Book Review (Night) AND Pictures

I've been inspired by Tai to blog more often, so expect a veritable flurry of posts in the next few weeks. (Read: two or three) Also, I am sheepish that Kiersten commented below about awaiting a book review that I promised at least a couple of weeks ago. And for those of you I lectured about never commenting on my book reviews, I withdraw my statements. I have come up with a better ploy...I'll just throw some pictures up first and then write the review. That way, I can pretend that all the comments are from interested readers who give a fig about my thoughts on random books, rather than fawning admirers of our all-too-cute boy. Mwahahahahahaha! So, with that prelude, here are the pictures.

James with his football:



A slightly devilish smile...yes, I know there's red-eye, I was too lazy to remove it.



I realized recently that I have only reviewed 2 of the 5 books our bailiff book club has read to this point. That is pretty sad, and I started reading the 6th book this weekend, so I have some catching up to do.

Anyway, the 3rd book we read was Night by Elie Wiesel. This was actually a reread for me, as this book was required reading for a middle school English class. I can't recall exactly which grade, but I think the difference in perspective from that point in my life to the present really colored my impressions of it. When I read the book initially, it shook me to the core. It was my first close up experience with the holocaust. While of course I was aware it occurred, I wasn't at that point acquainted with just how horrible Hitler's death camps were.

This time around, I found myself almost immeasurably less moved by this book. I hesitate to be too critical, because, well, it is a holocaust book after all, by a survivor. That alone should command some respect. Yet, I think having some perspective as an historian and some other life experiences really changed the lens I looked through in reading Night. The suffering in the book is severe, no doubt about it. But at the end, I couldn't help but find myself thinking that this boy lived. That's more than a great, great many can say. (Could I ever say that to the man's face? No, I don't think so. Perhaps my perspective has changed merely because I'm better equipped to consider these things in the abstract?) I also take issue with some of the theological underpinnings, as you might have guessed if you know my outlook.

A few years ago while visiting Becca's family in the D.C. area, we went through the holocaust museum. That was an incredible experience for me. If you have never been and ever get the chance to do that, I strongly recommend you go see it. The museum is divided into three parts, essentially...Hitler's rise to power with building persecution toward the Jews, the Concentration Camp period, and then liberation and the establishment of Israel. I'm not sure that they still or always do this, but when we went through they gave each of us the name of a holocaust victim or survivor, and at the conclusion you learn what became of that person.

I remember standing in the Hall of Rememberance at the end of the Museum exhibit and watching the flame that burns there. As I stood there, I thought about all those people who died and the lucky ones who survived. I could not pretend to know anything about what it would be like to die in that way, or to survive such a horror. Yet, in that moment, I had a great appreciation for the fact that in spite of great evil, there was liberation, and the Nazis were defeated, and that the world has been given a painful lesson on tolerance. One we didn't even pay attention to in the Armenian genocide. (That's for you, Marcus!) It is easy to say that we must not forget, but that brings to mind for me the Khmer Rouge and the Rwandan Genocide. Apparently we haven't learned the lesson, but with the holocaust the lesson is preserved.

At any rate, that sense of denouement I felt in the Museum seemed to be missing from Night. Perhpas that is Wiesel's point. If so, I think I can simply say that there are other holocaust sources that speak to me more powerfully as an adult.