Night

Hi everyone! So today I am reviewing a book that I read for my sophomore English class which a lot of you have probably heard of. It was on Oprah's Favorite Books List and its author won a Nobel Peace Prize. If you guessed "Night" by Elie Wiesel you win...nothing Sorry about the lack of prize. But anyway, I hope you enjoy my review because here we go!

Characters: Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel: narrator of Night/ orthodox Jew in Hungary / is a devout student of the Kabbalah and the Jewish religion
Shlomo Wiesel: Elie's father/ owner of a successful business in the Jewish community
*These are really the only two "main" characters. There are a variety of other characters who come and go to serve a variety of literary purposes, but Elie and Shlomo are the only real constants.*

The Plot: Elie Wiesel is a boy who is about to undergo an experience far beyond his maturity level. He lives in what is now Hungary, loves to study the Torah and the Kabbalah and is devoted to his friends and family. However, his life is about to change forever. As winter begins, Elie and his family, along with the rest of the Hungary Jews, are moved into a Ghetto in the city. However, they don't stay there for long, and are soon moved to the concentration camp of Auschwitz. As soon as they arrive, Elie and his father Shlomo are separated from Elie's mother and sisters. He never sees them again. Elie then embarks on a journey that will change every fiber of his being and lead him to question everything he once believed in. His experiences leave just a shell of the person he once was and his faith shattered. This isn't a historical fiction novel, this is a memoir of the very real experiences of the author Elie Wiesel from over fifty years ago.

What I liked: This book is not for the faint of heart. I am glad that I didn't read it until a few years ago because I don't think I was ready for such a powerful book. For me, the horror of Night goes far beyond the grotesque actions of the Nazis: for me, I found the implications of the memoir to be even more shocking than the novel itself. Night makes you question humanity and humanity's actions. How could people, real, living, breathing humans, with families and lives commit the atrocities we see in this book? How could anyone let this happen? And the question that plagues Elie the most: is there a God? And if so, what did Elie do to deserve this hell? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but that isn't the point. Night was one of the first books that made me really think about humanity as a whole. This book is far more than just a story about the horrors committed by the Nazis. While those stories are some of the most important to tell, Wiesel brought us into his mind and showed us how his faith and humanity were lost for a time. Wiesel was one of the most honest narrators I have ever read because these were his own experiences, his own thoughts. His thoughts, at times, were cowardly and selfish, not brave and kind. It would have been easy for Wiesel to paint himself in a positive light, but he didn't. Wiesel showed us how even he at times turned selfish because that is what he needed to survive. He showed us how the Jews in Auschwitz turned on each other because they all were filled with the same desire to live. There was one scene where I actually felt a little sick where all of the prisoners were forced to run to a new camp by the Nazis because the old camp was liberated by the Russians. Rabbi Eliahou is abandoned by his son when his son thinks that Eliahou won't make it. He decided that his own life was more valuable than his father's. It was sad and gut wrenching and horrifying not only because of the choice the son made but because he was forced to make that choice. As readers, we cannot even imagine what Elie went through and Night brought this world to life. I liked that the story was told in a very personal way because I felt an even greater connection to Elie and the Jews in the concentration camps. On a little bit of a lighter note, I felt like the relationship between Elie and his father Shlomo paralleled that of Amir and Baba in "The Kite Runner". Both of the fathers were successful businessmen who didn't completely understand their sons but they were brought closer by common experiences. The relationship between Elie and his father was one of the only signs of hope and love in Night.

What I didn't like: This isn't so much as a complaint, as it is a piece of advice. This is a very difficult book to read, not intellectually but emotionally. I am not sure if I was ready to read such a horrific, sickening book. You need to be sure you are ready for Night before you begin to read.

Overall: 9 out of 10. I can't give it full points because I can't say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just couldn't stomach all of it.