Dr. Linda Carroll said Tuesday that “The Book Thief” teaches people to look at all human life as equal.

Carroll was one of the three people on the panel that spoke about the novel by Australian Markus Zusak as part of a discussion at the Eunice &James L. West Library during free period. Around 15 people showed up to the event; most of them work at the library.

The other two people on the panel were Dr. Christopher Ohan, associate professor of history, and Natalie Parker, director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

Carroll said the book was narrated by death; she presented a Powerpoint about the characters and their roles in the story. She said the book follows the story of a little girl named Liesel. The book was released in 2005 and made into a movie that was released in 2013.

Ohan said that the book is better than the movie because the book goes more in depth with the story and the setting.

“The book isn’t a history book, but it supplements to the past and it gives us perspective,” Ohan said.

Parker felt like everything about the book and story was interesting.

“It’s a fast-paced book with pictures and characters you can easily identify,” she said.”

The panel discussion was part of the TXWESREADS program, which is in its third year. The purpose of the program is “to bring the Texas Wesleyan community together and to encourage students, staff and faculty to join together to read and discuss the same book” according to txwes.edu.