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Night by Elie Wiesel
5.0

In reading this moving, disturbing piece of literature, Elie Wiesel reinforced with me what has been his life's work since the Holocaust--to try to ensure that we never forget man's inhumanity to man. One of the things that always amazes me when I read about the Holocaust (or any account of similar atrocities) is how the victims themselves lose their own humanity, their own compassion, in the face of their desperate desire to survive. When we are living in civilized times, amongst other civilized people, this survival instinct lurks well below the surface. But we are deeply, deeply programmed to survive, which is why, if we want to maintain what we value as being "human," then we should take care of each other so this instinct to claw for the last piece of bread does not rise above the surface.