Night by Elie Wiesel

Night by Elie Wiesel:

This was my first time reading Night by Elie Wiesel. I actually found lately, I really enjoy listening to a recording of someone reading the novel as I follow along. I found a recording of this novel and followed along.  I am grateful I read this novel when I did because in my practicum my 10^th grade students are about to start a unit on Night. In the story we know that the German’s during this time do not have good intentions towards the Jews because this book was set in the time of the holocaust. Elizer’s family fails to flee the country when they have a chance to. Due to the missed opportunity to flee, the whole Jewish population is sent to concentration camps. One camp is called Auschwitz. Elizer is separated from his mother and younger sister but luckily remains in the same camp as his father. The reader learns that Elizer has a hard time surviving due to the abuse and malnourishment. During this tough time he struggles to hold onto faith what is left during this terrible time. He begins to cause self-destruction and battles with darker sides of himself. He feels a conflict between supporting his father and giving himself the best chance of survival. During the book, Elizer and his father are both sent from Auschwitz to another camp called Buna and then to another camp called Buchenwald. Sadly before the end of concentration camps  the father dies. Despite all that Elizer has gone through he has survived multiple concentration camps leaving behind his childhood innocence. He will be forever scarred by the death and violence he witnessed while living in pure hell. I believe that this book is appropriate for high school students to read during the unit of the holocaust. I think it is important for student to realize what people went through during the concentration camps. I think it is also a good way to teach student to be grateful for the lives they have even in their darkest days.