Night

Why I'd hand it to you

Elie Wiesel was fifteen when he and his family were deported from their town of Sighet to Auschwitz. This short memoir follows him through the camps and his struggle to hold on to his father, his own humanity and his faith in God. It is one of the most important witness accounts of the Holocaust and can be read in an afternoon. It isn't easy. The cruelty is described plainly, and the faith questions are raw and unresolved, which can be hard for believers. Younger readers will need an adult to talk it through. Everyone should read it at some point.

— Matt Jordan