In episode 26 of the podcast, Ann and I discussed books that had been sitting patiently on our shelves and that we finally got around to reading. I gushed and raved over The Book Thief and mentioned that, even though I hadn't read Night by Elie Wiesel, I imagined The Book Thief was similar in its power.
I was getting into bed the other evening and noticed Night sitting on the bookshelf near my nightstand. (Yes, I actually have a bookcase next to my bed - so why are there still piles on the floor?) Night has been sitting on that shelf since it was published in a new translation back in 2006. I decided the time was right to read the book.
I'm only half-way through, but it's easy to see why this book has endured and has been so acclaimed. The book is shocking in its horrors, and rightly so. It brings the holocaust to life in a way I haven't encountered since I visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. (An unbelievable experience. If you've never been, and the Holocaust is something you want to know more about, I highly recommend it.)
Here's my question to all of you wonderful readers out there: What else should I read on this subject? I've read Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl and Maus. There's also a new book out called Every Man Dies Alone that's getting amazing reviews, so I may have to pick that one up too. What else?
[by the way, if you're interested in having Marcus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, speak to your book group, you can enter to win a call from him here!]
__________________________
|