With all that Elie Wiesel has lived through,and with all the horrors of life that he has experienced firsthand, one might assume (as I erroneously did) that he would be all right - at peace, even - with the possibility of dying.You would be wrong."Long ago, over there, death lay in wait for us at every moment, but it is now, eternities later, that it shall have its way. I feel it." (pg. 17)"Hadn't I lived with death, even in death? Why should I be afraid now? Yet, this is not how I imagined my e...

This was the first book I was able to read through ever since the start of the full scale war in Ukraine, on the 24th of February 2022.I was looking for something humane, something warm and touching, something that would be inspiring and Elie's story about life after having survived Holocaust hit the right spot. It was short (just about a 1 hour read) and precise, which is really convenient when your attention span has almost become non-existent for whichever reason. It helps out with creating a...

"I know- I speak from experience- that even in the darkness it is possible to create light and encourage compassion. That it is possible to feel free inside a prison. That even in exile, friendship exists and can become an anchor. That there is one instant before dying, man is still immortal." --Elie Wiesel"There it is: I still believe in man in spite of man. I believe in language even though it has been wounded, deformed and perverted by the enemies of mankind. And I continue to cling to words

My daughter recently saw Elie Wiesel at the Civic Opera house in Chicago and said she cried through the whole thing. That he was just so honest, caring and sweet. This book definitely reflects all of that, his honesty shows through, his love for his son and wife, his faith and the coming to terms with his past. Facing death impels one to re-examine everything in their lives. He remembers his past, his father, all the trials he and his wife had faced together and knows their are still things he w...

Elie Wiesel's Night has been on my list of books to read for years and as yet I haven't got to it. I picked this up at a moment when I wanted a quick read. Although a very brief read it is quite a deep and thoughtfully written piece. At 82 Elie was faced with life threatening surgery which found him reminiscing about his past, those lost in the Holocaust, things he'd done and hadn't done and questioning his life. It is so well written and emotional that now I want to rush out and add more of his...

Open Heart is the final book by Elie Wiesel. It is fitting that this be his las book as it sums up his life and yet calls out for you to read his other books. June 16, 2011, Elie Wiesel finds out his heart is failing him. According to his story, he doesn’t give up; but continues to fight the inevitable. While he is fighting for his life, he is also fighting to understand why. In all of his books, Elie seems to be wondering why things happen the way that they do. He just continues to worry why am...

a one sit read. very touching, very inspiring, very sad yet offers hope knowing all that he's been through he's still able to find the light at the end of the tunnel. he does an amazing job of reminding readers of what is really important in life as well as on the operating table. i love this man and his values, his ethics, his genuine compassion for the entire universe. it was a nice read to remind me of the power of gratitude and how i intend to bring in my new year.

With my wife having gone through open heart surgery not long after the birth of our first daughter, I originally bought this for her to read. However, being a great admirer of Wiesel and the work he has done in his life, i read it immediately after she was finished with it. I've read several reviews from others who focus only on the fact that Wiesel, even in this book, continues to carry a grief that he does not want to let go of. Anyone who has not experienced even an iota of what he and millio...

"Since God is, He is to be found in the questions as well as in the answers." The last time I read a book by Elie Wiesel, I was a high school freshman living in an incredibly diverse though predominantly Jewish community. The collective stories and hardships of the Jewish people were deeply ingrained in my psyche, and I only wish I had been a little older to truly grapple with what he was conveying. The intersection of terrible anguish and gut wrenching beauty converges in Wiesel's Open Heart. I...

In June of 2011, author, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize honoree Elie Wiesel learned that he was in imminent danger of a heart attack and that he would need emergency open-heart surgery. Open Heart is his account of the experience.In this short but beautiful book, Wiesel recounts not only the surgery itself and its aftermath, but the memories, questions and doubts that assail him as he faces his own mortality. He thinks of his family, both those he has lost and those who surround him and supp...

Elie Wiesel was one of the great heroes of the 20th century! His books have affected and touched so many people and his life has been an influence for good for so many years. He passed away 2 years ago and y’all know I’ve been on a Holocaust literature kick this year. This book is a short and easy read . . . but emotional like you would not believe! I finished reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas right before reading Open Heart, so I was already emotional. Elie Wiesel’s death popped up in my F...

Where to begin?Elie Wiesel, holocaust survivor who witnessed the death of his farther while in a concentration camp and whose last memory of his mother and baby sister are of Nazi's forcefully separating them from him and his father, has lived a long, pre-holocaust life. The pain of never seeing his mother and sister again still brings him to tears at the age of 87. Married and with children, the life ahead of him after the holocaust was one of deep thinking and philosophical searching.A dedicat...

Short read. Five starts? I admit I am very prejudiced when it comes to Wiesel as he is a monumental influence in my life. There is just one section I will discuss so as not ruin the memoir for you. This is one of the few times I have wanted to write an author, and the only time I want to write to reassure the author. Wiesel questions whether he should have been so brutally honest in the book, "Night." He admits to struggling with this question for years. That book, although at first devastating

While this book was written in 2011 as a contemplation of his life and death (he was hospitalized for open heart surgery), it is with great sadness and awe that I finished reading it today, on the same day as Wiesel's death. This is a very short read but I found it disorganized and more of a personal journaling than a memoir or autobiography; I have enjoyed and appreciated his work so much more in other pieces I've read.

This is a perfect final offering from one of my favourite human beings. Mr. Wiesel has helped me to see things in such a different light so many times in my life and this small book is no exception. Yes, it is a one sitting read, but the profundity will stay with you for a long while to come. I usually offer quotes but I would have to quote the entire book if I wanted to remember all that struck me so I will just leave you with one quote that sums up Mr. Wiesel quite well (and speaks my own hear...

I read this in one sitting in Barnes & Noble, much to the chagrin of my friend who wanted to leave and go to Starbucks. It's a wonderful little piece about life and what we are giving it. One little sentence even brought a tear to my eye in the mid public of places. As always Weisel's voice feels warm, honest, and poetic. Maybe you've just read Night and aren't ready to tackle a big piece you feel might not be as good or moving, if so, pick up this small tome and devour it in one or two sittings...

Open Heart is an intimately honest account of Wiesel’s feelings and thoughts during a time when he wasn’t sure if he was going to live or die. As he faces his own mortality, he reflects on his choices and his conflicting emotions regarding God and his place in the world.I was moved by the memoir. It’s simple and short, but contains a depth of emotion. I especially appreciated reading Wiesel’s regrets for not doing more and his ongoing questioning of religion. Even Wiesel, who has done so much, w...

I was interested in this book as the author describes his experiences, both physical and spiritual, before, during, and after, open heart surgery. My late father had this surgery, and afterward, was never quite "himself" again. It is with bitterness, 13 yrs after his death, I recall the dramatic changes that open heart surgery wrought upon this once vital, strong man. Anyone considering this procedure would benefit from this quick read, by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. Anyone, who wants to kno...

Everything he shared with his wife, Marion...Beautiful book, but he continues to be deluded that there is an afterlife and a god.From Wikipedia:In 2014, 327 Holocaust survivors and descendants condemned Elie Wiesel's comments supporting the 2014 Israeli invasion of Gaza, in an ad in the New York Times:…we are disgusted and outraged by Elie Wiesel’s abuse of our history in these pages to justify the unjustifiable: Israel’s wholesale effort to destroy Gaza and the murder of more than 2,000 Palesti...

Is evil just another path leading to good? In truth, for the Jew that I am, Auschwitz is not only a human tragedy, but also, and most of all, a theological scandal. For me, it is as impossible to accept Auschwitz with God as without God. But then how is one to understand His silence? As I try to explain God's presence in evil, I suffer and search for reasons that would allow me to denounce Him.Since God is, He is to be found in the questions as well as the answers.I now know that every moment is...