About Night:
Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must never be allowed to happen again.
Free Text of book, Study Questions, Final Test, and Enrichment (Introduction on World War II in Europe)
Above: Full Text of Book in PDF
Overview: Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must never be allowed to happen again.The Nobel-prize winning memoir Night, published in 1960 by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, tells the true story of him as a Romanian Jewish 15-year old boy in the year 1944-1945. The memoir ends shortly after the American army liberated the camp in April 1945. This bundle contains a free download of the complete book (PDF) an end-of-book complete test, a set of Study Questions, and an Enrichment/Introduction lesson giving a timeline of the important events in World War II Europe leading up to the Holocaust. Answer Key is included.
Age Level and Length: This book is recommended for grades 8 and older (or ages 13 and up) This is not because of reading difficulty; the book is only about 100 pages and is a fairly easy read. However, the subject matter is dark and serious. It takes 2-4 hours to read; the test takes about 30 minutes. The introduction should take at least 20 minutes to read and should include some discussion with an adult or fellow reader.
Maturity or Political Issues: The book is sad and contains dark subject matter. There are brief descriptions of a beating and a hanging, and descriptions of the constant hunger and suffering endured by the camp residents. There is no “happy ending”; Elie is liberated from the camp, but his family is dead. The memoir also addresses the question of religious faith and how people deal with it in tragic situations. There is no sex in it, and no politics except for condemnation of the Nazis.
Additional Considerations: Although this is a sad and serious book, many parents fear it too much and therefore deprive their child of a meaningful and valuable reading experience. If you have never read this book, be aware that it is not as gory or graphic as you probably think it is. As a teacher, I have read this book with my 8th grade classes for years. Students were fascinated by it, and no one ever said that they were sorry that they read it. At this age, students should be growing into more mature and thoughtful readers. They can and should read some first-person historical memoirs, including those about tragic eras. We do recommend, however, that students know a bare minimum of the history of this period. The introduction included in this lesson bundle, called “World War II in Europe”, should provide some necessary historical context.
Night (Grade: 8+)
What is included:
World War II Enrichment
Complete study guide with answer key
Final quiz with answer key
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