Night - Course Introduction

We have to warn you—this book is a haunting read. It's one thing to read about the Holocaust in history class. Sure, you feel distressed, disgusted, and kinda nauseous, but you can try and tell yourself it's "all just in the past," or hide behind the facelessness of statistics.

But literature has a way of making history way, way more immediate, real, and undeniable. Statistics turn back into real people, each with an individual story of suffering.

And that's just literature in general. Autobiographical literature is an even bigger punch in the gut. In autobiographies, you're hearing from the person firsthand. The statistic isn't just given a face, but that face is looking back on you. It's just you and the face, in a room together, talking about the horrors of the Holocaust.

All this to say: before you start reading Night, you may want to break out whatever comfort object from your childhood you like to pretend you don't need anymore. For us, it's a stuffed giraffe named Bobo. Hold us, Bobo.

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