Night by Elie Wiesel (Letter to Author)

Dear Mr. Elie Wiesel, 

          Hi, my name is Kaitlin and I'm in the ninth grade. Last year, I read your book Night with my English class. I was really excited to go to class each day so we could read the book. It was so interesting to here the story of someone who lived through the Holocaust. Hearing what happened as we read was so heartbreaking.

          You were so young when al this happened. Being able to live through all of this means that you are a very strong person. I mean having every single one of your family members die is hard as it is. You were all alone. Watching other people around you get beaten and die for no reason was probably hard too. I'm sorry for what happened to your family.

           I have always wondered why the whole Holocaust happened. It doesn't make sense. Capturing all the Jewish people and bringing them to the Auschwitz concentration camp is just so cruel. The camp was surrounded by barbed wire and under twenty-four hour watch so there was absolutely no way of escaping. People tried anyway though because they figured they were going to die anyways so why not try to survive. They ended up dead. That is why I admire you because you thought positive and knew that you would get out so you didn't try to escape. You went through each day strong and holding yourself together.

          I love this book so much. It was so amazing to learn things I would have never known. I love hearing about things like your experience. I have always wanted to hear about what it was like to live through the titanic. It is still amazing to me how you survived through all that. What made you decide to write this book and share your moving story with everyone?

 

Thank you for your time,

Kaitlin

          



Lost by Jacqueline Davies (finished)

          Lost by Jacqueline Davies was a very interesting book. It dealt with growing up problems and very complex issues. I thought that it showed what it was like for Essie growing up very well.
          This book was based on the early 1900's. Essie is a sixteen year-old girl who never has time for anything. She is either working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory or helping her widowed mom who has three children and can't take care of her little siblings all on her own. At her job she meets Harriet Abbott. Is she lost? As they begin to become friends, Essie starts to wonder what secrets Harriet is hiding. Essie is lost between the love for a richer boy and her mother. She thinks that her mother is determined to take away all of her joy. Essie and Harriet grow as people but so does the questions of the book. Who is lost? Who will be found?
          This book was told in two parts which I thought was a great way to build up the drama. Having the book written like this made the two dramatic parts stand out more. Like, what happened to Essie's little sister, Zelda, and the big fire that killed many little, innocent girls. They were mostly immigrants new to America. What happens to Essie's little sister, Zelda?
          I liked this book because of all the things mentioned in the early 1900's. I recommend this book to anybody who likes reading about historical fiction and who are interested and curious of what life was like in  New York City during this time. I rate this book a 10/10.