Contents
Chapter 17 - The Way Home
Overview
On the walk home from the book burning, Hans discovers Liesel’s theft of The Shoulder Shrug, promises secrecy, and secures her promise to keep his future secret. Spurred by this, he buys a used Mein Kampf from the Party office despite his stalled membership. Hans quietly embraces a risky plan, as the narration ominously foreshadows consequences ahead.
Summary
The chapter opens with the assertion that Mein Kampf becomes the third crucial book in Liesel’s life, notable because she does not steal it. Its arrival traces back to the night of the book burning as Liesel and Hans walk home.
Midway home, Liesel pulls the smoldering The Shoulder Shrug from her shirt. Hans recognizes she stole it, inspects its singed pages, and then has a sudden realization. When Liesel fears he will tell Rosa, Hans reassures her, vows to keep the theft secret, and asks for a reciprocal promise: if he ever needs her to keep a secret, she must do so. Liesel agrees.
The narrator pauses to show Hans’s rapid visions: Liesel’s growing stack of books on their kitchen table and Hans Junior’s imagined condemnation of her reading, coupled with a push toward “appropriate” literature. These thoughts crystallize Hans’s idea.
Days later, Hans visits the Molching Nazi Party office, inquires about his stalled membership, and trades his remaining money and cigarettes for a used copy of Mein Kampf. Inside, party men scoff that he will never be approved, even if he buys a hundred copies. Hans leaves with the book, pondering postage, scarcity, and the usefulness of Liesel’s spark for his plan.
Hans savors the “indestructible” idea without yet confronting its dangers. The narrator closes with grim foreshadowing, granting him seven months before the consequences arrive decisively.
Who Appears
- Hans HubermannDiscovers Liesel’s stolen book, promises secrecy, secures her promise, and buys Mein Kampf to advance a risky, unspoken plan.
- Liesel MemingerReveals The Shoulder Shrug to Hans, fears punishment, gains his protection, and promises to keep his future secret.
- Hans JuniorAppears in Hans’s imagined vision, condemning Liesel’s books and prompting the idea for Mein Kampf.
- Nazi Party members in MolchingSell Hans a used Mein Kampf and scoff that his Party membership will never be approved.
- Passerby on Munich StreetBriefly hears Hans’s thanks and is met with a polite deflection and a required salute.