Markus Zusak was born on June 23, 1975 in Sydney, Australia. He was the youngest of four children. His father, Helmut Zusak, was born in Austria, and his mother, Lisa Zusak, was born in Germany. Neither of his parents could read or write English. They were immigrants, but with their encouragement, Mr. Zusak educated himself, and learned on his own. His writing career began at age 16. Some of his …show more content…
She becomes a foster child, when her mother leaves her in the care of Rosa, and Hans Hubermann. She discovers a love for books, when she steals The Gravedigger's Handbook after the funeral of her younger brother. When Mr. Hubermann discovers that Liesel is illiterate, he helps her gain reading skills by teaching her new vocabulary, and giving her care on 33 Himmel Street. Over time, her new hobby impacts many people such as Max Vandenburg, Ilsa Herman, and Rudy Steiner. Max is a Jew that is in the care of Liesel's family. Ilsa Hermann is the mayor's wife. Rudy Steiner is Liesel's new, best friend, who loves her. Mr. Zusak connects with this book because his parents experienced World War II firsthand. He stated that, "his inspiration to write the Book Thief was based on the stories his parents told him as a child about wartime in Munich and Vienna." (Zusak, par. 3) Mr. Zusak said that, "two of the stories his mother told him were when there was a bombing in Munich, and one of the Jews was being marched through Mr. Zusak's mother's town. This person was traveling to the Dachau concentration camp." (Zusak, par.