Night (Oprah's Book Club, #55)

by Elie Wiesel

S. Rodway (Translator)

Born into a Jewish ghetto in Hungary, as a child, Elie Wiesel was sent to the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. This is his account of that atrocity: the ever-increasing horrors he endured, the loss of his family and his struggle to survive in a world that stripped him of humanity, dignity and faith. Describing in simple terms the tragic murder of a people from a survivor's perspective, Night is among the most personal, intimate and poignant of all accounts of the Holocaust. A compelling consideration of the darkest side of human nature and the enduring power of hope, it remains one of the most important works of the twentieth century.

• ISBN10: 0140060286
• ISBN13: 9780140060287
• Publish Date: 27 August 1981 (first published 1 January 1960)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 June 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 128
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Night is a haunting memoir.

I had only the barest of memories about this work from when it was assigned reading in high school, that summer between 8th and 9th grade when the world seemed full of possibilities.  I remember reading this book and ... it left enough of an impression on me that I remembered it, but I think I was too young to fully appreciate the horror of it.

While I cannot begin to understand the pain of the Jewish people during the Holocaust, I am so grateful for the courage it must have taken Elie Wiesel to write Night.  The bravery it takes anyone to speak about their trauma.  Genocide is trauma on a particular level and I just... wow.  It's such a difficult read because of the pain that bleeds through the words.  A necessary pain we must know.  We must remember.  We must never forget.

This memoir is written like a story being told in an interview.  It doesn't have the gravity and world building of many things.  Unfortunately, the horrors of WWII are part of our cultural consciousness, and even then, we do not fully grasp the pain of the Holocaust.  As far as flow and length and language, this is a very accessible read, and I do understand why it was assigned to me at a freshman English level.  I think this is a piece that needs to be read, and re-read.  It's a story we need to carve into our bones because it is a story that must be remembered.  While it's easy to read from a purely technical standpoint, it's difficult to stomach.  As an adult, I have a greater appreciation for this.

If you've never read Night, it's really one of those book your must read before you die.  Elie Wiesel's first-hand account of the dehumanizing horror he experienced during WWII is a reminder and a warning.  It's very powerful, humbling read and I have so much respect for this work.  As a reader, as an historian, and as a human being... I recommend it.

[readingwithwrin]

“An SS came towards us wielding a club. He commanded: “Men to the left! Women to the right!” Eight words spoken quietly, indifferently, without emotion. Eight simple, short words. Yet that was the moment when I left my mother.”

This isn't an easy book to read. It's one that will make you feel multiple different things and Wiesel is able to really get across the fear that they were all feeling while being herded into the camps. I honestly don't know how to express how deeply this book affects me every time I read it. Like many other books that discuss the holocaust and peoples own experiences during that dark time in history, they bring so many feelings out of you that most other books can't. I will always feel like this is a must read for everyone, because once you truly see the consequences of what unchecked fear mongering and hatred can do you, you will know that you have to do everything in your power to stop it from happening again.
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.Never shall I forget that smoke.Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and tuned my dreams to ashes.Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never. "

[charlton]

This book was good,completely deserves 5-star rating.
There were times when I stopped reading and just thought "Why?" There is no good explanation.


The people that are mentioned in this book endured so much.And the author of this book is one of them.

[Nicole Lynn]

so humbling. a must read for anyone

[Eve1972]

This was a beautifully written book, if such a thing can be said about a horrific topic such as this. It is a very short book at just over 100 pages, but those pages hold the pain, suffering and hope of so many. I actually had to put it down a couple times and step away for a few minutes. A very powerful book and one everyone should take the time to read!!

[mary]

I read this slim book in one sitting. Translated from the French by the author's wife, the writing style is often heart-breakingly poetic. Wiesel's autobiography is mesmerizing, the last few lines were especially haunting.