I Am The Messenger

Originally published in 2002, Markus Zusak’s I Am the Messenger is a young adult realistic fiction novel. Ed Kennedy, the protagonist and narrator, is a 19-year-old cab driver whose average life takes an unexpected turn when he stops a bank robber. After this moment of heroism, he begins receiving mysterious playing cards with cryptic messages that lead him to people in need of his assistance. The novel is set in suburban Sydney and draws on Zusak’s own experiences growing up in a working-class Australian family. The story has an unconventional structure and narrative style, including the use of direct addresses to the reader, and explores the themes of Potential for Personal Growth, Finding Meaning in Suffering, and The Power of Human Connection. The novel won numerous awards, including the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature (2003), the Children’s Book Council of Australia Award for Book of the Year: Older Readers (2003), and the Michael L. Printz Honor (2006). Citations in this study guide refer to the eBook edition released by Alfred A.