg 242) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a book of death, love, and survival. There is the death of a friend, love of a parent, and survival of those who can take it. World War II was a devastating period and many did not have the mental...

1 383 words

Takara Taylor July 18, 2009 AP Literature Essay The Book Thief Haunted By Symbols Through all of the irony and vivid coloring, The Book Thief is more easily understood after acquiring knowledge of reading literature with greater care and meticulousness. Applying chapters of How to Read Literature...

The texts “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, “Elephant man” the film by David Lynch and “Othello” by William Shakespeare, can all be connected and contrasted by the central concept of alienation as presented by the composers of these texts through the use of various Literary, dramatic and cinematic...

Why is discrimination such a large and ongoing problem in our society? All over the world people are discriminated against simply because of their colour, religion, the way they talk or even what they eat. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak discrimination is shown by the way Jews were...

AllusionBook Reference 1936 OlympicsPg: 56 “Hitler’s Games” Non-AryanPg: 110 “We put an end to the disease that has been spread through Germany for the last twenty years, if not more! ” Jesse OwensPg: 56 “Jesse Owens had just completed the 4x100m relay and won his fourth gold medal. Talk that he...

The Book Thief takes place in Germany before and during World War II. The story is told from the point of view of Death who finds the story of the Book Thief, Liesel Meminger, to be very interesting, as she brushes Death three times in her life. The novel begins when Liesel's mother takes Liesel...

“First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try. ” So begins a carefully spun tale of sadness, loss, death, and how hope and love can rise them. Markus Zusack’s historical fiction novel, The Book Thief, inspires ordinary people to live their best and to...

In this quote, on page 446 of the Book Thief, Zusak is stressing the idea that without the knowledge of words and not knowing the extreme power they contain, humans wouldn't be able to fufill their desires and express the potential they have hidden deep inside of them. Whether one uses these words...

One of the main themes of the Book Thief is how the use of words, for good or for evil, can change everything. His choice to use Death as a narrator was a great idea, as Death watches, and can describe from many points of view what he sees, and his use of words is very powerful. Markus Zusak uses...

Adriana Alvarez Ms. Spooner Survey Lit, Period 2 September 17, 2011 Diagnostic Book Thief Essay Assignment Sometimes in literature, a character’s actions oppose the ideals, values, morals, etc. of his or her society. A character in The Book Thief who opposes his or her society is Rudy Steiner. Of...

Not Conforming to Beliefs In both The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, some characters demonstrate hypocrisy in their words and actions. Though there are other traits that the characters show, such as cruelty and mercy, hypocrisy is one of the more...

1 034 words

Explore how character is created by the author in the extract provided In this historical fiction novel “the book thief” by Markus Zusak, the character Max Vandenburg is created using characterisation. In this essay I will examine the characters actions, his descriptions and his speech in order to...

As I was finishing The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, my mind was racing, and my heart was heavy from sympathy for the characters. In truth, if it weren’t for this assignment, I most likely would have never picked up this book. I’ve read so many novels on the Holocaust that I’ve become uninterested...

Theme Theft is a central theme for the novel The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, because of the time in which it is set. War is a power struggle, and a battle for dominance over people and territory. Hitler was stronger than the German people, and convinced them through his powerful words to treat...

“I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that’s only the A’s”(Zusak pg. 3). Death uncloaks himself and steps out of the shadows extending his hand to greet the reader as soon as a copy of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is opened. With these words the narrator...

The Thief of Books and Affections Welcome to the world of Death. The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak, is a captivating book that is narrated by Death. He quickly introduces you to a girl named Liesel, living in the tragic times of World War Two. The reader is given a story of this girl’s adolescence...

Describe at least ONE character or individual you enjoyed reading about in the text(s). Explain why the character(s) or individual(s) helped you understand an idea in the text(s). History and especially World War Two is a testament to the duality of human nature. Jeffery Kluger in an article for...

1 173 words

The Book Thief

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1. Personification is a literary device in which non-human entities, objects, or abstract ideas are given human characteristics. In The Book Thief , the Narrator is an example of personified character.

• What entity, object, or abstract idea achieves the role of the Narrator through personification in The Book Thief , and what basic human traits are granted in the role? ( topic sentence )
• Give three examples from the text in which the Narrator’s human qualities are evident or in which the Narrator participates in human interactions.
• How does the reader gain insight into the Narrator’s journey through personification? Respond in your concluding sentence or sentences .

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The Book Thief Markus Zusak

The Book Thief essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

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The Book Thief Essays

Liesel's emotional journey through the book thief anonymous, the book thief.

“It’s just a small story really, about, among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery” (Zusak 5). And of course, there is Death. Set in Nazi Germany during the...

Zusak's Death Breaks the Mould Emily Giambalvo 12th Grade

In The Book Thief, Zusak expounds upon the concept of death as a passive force and not a vengeful creature. Zusak presents the character Death in a manner that is more effectively conceived than the traditional rendition of Death’s personae. This...

Guilt in The Book Thief Elizabeth Zhang 9th Grade

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is set in Nazi Germany in World War II. Narrated by Death, the novel takes as its protagonist Liesel Meminger, a girl who grows up in a foster home where Jews aren't seen as evil, in a departure from attitudes in the...

The Toil of Good and Evil: Multi-Faceted Kindness in The Book Thief Zachary Palmatier 11th Grade

Humanity is always engaged in an eternal power struggle between good and evil, and the well being of society often hangs in the balance when such forces collide. This presence of good and evil of humanity is a central theme in Markus Zusak’s The...

Stealing the Narrative: The Irony of Reading in The Book Thief Timothy Sexton College

The dominating theme of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is an ironic one. Here is a novel where a main character is nothing less than the symbol of mortality itself, Death, yet the story continually celebrates the life spirit that is contained...

The Responsibility of German Citizens: Rhetoric, Close Reading, and Meaning in The Book Thief Novy Kay O'Connell 9th Grade

Does following orders and laws justify allowing the mass persecution of a race? Is protecting one’s family a viable reason to tolerate the mistreatment of the Jews? During the Nuremberg trials, judges ruled simply following orders was an...

Violence in The Book Thief: Close Readings of Key Scenes Anonymous 10th Grade

In works of great literature, violent scenes often play prominent roles. However, these scenes of violence do not exist for their own sake, but instead add value and depth to the story being told. The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, is no...

The Pen is Truly Mightier Than the Sword Anonymous 10th Grade

Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief follows the life of the once illiterate Liesel Meminger and her progression into literacy set primarily during WWII in Molching, Germany. Liesel is adopted by a German couple in Molching, Germany after the death of...

The Implications of War: A Comparison of The Book Thief and Life is Beautiful Catherine Matters 12th Grade

Markus Zusak’s narrative The Book Thief and Roberto Benigni’s film Life is Beautiful use historical perspective to explore the impact of war. Zusak’s The Book Thief uses the narration of death to follow the life of a young girl in war torn...

Allegorical Characters: Everyman and The Book Thief Anonymous 10th Grade

If someone was asked to name their favorite book character, his or her answer would most likely be the name of either a person or an animal. While many books and stories contain wonderful human and animal characters, some pieces of literature...

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The Amplifier

The ultimate judee sill primer.

A new documentary puts a spotlight on the ’70s musician. Listen to 10 of her essential songs.

By Lindsay Zoladz

Dear listeners,

I first encountered the music of Judee Sill a little over a decade ago, when, on a whim at a record store, I blind-bought a reissue of her 1973 album, “Heart Food.” It’s since become a favorite of mine — an LP that somehow marries the searching spirit of Laurel Canyon folk with the technical grandeur of Bach. Finding it impossible to settle on a single descriptor of her music, Sill once called it “occult holy Western baroque gospel.” In an interview featured in the new documentary “Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill” (which is now playing in New York and available to rent on various streaming platforms), she says that what she aims to capture in her songs is “that moment of redemption, where the lowest thing and the highest thing meet.”

Her life was full of those moments. By her early 20s, Sill had endured an abusive childhood and was struggling with a $150-a-day heroin addiction; one of the most succinctly characteristic facts of her youth was that she learned how to play gospel music when she was the church organist at her reform school. Following a stint in prison and the unexpected death of her only brother, she devoted herself with an almost religious fervor to becoming a great singer-songwriter.

Sill is one of those artists who should have been more commercially successful than she was, and “Lost Angel” is filled with her marquee peers — Graham Nash , Linda Ronstadt , David Crosby — praising her talents and speculating why it didn’t happen for her. Maybe she was too obstinate or self-destructive; maybe her vision was a tad too strange for middle-of-the-road record-buyers in the early ’70s. Or maybe her record company was too focused on promoting other musicians. Sill was the first new artist signed to David Geffen’s nascent Asylum Records, and when the two brilliant albums she made for the label failed to find a large audience, Geffen transformed, in her mind, from a savior to a scapegoat. It was probably some combination of all of these factors that kept her music in relative obscurity, and after a series of unfortunate accidents that once again triggered her drug habit, Sill succumbed to her addiction in 1979 and died at 35.

The two dazzling studio albums she completed during her lifetime, her 1971 self-titled debut and the even more compositionally ambitious “Heart Food,” were out of print when she died but reissued by Rhino Records in 2003. ( Jim O’Rourke also mixed some of the unfinished material that Sill intended for her third album on a collection released in 2005.) The documentary features impassioned interviews with younger artists — Weyes Blood ; Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek of Big Thief — who have since discovered Sill’s music, making the case that she’s more popular and influential now than she’s ever been.

Even so, Sill is hardly a household name, so I wanted to make today’s playlist an introduction to her bewitchingly beautiful music. You’ll hear highlights from both of her albums along with a transfixing demo and recordings of two other artists, the Turtles and Nash’s first band the Hollies , interpreting her songs.

Sill believed deeply in music’s ability to comfort, transport and heal. So leave behind what ails you and, to paraphrase one of my favorite songs of hers , prepare to soar through mercury ripples of sky.

See you in my holiest dreams,

Listen along while you read.

1. judee sill: “there’s a rugged road”.

This tone-setting opening track from “Heart Food” showcases the latticework of Sill’s fingerpicking, her gently elegant way with melody and the psychedelic bent of even her folkiest material: “When the sun goes down at the right time,” she sings in a clarion voice, “she comes winding through the purple haze.” ▶ Listen on Spotify , Apple Music or YouTube

2. Judee Sill: “Jesus Was a Cross Maker”

This was perhaps her most famous song, and almost certainly her most covered . Interviews in “Lost Angel” confirm that Sill wrote this tune about her “unhappy romance” with the singer-songwriter and future Eagles collaborator J.D. Souther. As Sill tells a live audience in one clip, “One morning I woke up and realized ‘he’s a bandit and a heartbreaker’ rhymes with ‘but Jesus was a cross maker.’ And I knew that even that wretched bastard was not beyond redemption.”

▶ Listen on Spotify , Apple Music or YouTube

3. The Turtles: “Lady-O”

Early in her career, Sill wrote several songs for the pop-rock band the Turtles, including this melancholic folk tune that she would record herself a few years later on her debut album. Sill plays guitar and bass on this recording, and she also composed and conducted the orchestral parts.

4. Judee Sill: “The Lamb Ran Away With the Crown”

Here’s another highlight from her self-titled record. What begins as a simple folk song becomes, in its final minute, something impressively sublime thanks to a layered, unexpectedly dense arrangement that foreshadows the more sophisticated fugue form with which Sill would experiment on her next album.

5. Judee Sill: “Soldier of the Heart”

Another shoulda-been-hit, this upbeat, piano-driven number coins the perfect phrase to describe Sill’s mystic warrior outlook on life: “Soldier of the heart, how’d you get so strong?”

6. Judee Sill: “Ridge Rider”

This cowboy ballad — featuring percussion that approximates a horse’s clomp — sketches out an archetype often found in Sill’s music: the romantic loner. “Bless the ridge rider, the ridge he’s riding is mighty thin,” she sings. “I guess the ridge rider forgets he’s traveling with a friend.” In a humorous moment in the documentary, three different men claim that they were the inspiration for this song.

7. Judee Sill: “The Kiss (Solo Demo)”

“I can’t decide if this is a romantic song or a holy song,” Sill said when introducing this tune to a live audience shortly after she wrote it. Her best songs are a little bit of both. The version of “The Kiss” that appears on “Heart Food” is magnificent, but I also love this solo demo version released on the rarities collection “Songs of Rapture and Redemption,” which shows the purity of Sill’s talent.

8. The Hollies: “Jesus Was a Cross Maker”

Sometimes it’s easier to appreciate the uniqueness of Sill’s voice as a songwriter when someone else is singing her songs. Sill’s own version of this single was produced by Graham Nash, and a year later his former band the Hollies released their own more ornately arranged take.

9. Judee Sill: “Lopin’ Along Thru the Cosmos”

There’s a stirring generosity of spirit about this song from the self-titled album, which finds Sill admitting with heartbreaking clarity, “I’m looking so hard for a place to land, I almost forgot how to fly.”

10. Judee Sill: “The Donor”

This eight-minute grand finale of “Heart Food” is probably the most impressive thing Sill ever composed: an intricately arranged, personal plea for God to, in Sill’s words, “give us a break,” that speaks a musical language somewhere between Bacharach and Bach. As the musician Weyes Blood marvels astutely in “Lost Angel,” “She was literally crying out to God for mercy . It’s a level of desperation and vulnerability that totally transcends a lot of the real personal songwriting that was going on at the time.” Just an astonishing piece of music.

The Amplifier Playlist

“The Ultimate Judee Sill Primer” track list Track 1: Judee Sill, “There’s a Rugged Road” Track 2: Judee Sill, “Jesus Was a Cross Maker” Track 3: The Turtles, “Lady-O” Track 4: Judee Sill, “The Lamb Ran Away With the Crown” Track 5: Judee Sill, “Soldier of the Heart” Track 6: Judee Sill, “Ridge Rider” Track 7: Judee Sill, “The Kiss (Solo Demo)” Track 8: The Hollies, “Jesus Was a Cross Maker” Track 9: Judee Sill, “Lopin’ Along Thru the Cosmos” Track 10: Judee Sill, “The Donor”

Bonus Tracks

In 2103, I wrote a column for Pitchfork that was sort of about my first encounter with Judee Sill’s music, and also about the strange and sprawling “virtual cemetery” Find a Grave. Read it here if you’re so inclined. I stand by my description of the melody of “The Kiss” being “so crystalline and palliative that, if you could drink it, it would probably cure leprosy and make you fall in love with the next person you see.”

Also, this week’s Friday playlist has new music from Sabrina Carpenter , Phish , Phosphorescent and more. Listen here.

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High suspense: 5 questions with the Encinitas author of ‘Matterhorn’

Christopher Reich gave up a career in finance to become the bestselling author of spy thrillers

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You could say former stockbroker-turned-spy-thriller author Christopher Reich knows how to make a killing.

Since leaving a successful career in finance, the Encinitas-based author has penned 15 novels and is no stranger to the New York Times bestseller list. His newest book, “Matterhorn,” hit store shelves April 1.

In a recent interview, Reich spoke about his newest novel, some of his past work and his writing process.

Q: Many writers in the thriller genre tend to “stay in their lane,” following the old Mark Twain adage “write what you know.” You come from a background in banking and finance, a common thread in many of your books. However, you often veer from your lane with characters that range from doctor to former thief. What inspires you to come up with such diverse characters?

A: I agree with Mark Twain. My first novel, “Numbered Account,” was a financial thriller based on my time working at the Union Bank of Switzerland, in Geneva and Zurich. But I quickly discovered that, for me, the most enjoyable part of writing is the research involved, the chance to learn about other professions, other ways of life.

One of my characters, Jonathan Ransom, is a physician working for Doctors Without Borders, an organization I’ve always admired. Right off the bat, he fulfills a lot of the requirements for a fictional hero — smart, accomplished, responsible, with a specific skill set. Simon Riske, another of my characters, is an expert mechanic restoring and selling vintage Ferraris for a small fortune. Again, he is really good at something. He’s capable, he’s independent and he commands respect.

For both of these guys, the fun part was digging deep to teach myself as well as I could in two to three months all about their jobs. I visited the Doctors Without Borders headquarters in Geneva. I visited their field hospitals. For Riske, I spent time with Joe Macari, one of the world’s leading Ferrari experts, in London. That’s the juice. You need that excitement when you sit down for nine months to actually write the book.

Q: In “Matterhorn,” we see an aging former CIA operative living a secluded life as a dairy farmer in Switzerland. Much of your youth was spent in Switzerland. How did your past experiences inform the new book?

A: I’m a Swiss citizen. My father, Willy Reich, was from Zurich and emigrated to the States in 1956. After earning my degree, I worked in Zurich and Neuchatel — first in banking, then in the watch industry — for eight years. Nearly every weekend, I’d take the train into the Alps to hike or to try my skills on some of the lesser peaks.

More specifically, I’ve always been fascinated by the Matterhorn. It is the most iconic, most recognizable peak in the world. I visited Zermatt for the first time when I was a teenager. I’ll never forget my first sighting of the Matterhorn. It looms over the valley. It has a presence of its own, sometimes benevolent, sometimes threatening. Either way, it is captivating. It is a force of nature staring down at you. I think even then I imagined writing a story centering around this majestic peak.

Q: You have two series with recurring characters along with eight stand-alone novels. When you began the two series, did you write them knowing they would be a series?

A: Yes. Readers enjoy revisiting their favorite characters year after year. I loved the Tom Clancy novels starring Jack Ryan, and more recently, Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon novels. As a writer, it’s fun to build out these characters’ universe, to create a new alternate reality.

Q: Matterhorn’s main character, Mac Dekker, has a daughter who seems to have followed in his footsteps in the world of the CIA. Is there a future for Mac’s daughter in your writing?

A: Absolutely. Mac’s daughter, Jane, is a chip off the old block. She’s a climber. She’s a spy. And she’s tough as nails. She’ll be back in my second Mac Dekker novel, “The Tourists,” in a big way. This one starts at the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower … and then all hell breaks loose.

Q: Let’s do the “If you were stranded on a desert island” final question ... You can only have one book, one movie, one record and one bottle, what would they be?

A: Book: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” by John Le Carre.

Movie: “The Bourne Supremacy.” It’s the gold standard.

Record: Beethoven’s “Emperor Piano Sonata.” It’s the soundtrack to all my novels!

Bottle: Passugger mineral water, from Switzerland, of course!

“Mattherhorn” by Christopher Reich (Amazon Publishing, 2024; 344 pages)

Camp wrote this article for the Southern California News Group.

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