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Just finished reading the book. it was very easy to follow with a linear one dimensional storyline as well as it should be - a straightforward recounting of subjective events as they happened to one person. There was some, but not much, introspection during the telling of the tale because, for the most part, it wasn't neccessary; but rather the telling of the struggles for survival and mere existence. It's a tale that can only be fully understood by those who endured the horrors, but it's a tale we as humans should take heed. Reviewing the flow of this thread is a good reminder for me of how easy it is for me to become sidetracked by the minutiae of some extraneous detail or detours. The topic was not about the denial of facts but of the horrors of human cruelty. Rather than chasing some of the tangential comments, I should have stuck to Rocky's stated intent, for that I apologize. The book is a reminder that each individual has an important story to tell and that each story is as valid anyone elses, provided it is retold and understood from the viewpoint and perspective of the teller. It may not be accurate according to the actual facts, but the subjective opinions cannot be dismissed. It would be interesting to read an account from a guard's perspective of events as they happened. I'm sure most thought they were on the correct side and that they were advancing their cause for noble intentions. Hindsight has disputed that concept, but it's to easy to dismiss and be disgusted by their actions without understanding their motivations and thought processes.

Rocky, I took no pleasure in reading “Night” but that’s not to say I don’t appreciate you recommending this book – it is something that I believe is necessary to read. In the bigger picture – some of which was discussed here - the sheer enormity of the Jews murdered…the brutality…the inhumanity…is nothing short of absolutely mind-boggling – and to be honest, when my mind is overwhelmed like that, I sometimes have to stop thinking about it for a while. But the book has a different and more profound effect. The story is told not from the panorama of the entire Holocaust – but from the perspective of just one 15 year old boy Elie Wiesel. At the start of the read, I had a bad habit of second-guessing or judging how he handled things mentally – so I had to intentionally set aside the comfortable zone of my perspective from a pleasant upbringing and carefree teenage experiences. I’m not saying I could then identify with Elie – but at least I stopped finding some fault in his reactions and thoughts. Maybe we all have a tendency to play Monday morning quarterback sometimes. The older I get and the more experiences I accumulate – I like to think I’d be able to handle some catastrophic event – but the bottom line is I just don’t know. Oddly enough, I did not want to take a break from the book, like I mentioned above when thinking of the immensity of the Holocaust. Maybe it was simply a thing of Elie’s simple straightforward compelling and engaging narrative of events and me wondering how much more could he take and how he would handle it that so held my interest. From the book a few things stick out to me: Things held dear – family, faith, dignity, belongings…a gold crown tooth or just the shoes on his feet…even life itself – were upended and devastated…Elie seeing children and babies thrown into the crematorium (I cannot erase that scene from my mind)… The disparity of human behavior – Elie seeing their tough and cruel guards engage in a friendly interaction with some local German girls as they marched the prisoners through the streets to a labor camp…They were forced to look upon other prisoners being hanged for some infraction. While seeing a young child hanged – someone behind Elie asked “where is God?” and Elie replied “there – hanging on the gallows”…At one camp, crammed into very small barracks it was literally people piled on top of one another – some suffocating under the blanket of bodies, dying overnight – Elie digging his nails into unknown faces to move them for an airway – that’s got to be one of the creepiest things that really got to me…another time laying silently in an upper bunk while an SS officer brutally beat his father in the bunk below – fearing he would also get beaten – even when his dying dad called out his name he would not answer – if that was me hearing my dad’s last word of calling out my name - that would haunt me for the rest of my life. Tonto and I went to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. in 2002 – and that was certainly a somber and sacred experience. Reading “Night” was certainly like that but also felt more emotionally immersive - one person’s story is truly a powerful thing.

If Allan's question was really as innocent as he claimed, he would have just stopped here, when T-Bpne answered him. Allan's question was- where did 6 million Jews come from if there were less than a million in Nazi Germany? T-Bone quoted Wikipedia- ALL OVER EUROPE. Germany rolled into Austria, Poland, France...... Seriously, it's EASY to study history online, if one actually cares.

We know a loaded question from an "innocent" one.

you present a false dilemma to further your opinion.