1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elie Wiesel is atrue voice of truth and conscience, June 4, 2008
Night by Elie Wiesel is not only one of the definitve works on Holocaust literature, it is one of the most definitve works on humanity.
This is a factual record of Wiesel's experiences from 1941, when the author was 12 years old, dedicated to learning Talmud and thirsting to learn Kaballah, to his experiences after Jews were forced into ghettoes and then transported to the death camps.
Written in Yiddish in 1958 and translated into English in 1960.
It is a record of Wiesel's childhood in the death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. It is dedicated to the memory of Wiesel's parents and his little sister Tzipora who were cruelly murdered in the Nazi inferno.
The book is stark in it's record of everything seen by the author and asks many questions for which answers are difficult to find.
It tells of the vow of Wiesel and a friend in the camp to emigrate to the Land of Israel if they survived, a dream shared by millions who died in and lived through the Shoah.
Perhaps the most horrifying and moving account in the book is when the author reveals how during the first night in Auschwitz, he and his father wait in line to be thrown into a firepit. He watches a lorry draw up beside the pit and deliver its load of children into the fire. While his father recites the Kaddish, the prayer for the dead.
" Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never".
Elie Wiesel has been a voice of conscience in the world ever since this book became known.
He has penned various other bestsellers. His Elie Wiesel Foundation For Human Rights has done valuable work in this field for many years.
In a plea for the plight of his own people today, especially the youth and children of Israel today targeted by terror and forces of genocide (such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Ahmadinejad regime- as well as all who are sympathetic to these anti-Jewish elements) he penned an open letter to President Bush stating: "Please remember that the maps on Arafat's uniform and in Palestinian children's textbooks show a Palestine encompassing not only all of the West Bank but all of Israel, while Palestinian leaders loudly proclaim that 'Palestine extends from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, from Rosh Hanikra (in the North) to Rafah (in Gaza). Please remember Danielle Shefi, a little girl in Israel. Danielle was five. When the murderers came, she hid under her bed. Palestinian gunmen found and killed her anyway. Think of all the other victims of terror in the Holy Land. With rare exceptions, the targets were young people, children and families. Please remember that Israel--having lost too many sons and daughters, mothers and fathers--desperately wants peace. It has learned to trust its enemies' threats more than the empty promises of 'neutral' governments".
Elie Wiesel is atrue voice of truth and conscience.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Night, April 6, 2008
I recently read this book, Night by Elie Weise. This is a touching story that takes place back in the hard times of the holocaust. It's a true story of a young Jewish, German boy as he is taken from his home and away from his family and how this main event in history effected his life, as well as the triumphs that he went through to survive. My point of view on this book is that it's a great book that can make the toughest readers change their view or opinion on racial supremecy and or history of the holocaust itself. The emotions that i felt while reading Night are unexplainable. I felt that what was done in the past is ridicoulas and that all humans were created equally, people that have a problem with tha statement are insecure with themselves and I learned that through reading this book. The setting takes place in multiple concentration camps throughout Germany. The jewish family in which case this book follows were transported multiple times in order to stay alive. The plot of Night is that of the German family's story that has been documented throughout their hard times during the halacoust. The theme of Night is that hard times do come and you have to push your way through them. The main character in the book,(a young boy) explains to his father, the only one left living of his family that they can't allow the German nazi's to get the best of them, for thats what they want to see and hear. That's the news that they are all waiting upon hearing. Over all Night, by Elie Weisel was a great book that any kind or reader would enjoy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
