Night by Elie Wiesel

Just when I thought I couldn’t get any more disgusted with the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust, I read Night by Elie Wiesel. I’ve read numerous books depicting the horrendous and inhumane treatment of Jews during the war: , The Zookeeper’s Wife, Rose Under Fire, The Hiding Place, to name a few. What continues to disgust me is the level of depravity of the Nazis; I learned in this book, that the Nazi guards kept young boys, called pipels, as companions or toys and that these pipels could act as second in command if the guard needed to delegate authority. Naturally, if these guards were punished, their pipels were too. The problem is, a young boy of 12 takes longer to die from hanging than a grown man does. This is what young, 15 yr old Elie Wiesel witnesses.

There are so many experiences that Wiesel has that it’s difficult to understand how he manages to eloquently get it all into a very slim book. But yet he does, with such heartbreaking honesty that you can’t help but weep with bitter tears, especially when the pious men begin to doubt their faith. There are so many reasons to be sad about the Holocaust but yet somehow Wiesel survives after Buchenwald is liberated and lives a long, productive life. I don’t know how he did it. But I’m so glad he did.

Must read. Very graphic. Very upsetting. Add this title to your collection; you won’t be sorry. Qualifies for the 2016 Diversity Reading Challenge.