Wiesel, Elie:  Night

It is difficult to understand how something this horrendous could have happened in my lifetime.  No wonder the people of Sighet couldn’t believe Moishe the Beadle when he tried to warn them about what happened to him when he was taken by the Gestapo.  If he had escaped, could it have been that bad, people reasoned.  While reading this book I had a hard time coming to terms that these events actually happened and not to just a few but to millions of people.  The mind can hardly grasp evil on that magnitude.  Yet, we must be aware that this can happen and that today similar atrocities are occurring.  It is important that we never forget what can happen if good people turn a blind eye and deaf ear to acts of oppression just because it doesn’t affect us.  Everyone should read this book as painful as it is.  Wiesel kept his account of that terrible year (spring of 1944 to April 10, 1945) short–if he could live it we at least can read about it.