Night

I remember wondering why I had never read Elie Wiesel's Night back when one of my kids was assigned this memoir for a social studies (or maybe Hebrew school) class. Said child read the book. I later picked it up and read it. I'm thinking that this was definitely after I heard Elie Wiesel speak at some fundraiser for a Jewish organization. Really, though. How did I hear him speak and not rush home to read the memoir? 

I was surprised when Books and Beer Club selected this as their memoir for memoir month. And I'm anxious to discuss this book with a very diverse group.

I was already an adult when I read Night the first time, but my takeaway from reading it this time feels quite different. What really drew me in this time was the relationship between Elie and his father. And the extreme sadness I felt knowing that all the horror they experienced was at the end of the war, when the concentration camps were so close to being liberated. 

I really do wish I had a record of what stood out to me last time and how I felt after reading the book.

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to hear Elie Wiesel speak. I'm glad that he felt he had a message to give to the rest of the world who hadn't experienced such horrors. As there are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors still alive, the quality memoirs become even more important. The Holocaust must be taught. The message is still important. We need to pay attention so that nothing like that ever happens again.