I thought that Night by Elie Wiesel was a great book. It was short and sweet (well maybe not too sweet) since it is about the Holocaust. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. It kept me on my toes because I did not know what was going to happen next, partly because the families in the memoir also did not know themselves. I had some background on the Holocaust, but not a lot. Even with the little that I do know I was able to follow what Elie was explaining and also learn some new things along the way.



Elie is very straight forward in his style of telling the events that are taking place. He is not going to try to censor it or cover it up because it is a story that the world needs to hear.Night begins with some Jews from Sighet, Transylvania being deported, one being Moishe the Beadle, Elies teacher. Moishe the Beadle was one of the lucky ones who had escaped and returned back to Sighet, but who had also been changed forever. He tried to warn the townspeople of Hitler and the horrors what are taking place. No one believed his stories and they just thought that he had lost his mind. But then it happens, slowly the Gestapo come in and take over the town and then eventually deport the Jews of Sighet. When they finally get to their first destination the words, Men to the left! Women to the right! were shouted by the SS officers. This is the last moment that Elie will ever see his mother and sister. He is forced to become a man at the age of 15.



Night is a memoir about the relationship between a father and son. Their relationship centers on each other. As the days go by their relationship builds and becomes stronger. I could relate to this relationship with my own family. I sort of put myself in his shoes and tried to relate to it. The main theme of the memoir is survival. While most of the prisoners only looked out for themselves, Elie and his father were always looking out for each other. They did whatever it took for them both to survive and with out each other they probably would have given up. Not only did the Nazis take away Elies family and faith, but they also took away his childhood. I could keep telling all about this book, but I want you to read it and feel how it draws you in.