I didn’t have to think for more than a moment when I contemplated which book has meant the most to me, or had the biggest effect on me. It’s Night, by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. I read Night in tenth grade. I knew of the Holocaust, of course. But Night plunged me into the fear and darkness and horror of what happened during WWII. The book changed me. It gave rise to my nascent sense of justice and my appreciation for the power of the human spirit. It brushed off the waning vestiges of childhood naivete and opened my eyes.
From the Amazon description: In Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night, a scholarly, pious teenager is wracked with guilt at having survived the horror of the Holocaust and the genocidal campaign that consumed his family. His memories of the nightmare world of the death camps present him with an intolerable question: how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur? There are no easy answers in this harrowing book, which probes life’s essential riddles with the lucid anguish only great literature achieves. It marks the crucial first step in Wiesel’s lifelong project to bear witness for those who died. You can find the book HERE.
Wow. I haven’t read Night in years, but this a gorgeous recommendation for a re-read.
One of the things I admire most about you is your sense of justice, and I’m glad to know one of the sources is such a wonderful book.
This has been on my book club’s “maybe” list for years, but we haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. Will have to bump it up the list a bit. Thanks for the suggestion!
Tawna
It’s such a serious book – and not an easy read. I suggest after the holidays. There’s this really funny book with a pink cover though you could read beforehand! 🙂
It’s an incredible book, and a must-read. When I was in high school, Elie Wiesel came to speak at the school. It was an incredible honor, and hearing him in person was truly remarkable. Great choice, Kim.
It’s almost 10:30 and I realized that i missed Kim’s book choice for today. What a brilliantly appropriate choice and how it shaped you for your future!
Of course I do like the book with the three little dolls on the pink cover. May that one shape many readers too.