In Night by Elie Wiesel, a 15-year-old Jewish boy named Eliezer and his family are deported from their home in Hungary to Auschwitz-Birkenau and other concentration camps, where Eliezer endures immense suffering, the loss of his family, and profound spiritual turmoil during the Holocaust. The harrowing experiences detailed include violence, forced labor, starvation, and the death of loved ones within the camps.

Elie Wiesel's Night is widely acclaimed for its powerful and haunting portrayal of the Holocaust, drawing praise for its raw honesty and emotional depth. Critics commend its concise, impactful prose, though some note its distressing content may be overwhelming for sensitive readers. Overall, the memoir is considered a crucial and compelling read.

Readers who appreciate Night by Elie Wiesel are typically those interested in Holocaust literature, memoirs of survival, and historical accounts of human endurance. They may also enjoy The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, as these works similarly explore profound human experiences during WWII.

Dark / Unnerving / Melancholic / Emotional / Mysterious

- Night was originally written in Yiddish and titled "Un di Velt Hot Geshvign" ("And the World Remained Silent") before being condensed and published in French as La Nuit.
- The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Elie Wiesel in 1986 highlighted his work in keeping memories of the Holocaust alive, largely through influential works like Night.
- Elie Wiesel's Night is not considered a traditional autobiography but rather a memoir that combines diary-like entries and historical narrative to create a vivid personal account.

**Eliezer Wiesel**  
The first-person narrator of *Night*, Eliezer is a Jewish boy from Sighet, Transylvania, who is deported with his family to Auschwitz in 1944. He remains close to his father during their internment in various concentration camps.

**Chlomo Wiesel**  
Eliezer’s father, a respected member of the Jewish community in Sighet. He is deported with Eliezer and stays with him through their time in the camps, trying to support and protect each other.

**Moché the Beadle**  
A custodian of a Hasidic synagogue in Sighet, Moché becomes Eliezer's spiritual mentor, introducing him to Jewish mysticism. He is deported early and returns to warn the community about the Nazis.

**Madame Schächter**  
A fellow Jewish deportee who shares a cattle car with Eliezer's family. She experiences terrifying visions of fire, which foreshadow the horrors of the concentration camp.

**Stein**  
The husband of Eliezer's cousin, Reizel. He meets Eliezer and his father at the camp, desperate for news about his family in Antwerp.

**Franek**  
The Polish foreman of Eliezer’s work detail at Buna, who demands Eliezer's gold crown and punishes him and his father when he initially resists.

**Juliek**  
A Polish violinist imprisoned at Buna, sharing the work block with Eliezer.

**Dr. Josef Mengele**  
The SS doctor at Auschwitz known for his cruel selections of prisoners, deciding who will be sent to the gas chambers.

**Yossi and Tibi**  
Czech Jewish brothers Eliezer befriends in the musicians' block at Buna. They plan to emigrate to Palestine after the war.

**Akiba Drumer**  
A fellow prisoner and devout Hasidic Jew who loses his faith in God and eventually his will to survive in the camps.

**Idek**  
The unpredictable and violent Kapo of the electrical supplies warehouse at Buna, where Eliezer and his father work.

**Rabbi Eliahou**  
A kind, gentle rabbi who is searching for his son during a forced march; helps comfort fellow prisoners.

**Meir Katz**  
A friend of Eliezer’s father from Sighet who helps save Eliezer from being strangled during transport to Buchenwald.

Elie Wiesel

Adult

Autobiography / Memoir

The Night Trilogy

Nonfiction

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