Night by Elie Wiesel is a historical account of the author's experience as a holocaust victim in WWII. This book was initially published in 1960, fifteen years after WWII's end. Wiesel uses the powerful first person tense to personally relate the horror he experienced, sharing his story so passionately that no one can ignore it. "Never shall I forget the little faces of the children whose bodies I saw turned into wreathes of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. 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" (32). This account of the holocaust will change you and remain in your mind as you question the things you thought were true about society.
Elie takes you by the hand as he guides you through the torture that was his childhood growing up during the war. He was like any other child, innocent, obedient, and compassionate. He loved his family. He loved living. One day Elie was snatched up out of his home and all of that changed. After these things were gone only his hope carried him through. "Don't let yourself be fooled with illusions. Hitler has made it very clear that he will annihilate all the Jews before the clock strikes twelve, before they can hear the last stroke, I burst out, 'What does it matter to you? Do we have to regard Hitler as a prophet?' " (77). .
Night is a reality ridden with every conflict one can imagine, the most powerful of these being life and death. "In every stiffened corpse I saw myself. And soon I should not even see them; I should be one of them - a matter of hours" (85). The author is taken from his home and forced into a concentration camp. Elie must remain strong through all of the horrors he experienced.
