Night

Wiesel, E. (1960). Night. Austin, TX: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston.

The autobiographical Night by Elie Wiesel is the first-hand account of the author's experience in Nazi-occupied Transylvania during World War II. The story is told in first person, through the eyes of the author. By telling the story through the point of view of the narrator, the emotional connection is amplified. The author is able to convey the actual emotion to the reader, such as when he describes the scene on the boxcar when they are en route to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. He describes the furious fighting over a piece of bread and how a young man actually beats his father severely in order to get the food. He then describes the feelings he experiences and the personal promise he makes to himself to take care of his own father.

Wiesel also makes use of sensory details when he describes the sight of the fire and sparks flowing out of the giant smoke stack as the train enters the camp. He also describes in detail the lingering, rancid smell of burnt human flesh and how the smell stuck in his throat. And he is constantly describing the sights of terror and despair as they unfold before him.



I would recommend using this book with older students, as the subject matter and descriptions are rather vivid. While my students can not make direct personal connections, some of them do relate on a lesser level. Some share how they have experienced similar conditions when they were evicted from their home, or when they were taken from their home by social services. So while they did not experience what it was like to live through the occupation of their homeland, they were still able to connect internally.