As mentioned in the epilogue of this shocking book when it was first published in 1956 in Argentina (in the author's native language), it had the title:

«And the World Remained Silent.....»

I think there could not be a more representative title for the history of the book but also for the global human history.

«Night» by Elie Wiesel is a narrative document about the Holocaust.

When the gates of hell opened for millions of Jews in the concentration and extermination camps and the blood-stained train of history passed over human flesh and souls during

World War II.

The incomprehensible Nazism has the primary goal of eradicating the Jews from the face of the earth.

The history of the book refers to the Jews of Hungary - the last great community in Europe - and their deportation to Auschwitz.

The Nazis waste time and resources to redeem the world from Evil. A redemptive anti-Semitism at a time when the war has essentially been decided against them.

And after the Night.... or even before it dawned a silent day for humanity.

Countless nights of the past and countless dawns of the present and future will always prevail on the planet of humans.

Wiesel tells of the power of evil and the sufferings of the victims that have forever wounded the human conscience.

He also rightly claims that he wrote this book as a reminder of the macabre and terrifying madness that then entered history and souls to prevent its repetition. To perhaps heal humanity from its accustomed attraction to violence.

And yet...

it was just a stance of Evil that prevails eternally to look into the mass graves and rejoice even more seeing that the doomed were digging their own pits with their own hands.

These, the twice-killed by the messengers of Evil, the hypocrites, the unassailable pen pushers of the world who manipulate society and always manage to be sanctified by popular sentiment.

All the cavemen of the planet united in one army.

We would see a terribly rich sample.

From small children filled with hatred, public thieves, lying ministers and governors, sold-out doctors and lawyers, corrupt ladies of philanthropic institutions, young girls protected by stupid rich men, swindling company directors, false ambassadors, colonial officials, in short, also all the organized forces of the state, the deceit of the clergy, the army, popular education.

The entire universe of the victorious army of science and mutual knowledge, which in the course of time and in the theory of evolution the responsibilities that weigh on them against justice and humanity must be measured in pounds of cavemanism, and the exact weight of their burden for consumption must be given to each one. (Appendix).

What is the difference between the Nazis and the illiterates in some American state who pray to God at the same time as they are lynching blacks in Guatemala?

What is the difference between the slave-owning ethical society and the hired slaves?

What is the difference between a leader of the Waffen-SS and a leader of a gang?

Is death by bombs better than by arrows and spears?

Does the electric shock torture chamber deliver better than the torture chambers with rats of the Chinese?

Were the murders of the Inquisition more可怕 than the "anti-terrorist" murders with modern weapons?

If humanity wanted Good to prevail, it would not swear it. It would not stigmatize it with religious rules and punishments.

Must Good be commanded by ancient divine rules?

And in the end, Evil also advises us and refers us to Good, since if we do not do this or that, we are threatened with eternal damnation.

The general meaning of the world based on spiritual and material progress remains eternally unchanging.

In conclusion, any attempt at reaction or awakening of the spirit and personality against the forces that have always dominated the world is nullified and destroyed.

Entire peoples were decimated, religions purified the world.

Bright minds and great intellects were tortured, burned, hanged, torn apart in the name of the reactions that can redeem.

Therefore

Night....Night...Night...

Deep velvet darkness.

It was, it is, and it will be.

And the world remained silent....and will remain silent.

Good reading.

Many greetings.

Upon completion of this book, my mind is in a state of numbness, as if I had personally endured the harrowing suffering described within its pages. The sheer volume of pain and anguish that assaults the reader is almost incomprehensible. It forces one to move forward, much like the victims in the story, step by step, page by page. At first, numbness is the only defense against such overwhelming emotions.

Otherwise, one would be quickly overcome by the vivid images that raise unanswerable questions.

And yet, I have the luxury of reading this book from the comfort of a warm home, with a full stomach. Just imagine the impact if the circumstances were reversed. Picture being forcibly evicted from your home, confined to barracks, surviving on meager rations of soup and bread, being forced to venture outside in the bitter winter without a jacket, and performing backbreaking manual labor from dawn till dusk, all while the stench of the crematorium lingers in the air.

How many of us could withstand such conditions for even a single day, let alone for years on end? What would it do to our physical and, more importantly, our mental well-being? And yet, in this book, we bear witness to the miraculous survival of the prisoners. We see the strength and unwavering endurance of the human spirit. We must be reminded of this glorious strength, but also remember that it was the weakness of the human spirit that led to these heinous crimes being committed against others.

Humanity has the capacity for both extreme strength and extreme weakness, often hidden beneath the guise of self-righteousness and the desire for power over others. This book is essential in reminding us of this. These atrocities must never be forgotten. Read this book, even if you think you have read enough about the Holocaust and the associated pain and suffering. Every book I have read on this topic, including this one, offers something new. Read it as a memorial and a tribute. Read it as a reminder of how fortunate we are to live in a free society and how we must do everything in our power to preserve this freedom. There are still those who would seek to take it away. Fascism is alive and well.

I began reading Holocaust novels after being captivated by Edelweiss Pirates ‘Operation Einstein'. (Edelweiss Pirates #1) [bookcover:(Edelweiss Pirates #1) ‘Operation Einstein' \\n  \\n They are must-reads in this genre, along with Number the Stars \\n  \\n. I have also enjoyed the author's other works. That particular novel was the one that sparked my interest in YA WW2 novels. They allow us to reflect on our own lives, gain a deeper understanding of history, and ultimately become better individuals.

**COSA È PIÙ ETERNO DELL’INFERNO?**

The idea that man is stronger and greater than God is presented. It is claimed that man is more kind and merciful than God. God, disappointed by Adam and Eve, expelled them from paradise. Disillusioned with Noah's generation, He created the great flood. Angered by Sodom, He rained fire and sulfur from the sky. To prevent men building a tower to reach the sky and get closer to Him, He confused their languages and created Babel.

In contrast, the men in concentration camps, betrayed and abandoned by God, who let them be tortured, starve, burn, be gassed, and slaughtered among themselves, what do they do? They pray to God and praise His name. A God who reveals Himself to test, saying "let's see if you are able to master the bad instincts and kill the Satan within you", punishing men mercilessly. God who is defeated by Hitler, the only one who truly kept His promises, all His promises to the Jewish people.

This perspective challenges the traditional view of God and His relationship with humanity, making us question the nature of God and the role of faith in the face of such苦难 and injustice.

It forces us to reevaluate our beliefs and consider whether there is a higher power that truly cares for us or if we are left to fend for ourselves in a cruel and unforgiving world.

When I read books like these, I truly come to understand the profound truth hidden behind Elie Wiesel's powerful words regarding God's promises. He confessed that he was ignorant about God and the fulfillment of His pledges, yet he was certain that Satan has always been faithful in fulfilling all his malevolent promises to mankind.

That is precisely why he "crafted" an Adolf Hitler into this world, and this evil entity is still being reincarnated in various forms, not just within mainstream society but also within the private lives of individuals. This is the reason why 6 million innocent Jews met a tragic and miserable end many decades ago, and now their very existence is being questioned and hotly debated across the globe. It is also the reason why a devout believer of the Talmud like Wiesel lost his faith in God somewhere within those death camps as he longed for bowls of thin soup and chewed on snow when there was no water in sight.

I am well aware that people have a penchant for reading "happy books" with "happy endings," "happy characters," and on "happy themes." However, to be honest, we are deceiving ourselves by doing so. By only reading "happy books," we are trampling upon many aspects of our sorrowful and wretched reality. These issues could have potentially been resolved if we also perused books that conveyed a message, even if that message was not necessarily comforting. "Night" by Elie Wiesel is one such memoir that offers no solace, but it is a vivid representation of what was, and more significantly, of what could potentially be. It is an essential book for humanity and a poignant testament to the indifference that the world showed towards the European Jewish community during a time that is not entirely dissimilar to our present.

Any one of us, for the most trivial of reasons, could find ourselves in a present or future concentration camp. The Jews of the Holocaust were not the last community of individuals to face such a harrowing reality. There have been others, and there will continue to be more, unless we begin to confront reality and our own inner demons.

You don't have to engage in a mortal combat with Satan. Instead, start by simply facing your own reality. Maybe, if you succeed in doing so, you will also succeed in other aspects of your life. You can commence this journey by reading this book, which is firmly rooted in reality and clearly states that the opposite of love is not "hate" but "indifference." I couldn't care less about what Wiesel's life was like after he was liberated, and that will have no bearing on my opinion of this book. It is a deeply impactful book, a must-read, easy to understand, historically accurate, and beautifully written. That is all that truly concerns me.

The gods, the godliness of whom died long ago, made you a joke.

This powerful statement by an unknown author sets the tone for a profound exploration of the human condition.

Elie Wiesel's words, "Did I write it so as not to go mad or, on the contrary, to go mad in order to understand the nature of madness, the immense, terrifying madness that had erupted in history and in the conscience of mankind?" echo the same sentiment.

Both authors seem to suggest that there is a force within us, an inner demon perhaps, that compels us to express ourselves, to bear witness to the horrors and absurdities of life.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself drawn to books that depicted the bleakness and madness of human existence. One such book was "Blindness" by Jose Saramago, which presented a harrowing vision of a world plunged into chaos by an epidemic of blindness.

While I was still grappling with the themes of "Blindness," my eyes fell upon "Night" by Elie Wiesel, a book that had been gathering dust on my shelf for far too long.

"Night" is Wiesel's powerful and moving account of his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. In just over 100 pages, he describes the horrors of the concentration camps, the loss of his family, and his own struggle to maintain his faith in God and humanity.

The book is a stark reminder of the capacity for evil that exists within us all. It forces us to confront the reality of what happened during the Holocaust and to ask ourselves how such atrocities could have been allowed to occur.

Wiesel's writing is spare and fragmented, yet it manages to convey the full horror and tragedy of his experiences. His descriptions of the daily life in the camps, the hunger, the violence, and the dehumanization are truly heart-wrenching.

One of the most powerful aspects of "Night" is Wiesel's exploration of his own faith. He writes about the moment when he lost his belief in God, when he saw the children being burned alive in the crematoria.

"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."

Despite the darkness and despair that pervades "Night," there are also moments of hope and humanity. Wiesel writes about the kindness and compassion that he witnessed in the midst of the horror, the acts of bravery and selflessness that gave him the strength to go on.

"Night" is a book that everyone should read. It is a testament to the power of the human spirit and a reminder of the importance of bearing witness to the atrocities of the past.

As Elie Wiesel himself said, "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

We must not remain silent in the face of evil. We must speak out, we must act, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust are never repeated.

4.75/5

I had read this book once before.

However, yesterday I read it again, this time with the new preface written by his wife Marion Wiesel.

Initially, I didn't have the intention of reading the entire book. I simply wanted to read the new Preface. But as I was sitting around, with sick people in the house, I found myself diving into the horror once more.

This time, my thoughts were more expanded than in the years past. I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the events and emotions described in the book.

The new preface added a new layer of perspective, as it was written by someone who had a personal connection to the author.

It made me realize how important it is to remember the past and to learn from it.

Overall, reading this book again was a powerful and moving experience.

This book serves as a severe and just wake-up call to the conscience of every person with good intentions in the world. It should stand as a vivid reminder of two crucial aspects: (1) the nearly inconceivable brutality that our species is capable of; and (2) that when it comes to preventing or halting similar atrocities or punishing those who attempt to commit such crimes, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR FELLOW HUMANS and must take accountability for what happens "under our watch."

This remarkable story is a powerful and deeply touching account of Ellie Wiesel's personal experiences as a Hungarian Jew who was sent with his entire family to the infamous Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and later Buchenwald. The most disturbing part of the narrative for me was the calm and casual way in which so many of the nightmarish events that Elie witnessed were carried out. For instance, early on in the account, Elie was separated from his mother and sisters (never to see them again). This life-altering and traumatically painful act was done so swiftly and in such an offhand, bureaucratic manner by the Nazis that trying to come to terms with the reality of it made me physically ill.

That was just the beginning. Elie goes on to document his subsequent efforts to avoid being separated from his father and the horrors he was forced to witness and endure. Along this terrifying journey, we hear in Elie's own words about the growing disgust of his 13-year-old self for both humanity and God, and how he eventually completely lost his own humanity in his determination to do whatever was necessary to stay alive.

Written in a simple and unemotional style (which somehow makes the horrors described even more shocking), this is one of those important life-changing books that I believe everyone should read.

HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!

*Competitive buddy read with toilet!! (competitive buddy read is a "who can finish first" challenge)*

⊹₊♡⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

No words, just:

❝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 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 turned my dreams to ashes.
Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never.❞

Let that sink in. The powerful words above are from the book I'm about to read. It seems to be a profound and heart-wrenching account. I can already feel the weight of the emotions it might evoke.

⊹₊♡⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Pre-read!!

Okay, this may be a required school summer reading book but it actually looks interesting! Plus, points because I've heard of it before. I'm excited to dive into its pages and see what it has in store for me. If I like it, I might read the rest of the trilogy. Please be good.

Terrifying.

I have read two books that vividly described a nightmare and painted a disturbing picture of hell. The second one was Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy, and the first one was Night.

I still think of these books sometimes and it makes me shudder. It makes me realize that evil is never too far buried within us. The scene where the line of doomed prisoners splits in two with Mengela conducting, a perverse parody of the last judgment, seems ripped directly from Dante's Inferno.

The image accompanying this text, , further adds to the eerie and haunting atmosphere. It serves as a visual reminder of the terrifying themes explored in these books.

These books have left a lasting impression on me, making me question the true nature of humanity and the depths of evil that can exist within us. They are not for the faint of heart, but for those who dare to confront the darker side of our existence.

I teach this book on a yearly basis. However, my students often seem to be at a distance from the true reality of the story.

When I utilize the Holocaust Museum's interactive of Lola Rein's dress, it has a profound impact on them. It brings to life real people and real history. The immediacy of the tragedy that Wiesel experienced then becomes palpable in a way that a junior or senior can understand.

I also share the story of my friend, Ida, and her "no grandparents." This is the hardest part for me as it is so personal. She was the daughter of survivors and had no grandparents, so I gave her mine. The sharing of my friend with my beloved grandmother and grandfather was truly one of the blessings of my life. Our lives were enriched through this immense addition to our family. I was also blessed by her including us in her home and her celebrations. My faith was enlarged.

This is a powerful book - simple to read yet difficult to fully comprehend. It is engagingly written and honest to the core, even revealing the difficult, prickly human parts that would embarrass anyone. This is the heart of humanity's difficult path - how can we grow if we can't love one another for both our similarities and differences.

I wish I could say there is no more genocide, but that would be a dreamer's lie. Bless this book with a read and light a candle in our darkness. Also, go and view the dress at the Holocaust Museum website - you will leave changed.

Night is indeed one of the most extraordinary, harrowing, and haunting depictions of the atrocities that took place in the Nazi Germany concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. I had the opportunity to read this powerful work just a few days before the news of the author, Elie Wiesel's, passing was announced, and both experiences left me in a state of shock. The first shock came from the realization that unless one has endured such horrors firsthand, it is impossible to fully grasp the magnitude of what occurred during the Second World War, with all its complex facets and emotions. The second shock was due to the fact that with Elie Wiesel's departure, a remarkable individual has left this world. He was a man who dedicated his life to ensuring the remembrance of the Holocaust, and who tirelessly fought against violence, suppression, and racism.

Perhaps you won't encounter the most eloquent or artful language in this literary work, but that's not what one should expect from a book that delves into something as terrifying, as horrifying, and as real as the Holocaust. In his nonfictional account, Elie Wiesel writes about his own survival in the concentration camps, his reflections on the father-son relationship with his father, and about the nature of humanity and inhumanity. This is a book that everyone should read, because ultimately, the Second World War is an event that everyone should remember. Forgetting would be the most disastrous way to deal with it.

Unfortunately, there are many people, far too many in fact, who claim that the Holocaust happened "so long ago" and is completely irrelevant in today's world. They view it as nothing more than the boring subject matter that students are forced to endure in school, as part of what they consider to be the dry and senseless topic of "history." I usually refrain from telling people they are wrong, but in this case, they couldn't be more mistaken. The Holocaust must be remembered, because if humans forget the mistakes they have made, they are doomed to repeat them. And I believe that everyone can agree that the Holocaust should never, ever be repeated.

This is a book that is incredibly difficult to review, just as it is difficult to read. The difficulty lies not in its language or style - I was able to read it in one sitting within three or four hours - but rather in the horrifying events that Elie Wiesel describes. I can only urge everyone to read this book, regardless of how much or how little they already know about the topic.

And on a final note: Rest in Peace, Elie Wiesel.

Wow, this book!

I simply can't express the complex feelings that surged within me during my reading of it. It was so enthralling and captivating, yet filled with unimaginable horrors.

It tore my heart into a million pieces. I deeply regret not having read this earlier.

This is a true account of Elie Wiesel as a young Jewish boy. He had no foreseeable knowledge or understanding of what was lurking around the corner when his family was forced to flee from their home in Romania.

The unknown horrors that awaited them were beyond comprehension. Even though I have read and studied many stories of the Holocaust and the concentration camps in Auschwitz,

I was still astonished by how shocked I was by the atrocities. The way it was written made me shed countless tears and evoked emotions that I didn't know still existed within me.

This book is an absolute must-read and truly deserves its Nobel Peace Prize. I felt so deeply connected to the story and to Elie that I had trouble sleeping.

What a tragedy it is to have lost this true humanitarian treasure last year. I will forever be grateful that this book and others like it exist. Thank you, sir. I hope you find your peace in heaven and are reunited with your family again. Five tear-soaked stars.