As I wrote the index for this book, I'd find that I was wrapped up in the story so much that I was crying; I'd have to go back to re-read sections so I could index it. It's very disturbing, but very well written. I highly recommend it for all people, so we'll learn not to repeat these atrocities.

The fear and terror that Elie Wiesel endured during his teenage years can not be rationally explained. The novel Witness for Life by Ellen Norman Stern portrays the dramatic and emotional impact that the Holocaust had on Elie Wiesel's life.
The systematic extermination of Elie's family became a ghastly memory and a critical part of shaping his future identity. Elie's comfortable home life in his early years deeply influenced his life. Eliezer Wiesel was born in Sighet, Transylvania to Shlomo and Sarah Wiesel on September 30, 1928. Elie, from a very young age, wanted to learn the intricacies of the Jewish religion. He would study Judaism eleven months each year. He would do his secular studies in an intensive one-month program. His love of learning would come back to him later in his life.
When Elie was fifteen, all the Jews of Sighet were gathered up and put on a train to Auschwitz. The last sight that Elie had of the town that he had loved so much during his childhood was Adolf Eichmann striding up and down the platform laughing. The horrible stench of burning human flesh surrounded the camp. He witnessed human bodies being tossed into giant ditches with fire burning at the bottom. Hoping that this was all a dream, Elie went to bed that night to the sounds of the Mourners Kaddish, a prayer for the dead. Although he still believed in a god, he could no longer praise him. Elie's father died during the time that he was in Auschwitz.
Elie soon met the Nobel laureate Francois Mauriac. Francois was also a member of the French Resistance. He urged Elie to write about what he had witnessed. Elie emerged with an eight hundred page manuscript that no one would publish. The manuscript was entitled Night. Mauriac used his influence to have Night published after Eli condensed the book.
By reading this novel before reading a novel like Night I was able to better understand the life of Elie Wiesel. The author made it apparent that she interviewed Elie for this biography. She also used excepts from many of Elie's books. Although this is a well-written book, it was published in 1982. Elie has done many things since then, including the pinnacle of his career, winning the Nobel Peace Prize. I would suggest reading a more current biography.