Book Review

Night Book Review

Kyla Schuler

The book Night by Elie Wiesel is a Nobel Peace Prize award winning autobiography. The book starts out in a small town where Eli's family, which consists of his father, mother and younger sister, lives. His father receives word that the Nazis are going to come to their town and take them to a new place to live. This makes Elie worry because he doesn't know what is going to happen of where they are going to go, but his father reassures him that there will be no harm and all will be well.

Three days go by and the Nazis take Elie and his family to a “train station” where they are loaded into cattle boxes. Elie is frightened because he and his father become separated from Elie’s mother and sister. The cattle boxes are cramped. There are between 80 and 100 people per box. They arrive at a concentration camp where they are stripped of their clothes and their heads are shaved with a dull razor that cuts deep into their scalp. Then they are placed into what Elie calls “bunkers”.  Bunkers are they massive concrete room filled with flimsy beds and infested with bugs, human waste and illness.

            Weeks seem to drag on for eternity and Elie does everything possible to keep his father alive and try to manage keeping himself alive as well. It is a very grueling and pain staking life; they get up every morning and 5 o’clock sharp. They are only fed two flimsy pieces of bread and one bowl of “soup” which is made up of water and a very few vegetables a day. Elie is a very strong young boy with an even stronger faith in God. He works to the limit to keep his father and himself out of the human furnace.

            One harsh winter day Elie ends up with a server case of frostbite on his foot and had to be checked into the hospital. While he is stuck in the hospital he receives word that American forces are venturing their way to the camp to free prisoners and capture Nazi soldiers. At once the Nazis decide that they must move camps immediately and only the ill and hospitalized are allowed to stay. When hears that all in the hospital must stay he instantaneously leaves the hospital. He thinks that the reason the hospitalized are allowed to stay is so they can slaughter them. Elie goes on to the next camp with his father.  Elie later on finds out that if he would have stayed in the hospital he would have been set free in the next few days.

Elie’s trust in God slowly but steadily deteriorates while all that could go wrong in his life is going wrong. He thinks that God just up and left them to fend for themselves. He thinks that God does not care about his people. He becomes furious with God and the world and starts to go insane and think irrationally to the point of plotting to kill his sick father for an extra ration of food.

To Elie death becomes a common day thing. He sees death of children, death of the sick, death of the strong and even death of his beloved father. Elie also experiences the death of his God. Will he regain his faith and trust in the Lord? Read the book Night by Elie Wiesel to find out!

Critique

            I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It really opened my eyes to the horrors of the Holocaust and what the Nazis did to over 6 million innocent Jews. I hope to read the other two books in the series sometime in the near future. This book was hard to read at times because it was so extremely well written and had many gruelingly in-depth details. It felt like I was standing there watching it all happen. I would recommend this book if you are into history and learning about World War II and the Holocaust.

s t o r y

 

True Love

 By: Kyla Schuler

            Sarah opens her eyes to the shining sun. She lies there waiting for the birds to perch on her window and sing a joyful tune, but all she hears are gunshots.

            The blasting of guns and the blows of cannons are a normal occurrence around Sarah’s small Massachusetts town. It is the spring of 1783, and Sarah just turned 15, which meant that she no longer has to attend school in the little schoolhouse up the road. Instead, she had to stay home, tend to the animals, and help her mother in kitchen.

            Sarah slips on her tattered chore dress and bolts off to the barn to see her best friend Penny. Penny is the horse that Sarah received on her 12^th birthday from her parents. Ever since that day, Sarah and Penny have been inseparable. Sarah reaches the barn panting and out of breath. She flings open the door and listens for the cheerful greeting from Penny, but she hears only silence. Sarah is stricken with worry as thoughts run through her head on what might have happened. She races to Penny stall, as she peers over the stall door she sees her beloved Penny laying on the ground. Sarah flings open that stall door and rushes to Penny’s side. Penny is in a cold sweat and shaking. Sarah sees that Penny is sick, she bolts out of the barn and starts to run down the buggy trail to get Josh, the veterinarian’s son. Sarah sprints down the trail she can feel that this is going to an anything but normal summer.

            When Sarah approaches Josh’s house she see Josh outside

            “Josh, Josh, help! Penny has become ill!” Sarah screams in between gasps “I need you now!”

            “What Sarah? Take a few breaths and then tell me what exactly in happening with Penny,” Josh says calmly, his blue eyes sparkling against the morning sun.

            “I went to the barn to see Penny and she was in her stall lying down. She was in a cold sweat and she was extremely hot to the touch” Sarah pleads sadly “Oh Josh, she looked terrible. Will you please come and help me?”

            “I will see what I can so Sarah, but I’m not making any promises,”

            With that Sarah and Josh sprint back to the Olsen Farmhouse and they rush straight into the barn.            

            “Oh Sarah this is nothing too serious,” Josh states as he examines Penny. “It’s just a small case of colic. Did she eat anything bad that you know of? Or possibly get into the grain bag?” Josh questions while deep in his work.

            “The hay,” Sarah whispers to herself. Sarah was in such a hurry last night while she was feeding because she wanted to get to her friend’s birthday party. She must have not pay attention to the hay she was feeding. The stupid mistake almost cost her best friend’s life. If it wasn’t for Josh her beloved horse would be dead. Sarah looks over at Josh, with his shaggy sandy blonde hair that hung directly in line with his eyebrows, his bright blue eyes that are always focused on figuring stuff out and his loving and kind personality. Sarah catches herself staring at Josh and she then realizes that she is falling in love with her childhood friend. Sarah snaps back to reality as Josh is asking her a question.

            “Sarah, is there anything Penny ate that would have made her sick?” Josh asks.

            “Uh, yeah she must have eaten some moldy hay last night,” Sarah says hanging her head in shame.

            “Okay, well she is going to be fine, but let’s stay here overnight to make sure she will be fine,” Josh said.

            “Sounds good,” Sarah replies

            Sarah and Josh stay in the barn the whole night chatting about old memories and checking on Penny ever once in a while. Sarah keeps falling harder and harder for Josh as the night progressed on. She could see a slight hint of love sparkling in his deep blue eyes. Sarah can’t help but smile.

            As the sun starts to rise Sarah and Josh walk toward to the barn door so they could both go home and get some well need rest. As the near the exit Josh stops Sarah and they face each other.

            “Uhh...” Josh stutters “Penny should be alright now; come and get me if there are any problems, you know where to find me,” Josh smiles.

            “Thank you so much Joshua, how can I ever repay you?” Sarah asks sweetly.

            “Spending the night with you was more than enough Sarah,” Josh states with a big grin on his face. “But…”

            “But what?” Sarah questions giggling.

            “Will…I mean would you like to be my courting partner tomorrow night at the church singing? I could pick you up and bring you home in my father’s buggy, if that’s okay with you. I have already made sure it was okay with your Pa,” Josh says shyly.           

            “I would be honored to,” Sarah smiles. After their lovely conversation Josh gave Sarah a soft kiss on the check and then they part ways. The rest of the day Sarah sit in her room daydreaming about tomorrow night and what was going to happen. Sarah couldn’t help but smile. While she lies in bed she ran though her head what she was going to wear. She decided on a soft blue ruffled dress that her mother had made her last year for her graduation from school, and then she drifts off to sleep.

            Sarah looks in the mirror. She looks like a grown woman. She has her blue dress on, her hair is curled and is pulled back into a half ponytail with a ribbon, and her mother let her wear her Sunday shoes! She is so nervous she felt like there were elephants running around in her stomach. Then there was a knock on the door. Sarah races to the door to open it, but it is too late. Her father has already opened it and was now talking in a hush whispers to Josh. She can only make out a few words of their conversation.

            “Well Joshua, you’re going to have to…” Sarah could make out her father saying.

            “I know sir, but I just can’t do it. She is just too special to me. What am I supposed to tell her that the soilde…” Josh stops mid sentence after he saw Sarah standing there listening to what Josh and her father where discussing.

            “Sarah! Now it is not lady-like to eavesdrop on people’s conversations!” Sarah’s father scolds.

            “I’m sorry Papa, I didn’t mean to. I was just coming down to meet Josh.” she says embarrassed.

            “It is alright my dear, just go out and have fun. Joshua I expect her home before midnight” Sarah’s father says.

            “Yes sir that shall be no problem. Thank you,” Josh states. Josh and Sarah leave the house and they step into Josh’s buggy, but there is a bad vibe between the two. Josh is keeping something from Sarah and she is determined to find out what it is.

            Sarah and Josh have a grand time at the Sunday evening singing, they sing songs, dance and have a snack of fresh apple cider and banana bread. While the two are sitting on a bench out in the moonlight, Josh gently interlocks his hand with Sarah’s and smiles. Sarah can’t help but ask Josh the question that had been buzzing around her head like and annoying bee all night.

            “Josh, what where you and my father talking about before we left my house?” Sarah questions shyly. Josh lets go of Sarah’s hand and sits up straight.

            “Sarah, I was gonna tell you, I really was…it just I didn’t know how you would take it and all,” Josh said fidgety. “You know the war that has been going on? The one against King of Britain?”

            “Yes,” Sarah said knowing where Josh was going with all this.

            “Well, the Yankees think that we have almost beat ‘em!” Josh said full of excitement. “But… they are running out of soldiers to fight. The general came to my pa’s farm yesterday with a warrant. Sarah, the warrant says that I must go fight.” Sarah’s eyes fill with worry. She is trying her hardest to hold back the tears pooling in her eyes. She sat there desolated. Her heart shattering into pieces. Sarah is trying to tell herself that the news she just heard is just an unbearable nightmare. She is snapped back to reality when she hears Josh saying her name.

            “Sarah? Sarah, are you listening?” Josh says, his voice trembling.

            “Yes,” is all Sarah is able it mutter. Josh pulled her in close and held her tight.

            “Don’t worry Sarah I will be back for you,” Josh said.

            “Promise?” Sarah asks uneasily.

            “I promise and I always keep my promise.” Josh states and pulls her into a kiss.

 Sarah and Josh sit on the bench taking in each other’s company. It would be the last night in a long time that Sarah would sit in her beloved Josh’s arms.

The night slowly draws to a close. Sarah returns to her house safely just before midnight. She and Josh stand on her front porch gazing into each other’s eyes not saying a word. A cannon explodes in the background, it makes Sarah cringe. Josh pulls her close as she starts to sob; her breathing is heavy as she tries to talk.

“I…love…you,” Sarah manages to get out in between sobs.

“I love you too, Sarah.” Not before long they have to part ways. Josh gives Sarah one last kiss and then disappears into the darkness. Sarah walks into her house; the eerie silence makes her ears ring. She tiptoes up to her bedroom and pulls on her nightgown. She lights her lantern and peers in the mirror. The girl she sees is not the girl that she was at the beginning of the summer. She has been put through almost losing a best friend to having her heart broken. She is no longer a little girl that runs through the meadow, but a strong young lady. She puts out the flame in the lantern and goes into her bed. She wraps up in her quilt and cries herself to sleep.

The next few weeks Sarah doesn’t smile much, eat much, or do much. She just goes through the motions of life. The only thing she has enough energy to do is go out to see Penny and to keep up-to-date on the war. Sarah starts to brighten up when she hears that the war was coming to a close and the British were starting to retreat. She starts to talk and go to social events. She is starting to become the old Sarah again.

One day there is a knock on Olsen’s front door as they were eating supper. Sarah stands up to go get it but her father motions for her to sit back down for he was going to go get it. As Sarah’s father stands at the doorway talking to a gentleman that Sarah could not see. She snuck around her father to see whom the man standing outside was. Her heart drops when she sees a man dressed in a military uniform.

“What’s going on?” Sarah asks.

“Sarah, this is General Benjamin Lincoln,” Sarah’s dad explains.

“Good evening young lady,” the General said wiry “I have some bad news to break to you…As you see today was the day that the British surrendered, we have won the war, but solider Joshua Anderson was in the explosion. His body is no where to be found ma’am. I’m afraid to say that he most likely didn’t make it out alive.”

“No! No no no!” Sarah screams as her legs give away and she collapses on to the floor. “It just can't be! You must have the wrong person," Sarah says convincingly while tears were rolling down her cheeks. Sarah's mother comes over to console her.

"Sarah dear, it's okay let's go on up to bed now," says Sarah's mom as she strokes her daughter’s hair. Sarah staggers up from the ground and walks sullenly to her bedroom. Once Sarah enters her bedroom she proceeds straight to her bed, not even stopping to put on her nightgown. She curls up in her quilt like she has done so many sleepless nights before. As she lies there memories of her beloved Josh taunt her. The exasperation of everything that has happened in the last few weeks make her feel exhausted. She finally drifts off into an uneasy sleep.

The weeks go on in Sarah's routine stayed the same. She wakes up in the morning, does her chores, helps her mother around the house, and then she goes and sits in her room gazing out her window, trying to escape. She feels so lonely; her heart has been broken. She has lost all hope.

Sarah wakes up one fall morning; she goes downstairs and looks at the calendar. It has been exactly 2 months since Josh has been declared dead. She sluggishly strolls out to the barn to feed her horse, Penny. When she arrives at the barn she notices that the oat bucket is not where she left it. She begins to wonder what is going on. She strolls over to Penny’s stall, when she gets there she can’t believe what she is seeing. Standing there in her horse’s stall is Josh Anderson. She is paralyzed with excitement and disbelief.

“Is it really you?” Sarah whispers

“Yes, I told you I always keep my promises,” Josh says smiling is same old quirky smile. Sarah flings open the stall door and leaps into his arms. She finally has her knight in shining armor. All she can manage to say is, I love you. Sarah and Josh walk hand and hand to the pond by the road and sit on the dock. They talk about what has happened.

The day that the last battle had taken place he had gone to a nearby stream about 3 miles away. When he had gotten back he had found that the last battle had been rather brutal and he manage to miss every second of it. After that he fled to find Sarah and managed to walk 54 miles back to her.

That November, Sarah and Josh get married. They end up raising a very happy family and never lose love for each other. Joshua holds Sarah’s hand until she takes her last breath at age 74. What they have is what you call “True Love”