Meeting the Author of my Favorite Book: Markus Zusak

Hello, everyone!

Happy belated Easter! I had a wonderful day celebrating with my family as we do each year. I hope that you all enjoyed the holiday as well!

Today I am so excited to share with you an experience that I had just a few weekends ago. I met the author of my favorite book: Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief.

I don't know if you beautiful readers have read this novel, but if you haven't I am just going to say that this is the kind of work that can be life-changing to read. It certainly changed my life.

In writing this novel, Mr. Zusak created a masterpiece. This book divulges into the very essence of the human soul by examining the life of a young, German girl during the Second World War. It is told through the eyes of an uncharacteristic narrator: Death. I do not want to go too much into summary, as I don't want to spoil anything. All I want to say is if you have not read this book, you are definitely missing out. This is a must-read.

Anyway, back to the point. It is the 10th anniversary of this book's release, and Mr. Zusak was doing a tour across the United States in celebration. He came to the DC area, and I jumped on the opportunity immediately. My mother and I drove the 40 minutes it took to arrive at the school, and what occurred in the next few hours I will be sure to always remember.

Before he signed books, Mr. Zusak gave a presentation on some of his stylistic and structural choices regarding the book. Not only was he very kind and open to any questions and constructive feedback, but he was also extremely funny. Watching him speak on the stage was completely magical. When you are watching the author of a piece that impacted you as deeply as The Book Thief  impacted me, one can only describe the experience as otherworldly. 

After he finished speaking, Mr. Zusak sat down to sign books. The wait itself was about an hour and a half, but we met some very kind people in line which made the whole experience even better. When it was my turn to finally see and speak to Mr Zusak, I started to shake. Let me tell you, I was terrified. It's a very surreal experience to finally see and stand in front of someone who has had such a major impact on your life. I was shaking so badly that my pictures are unfortunately terrible.

The fact of the matter is that I was able to say exactly what I needed to say after a brief hiatus in which I froze. I made a joke, and he laughed. Then I thanked him. I thanked him for creating a work so seemingly real that I felt myself in the town in which it took place. I thanked him for creating characters with such depth that they made me cry for hours after I finished the novel. And finally I thanked him for changing my view of the world.

Then he looked up and smiled. That moment of solidified eye contact makes me cry a little reflecting on it. He thanked me for reading the book and keeping the characters alive. That in and of itself is something that I will never ever forget. 

All in all, this day definitely goes down as one of the best so far. I don't know if I will ever stumble across paths with Mr. Zusak again, but this whole experience was perfect. I couldn't ask for anything better.

Do you guys have a favorite author?

Have you met him/her?

Have you read The Book Thief?

I hope that everyone has a fantastic beginning of the week! Cheers xx