BOOK REVIEW ; I AM THE MESSENGER

Title: I Am the Messenger

Author: Marcus Zusak

Original.

Although by no means it carries the historical weight of his other book, the Book thief (which I haven’ read but have watched), it is simply brilliant and touches your heart the way a good emotional book can.

And I finished it in half a day. Which is a good sign in itself, considering my current predicament.

It spins the story of the most ordinary guy called Ed Kennedy, which is so ordinarily human that things started to happen to him. An avid player of cards,(which doesn’t say much since he always loses and has been just a way to keep his band of friends going through life’s motions) Ed one day was trapped in a lousy bank robbery where he emerged a hero by stopping the robber from getting away. As simple as that. And he made the papers.

After that, he received a card. An ace of diamonds with 3 addresses on it. He soon learned that at each place, help is needed, one way or another. This practice came again with 3 more cards with 3 more instructions on each; and all, was a cry for help. Ed became someone’s long lost love, wings that a girl needed to fly, a saint in a neighborhood that sorely needs one, among others.

Yet the journey became more significant when in the journey of helping others, he discovered himself. He learned of things he should’ve noticed before, dug deeper into his friends’ soul then he was comfortable before, and loved with a love that asked for nothing in return.

­Ed Kennedy was ordinary, but his heart is made of gold. He deserves the ending, much like I think all good people deserve something good in the end. And there is actually one basic underlying thing that everyone in the world needs, but cover us with material stuff in order to hide the need of it; and of course, it is love I’m talking about. Not only that kind of love we normally talk about, but also family, friends, our pets, a kind stranger now and then…any kind of love, in its purest form.

After all, the world needs everyday heroes like Ed. We don’t need to be someone with a title, someone who has formal power to brighten people’s lives. And most often we overlook those who are close with us, just because we never had noticed things we should. Help and give live unconditionally, people.

Rating: 10/10