The book “Night” shows me the Holocaust from a point of view of a child. This book is not easy to read. In fact, this is an extremely difficult book to read and it’s not the kind of book you want to read when you’re feeling down or having a bad day. Essentially, it’s a personal account of a Holocaust survivor, Mr. Elie Wiesel. It’s his autobiographical story of struggle for survival while in Auschwitz, the largest of the Nazi concentration camps…. And after reading it, I’d say it’s a miracle that anyone survived at all. I was very much touched by Elie’s description of the death march. And by Elie’s incredible courage and strength.
Reading this book has provided me an inside look into the worst tragedy the world has ever seen It amazed me to know that I know anyone who went through this and survived. On the other hand, it horrified me to know that someone would have to live through it. It’s a quick read, but an important read. I certainly hope that we don’t ever lose sight of what happened — even though for my generation and the ones that come after, it’s going to be far too easy to brush aside, since the personal connection is no longer there (or is tenuous at best). I’d recommend that adults share this with their children (the ones old enough to handle it that is… ome scenes are fairly horrifying, so some creative editing may still be in order) and talk about what happened and why it happened.
A final point of interest for me in the book was Wiesel’s spiritual journey. He describes how he lost his own strong faith throughout what happened, and how many other Jews in the camps with him felt their own faith in God slip away. I’d love to read more of Wiesel’s writing to see what’s happened with his spiritual beliefs in the years since his experience. Simply put, you must read this book. Your children must read this book, and your children’s children. We cannot ever, ever, ever forget!
