Night

Elie Wiesel's Night is an incredibly powerful, affecting account of the author's experiences in Auschwitz during the final days of World War II.  It is astonishing that such a thin, sparse work can capture so completely the devastation suffered by one boy and his family. 

This is the second time I've read Night.  I first read the original translation a few years ago for a class that examined man's response to evil in the world; this newer translation, by Wiesel's wife, is the one that Wiesel himself prefers according to his introduction.  Whatever the translation, however, readers will always remember the power of Wiesel's voice as he struggles to hang onto his family and his faith during the longest and darkest night in modern history.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough to mature readers.