261-300

The family dinner.
Miss Skeeter and Stuart's family finally meet.
This is an interesting interaction. Skeeter feels embarrassed by her family.
I know the feeling. When my family first started hanging out with my husbands, I would cringe at some of the off color comment my dad would say. I've always understood or accepted him but that didn't mean my in laws would feel the same.

My father in law loves my family and I am very lucky we all get along well. They have wine and talk for hours when we hang out.

The proper way of being around men or even just the adults in way too much. You practically learned to live a lie on a daily basis.
Although I appreciate the formalities I still prefer how things are now.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (pg 212-260)

Miss Celia's clothes are tight. In most description she is wearing scandalous outfits.
She likes to drink, which I never thought would be out of the norm for house wife. It can get boring.

The having a miscarriage episode is sad. I still have not been pregnant but would be so disappointed to know I have this little person inside. I have some friends that have miscarried and I feel sad even thinking about it.

I think the secrets keep piling up and Miss Celia has been caught!

The politics of those days. How can a maid be incarcerated for her son's Acton's. The student loan for the state school is so much higher. Hilly is just too much!

The game Bridge... I have no idea how to play this?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett ( pg 183-211)

Miss Skeeter gets caught by the ring leader Hilly and now things should get more interesting.
I thought when she left her back at the ladies meeting that they would find out.

Miss Hilly is crazy and a bossy lady,

Many maid begin to talk and convince each other of speaking out.
This is going to be interesting with so many stories to tell.

The bus system. This was before Rosa Parks or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..
 Segregation and racism at its worst.

The protests for civil rights begin and unfortunately people died.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (pg 142-181)

Ailbeens first interview.
Did Miss Skeeter drive her mother's cadillac and think people wouldn't notice her in a colored neighborhood? I only say this because things were so obvious in those days.

Now you would never think of this notion. A white girls driving to an older black women's house to talk. That's not a huge deal. However, still racism exists and people think it may be unusual that these two women interact?

Cinnamon cookies... the smell. I can smell the fresh made cookies and want to enjoy one with a cup of hot tea.

The history. Ailbeen's story is so interesting. Her mom was a maid, grandma was a house slave, and now Ailbeen si a maid like her mama. Times did change but not fast enough. 
The nervousness. I feel the fear that Ailbeena and Miss Skeeter both feel as they talk.

The women in the south talk about the hippy movements like a disgrace of some sort. They were so conservative! Old fashioned.

The surgeon general finally came out during this time telling people smoking could kill you.

Ailbeen writes! She doesn't say her prayers but writes them, This will be so helpful and more heartfelt than I expected. This book I already have seen in film but so many detail I forget until I read the book.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (pg 123-141)

Minny- I can't imagine working for someone and having to keep it a secret. I've kept secrets at work before and it is not as comfortable as you would want work to be. I had to keep a secret that I didn't know my boss growing up or at all.  He was my older brother's best friend. He recruited and hired me and always looked after my interest.  So I played the game and it worked. We scratched each other's back and he was the best boss ever!

Now with Minny and Celia, this is a bit different. Celia is claiming to be the amazing house wife that cooks and cleans. This is not what I did. I actually performed and earned my keep. My boss just made things easier and helped me out.

Minny is so mean when she talks about Miss Celia. I cringe a bit sometimes because Miss Celia means well and is the new girl in town. She seems misunderstood.

Chocolate pie- the introduction to the famous pie. I like how she relates to the pie and just says, "Never again after Miss Hilly".

Women like Minny are hard to deal with but they are honest.
"it's Tuesday, change-the-damn-sheets-day"
The description of how personal and plain disgusting it is to change other people's sheets.
-full of hair and scabs
-snot
-signs of jelly rolling
-blood stains- scrubbing those out with your bare hands... yeah gross!! My blood I can do but someone Else's.. .No way!

The comedy in this book reminds me the book I just finished reading, "A Fools Journey". I just crack up while in silence and look around wishing anyone could read what I just read.

Mr Johnny comes home and catches Minny in the house! She is not scared and even tells him to "better get away". He laughs and tells her he's known Miss Celia was up to something since the day they were home and Minny didn't come over. Miss Celia tried to cook and then he knew something was up.

I love how he lets the secret continue and even asks Minny to make him food. She has nothing to worry about losing her job after all.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (pg 90-122)

Aibleen- I like how the book is written with chapters written in their unique voices
She's raised a lot of white babies as he calls them or Baby Girl for Mae Mobley.
She gives Mae Mobley so much sweet attention and is such an eye opener to how the 'colored' help raised so many children. One point I find to be so interesting is that one the children grow up to repeat the cycle.

The bathroom initiative is just so sad.  I can't even imagine life as a colored man or women 50 years ago. Why did they have to suffer this way?

Losing a child is a very difficult challenge for any mother to face. I feel so sad for Aibleen when she is can't even take a day off to deal with the anniversary of her son Treelore.  I'm glad she told her boss she was sick and left.

Skeeter- She is so naive in some ways. She seems to be sincere but not realizing how segregated Jacksonville is. I find it interesting to know she would write a column about cleaning tips when she never has done this for herself! I don't blame her for asking Aibleen for help.

When she decides to write about the life of the maids and ask Aibleen for help with this, I think she's crazy. In those times, I would not dare cross town into a segregated neighborhood to take such risk.
The times of MLK must have been so intense and many people risked their lives daily. This is an example of this. So intense and still just can't believe this was the way of life.

The date with Stuart is pretty funny.
She was so out of place, he told her she smelled like fertilizer! She called him a drunk... not a good first date.

Hilly is a piece of work. I just can't stand people like her and they still exist!! Materialistic and just bitchy.

The Help By Kathyrn Stockett (pg 47-89)

I can relate with Minny when she mention she doesn't mind work because she doesn't have to deal with all the responsibilities at home.  I feel that way about school sometimes. I don't mind just secluding myself in our office and doing homework instead of cleaning and cooking. It give me a break. However, some days I still do both plus work a full 8 hour day. I don't know what it would be like to have 5 children, be a maid like Minny who spends all day cooking and cleaning other people's houses. I wonder how those women's hands get after using all those chemical in those days?

I just took 2 hours of my study time to go cook dinner clean the kitchen, make lunches, cut and wash veggies for our juice for breakfast and that was just for myself and husband.

Miss Celia being the new girl on town and the clicks between the women seem so high school!  I feel bad for her. I like how Minny gets irritable so easy. I feel bad for people that are so high stress like that. I tend to not care enough sometimes my husband tell me. I just don't like to stress although I do get stressed with school. Not little things.

Miss Skeeter- she describes her hair like pubic...wow. The visual Kathryn gives are great. Her mom is so interesting. I can relate to mom telling me how she already had 3 children at my age. Times were changing then and now women wait longer to start having children.

Her mom's name reminds me of my European husbands mom. She has like 4 names. Graca Maria Fonseca Santos. I still have not changed my name to my husbands. It would be Gabriela Sylvia Montaner Da Fonseca...

Wow when Skeeter talks about job opportunities and the difference is just astonishing. I can't imagine being held back. I am the bread winner of my family. I've always made more money than my husband and have higher education goals. Doesn't say less about my husband but just to show how the times have changed. I don't mind it because I enjoy being a strong partner for my husband.

A Fool's Journey ( The ending)

I love the twists you added to the Aunt Eunice scene. I can't believe she just walked into the apartment! The hair. I love how you included that into the scene. How creepy to wake up in your own car you cut off. I'm so glad that Manny and Panda were there at the scene.

The parts when they are in the hospital made me uncertain of the happy ending... I was starting to think she was going to die. I like the images you created with her mom and the little girl without a face.
This book is great and I can't think of anything else but for me to recommend it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett(Pg1-46)

This book is amazing! I saw the movie one day while my husband was out since I knew he wouldn't want to see it with me.  I thought it was so meaningful to the times it was set in but as I read it, I start to relive the same feelings as if I were living in those days. The movie doesn't tell the story the same way. The chapters define each character and tell their story. I like what I am reading and can't help but envision the movie as I read. The characters from the movie have become the visual character and I don't know if I would feel the same if it were reversed. When I read the Fools Journey, I felt differently about each character. I had no idea what you envisioned but what I understood from what I was reading. This is all a new thing for me and I am loving it!

I really enjoy the language used in this book. The accent and slang like vocabulary is so realistic to the character speaking. Ailbeen is so sweet. She loves her children she raises and really makes me want to reach out and hug her. Minny on the other hand I'm not so sure I could handle for very long. I love strong personalities but she would DRIVE me a bit crazy and I don't think I could hold back if she gave me that attitude she gives. This book is addictive!!

A Fool's Journey (pg 240-274)

Panda's return. What are the odds of this voodoo doll with the cigar? That gave me the chills and made me still think she wished something bad upon Deidre??

The scene in the vegetable garden between Manny and Deidre? Wow this became steamy all of sudden! Mrs. Ruiz is so good to have seen this interaction and rush out the door.

I thought they would make love, but she pushed him away after his confession?

This brings a twist, I know it!
Bess killed Freemont! Wow. I knew something would happen between them.

A Fools Journey (pg 200-239)

The cutting of hair. This is great. I would want to do the same. The history of her hair is such a reoccurring theme. I like that she just decided to let go and go for it.

I hope her and Manny hook up:) I know she feels safe and he knows her secret. I can understand this bond to be one that will help them have no secrets between them as friends or something more.

He came to the rescue and Mrs. Rosa had a premonition that something was wrong. I just think this is great how she knows things. Mrs. Rosa house reminds me of the warmth she portrays. The fact that she takes in anyone who needs help shows the type of person she is.

I like how you go more into the immigrant community. The struggle and sense of family they have being in another country. I always found it to be so admirable how many immigrant families live under one household. You do what you can.

Discarded troll. You make me laugh a lot in your book. I like how you bring humor and mystery in one book.

I can't believe this. Deidre put her mom in the state she is in!  Now things are making more sense. But why does her Aunt hate her so much? Is it really the money?

Manny is falling in love. Yes! I want to go shopping like they did. Great scene.

A Fools Journey (pg 164-199)

WOW! Mary, this part is awesome. When she begins to open up and tell the story of her father. When she is telling the story I am in awe. How can a man think his daughter will stay "pure" and not have her period? What a crazy cruel father! He called his daughter a whore and cut her hair?

Katie or Deidre did the right thing to defend herself and protect mother!

The awkward interaction between Freemont and her in the class observation was great!
The feeling is well described and I felt the rage... now things may get tricky. They both know something about each other and the confrontation needs to happen.

Do you ever feel like a counselor? I think with this subject of writing you may learn a lot of personal information over your students and they may ask for your opinion?

I think you seem very open minded so I can see student wanting to tell you more than you might want to know !

What!! Freemont in her apartment! Great twist :)

I never expected him INSIDE her apartment. I love the way you describe the slap. "you will suffer for that" makes me so scared for her.

I knew that student Todd was a part of this! Then the Aunt Eunice came to add more to the drama.
This is a such an intense scene and the dialogue is so good.
Freemont is a dirty old man! This was an unforgettable scene.

She has the upper hand now.

A Fools Journey (pg 130-163)

Adam- the student. Would he be a possible threat? How weird that he was there ready to save her from the car?
That is almost like a stalker in a movie. There at the right place and right time to cover up.

I like the way you place all characters to be a mystery.

I feel the paranoia that Deidre is sensing with her English department, Freemont, and Aunt Eunice.

At this point I see Manny as a good character. He is only trying to help.
I hope he helps keep her safe.

Secrets are hard to keep buried and Deidre will have to confide her past with Manny. He seems to have similar gift to his Aunt. Mrs. Ruiz has a good 6th sense and Manny does too.

I like the relationship that is starting to develop here with Manny and Deidre.

Freemont still is my #1 villain. The aunt may just want money. Panda may be jealous of  her friends success or just an odd lady.  The students may have built up anger or crushes on Deidre?

Things are starting to get more interesting.

The Fool's Journey (pg 82-130)

I have to say, any new character makes me question if they are the mystery stalker.

Manny does seem to have a interesting look to him and I don't know if he's really a good person or also kinda a creeper. He really asks a lot of questions. Maybe because he's a cop.

I think him and Deidre will become close due to the time spent already in her apartment and possible coffee date.

Her mom being in a coma for 12 years is kinda weird twist. How terrible. My father in law who recently passed was in a coma for a week and I'm so happy he passed. Being brain dead and just on life support is a terrible way to live or have family suffer.

The fool. I like how you bring this significance of this card and have Deidre investigate. The interaction between the older lady and man bring a sense of mystic mystery. Some people don't believe in ghost or tarot reading. I certainly do.

The aunt is another possible villain. She seems to be resentful and full of evil.
Great intro for another possible character against Deidre. I love how you describe the prickle in her skin like we all get when we get the chills. I sometimes get this feeling in my own house.  I feel my brothers spirit or sometimes a pat on my back and no one is there...

Black mail. Eunice and Freemont are maybe connected. What a crazy combo. What does this mean?

Bess's story is unreal! I can not believe that this Freemont man could do such a thing? It really makes me want to speak out for her. I can't believe this twist. This is a great part to add.

No changes so far. I am enjoying this read.

Fools Journey (Pg 59-81)

I love how you leave cliff hangers for us to not want to put this book down!

Bess Seymor- what mystery or secrets does she have up her sleeve?

The next chapter I liked because it gave insight to what a Poetry Teacher's classroom is like. It reminded me of our first few classes for WR 115. You encouraged us to think more creatively and to think of our childhood. This was a challenge for me because my memory is not good. For some reason I've blocked a lot of details. When you had us do the exercise of remembering something we learned from k-12. That was tough.

The character Todd seems to be a weird one. I think he could be a potential candidate to wanting to hurt Deidre?

Now I see 3 potentials: Panda, Freemont, and Todd.

You do an awesome job describing characters!

The emails. This was a great build up to another great cliff hanger. Manny knocking on the door after her discovering someone had emailed her this poem. This is getting more intense...

Fools Journey (pg 39-58)

Chapter V starts off with the cliff hanger of the previous chapter with the wreath embedded with Deidre's hair.

My thoughts now question who Panda really is. She is a very funny but odd character. She seems to have interest in black magic and things of this sort. She insists on having Deidre go stay with her and it makes me think she may have something up her sleeve. Maybe she is the person trying to put a spell on her?

Mrs. Ruiz is pretty interesting and I like how you use broken English for her. I'm also reading "The Help" and I would say you could maybe do a bit more of this type of language for her.

She's a Hispanic lady so maybe use more accent in her language?

The hair. I loved how you threw in so much detail to the history of what clipping of hair mean in the Victorian age and what it can generally signifies, "control".

I get uncomfortable and a creepy sensation by the way you describe Freemont Willard. The oil slick image when he talks and you did a great job making him a creepy man. The detail in how he pet her hair and what memories that brought her made my stomach churn thinking she was possible molested?

Love this story so far!

A Fools Journey (Pg 22-38)

This chapter has really taken me back. I always get a bit creeped out with black magic.
My grandmother believes in the tarot card reading and there's a few family stories that make me believe that this stuff is real.
One time while my grandmother read her own cards she saw the death of her child. My uncle really did pass away. Another time recently I had my cards read and there were things that were told to me that no one else knew. I later came to find out that a couple close to me was getting a divorce and nobody knew about it. At the time I wondered who it could be? Then it all made sense!

The pulling or cutting of Deidre's hair is very scary and sets the tone for the rest of the chapter.
What a mystery?
Will she ever find out who is after her?
Mrs. Ruiz character makes me laugh!

I'm not sure about Panda. She is fun but I kind of don't know if she really is a part of this whole thing or just a witness to it all.

"The Fool' Journey" by Mary Chase (pg 7-21)

This book starts off with a scene of a rainy Seattle day at Pike Place and it immediately made me think of my brother Eric.  Eric used to live in Seattle and we used to go to that shopping maze as you described.  I really enjoy the way you are using adjectives like rain-washed to describe the city.

I also enjoy the images that come to mind with the way you describe this windows that glittered.

This first chapter infuses many emotions to my mind as I so wish I could relive the days I was in Seattle with my brother Eric.

He passed away in a car accident 7 years ago and I still suffer from his sudden death. Actually I think I want to write one of my papers on him.

I really think this book is very interesting from the start and I love the friendship that is being shared between Deidre and Panda. It reminds me of my friend Shelby and I.  These girls are really funny together and have dirty mouths...






This book was

"Night" by Elie Wiesel (Pg 102-116)

I find the surviving group of men to be acting almost like savages. They are so tired, cold, and hungry that they don't care about the person next to them. I think of those zombie movies when I picture these scenes in the book. I know that all they want is to live but at what cost?

"Just one word. I was suffocating. But my father had awakened and grabbed my aggressor."
Men had tried to strangle Elie.

Elie does everything in his power to remain close to his father and survive.  His father did not have the strength that Elie at the end. 

"Why don't they just shoot us now?"

When they reached their destination out of 100 men only 12 were left on their wagon.

The men became weaker and so did Elie's father.
It was truly heartbreaking to see how much he tried to protect his father from being killed or giving up.

"Eliezer...Eliezer...tell them not to beat me...I haven't done anything... Why are they beating me?"
The neighboring prisoners were bullying the sick old man. He could no longer get up to relieve himself and they angry.

Then one morning, Elie wakes up to someone else sleeping in his father's bed.  They took him with out him knowing.
"Perhaps he was still breathing..."
This was in January and he remained in the camp until April.

Nothing else mattered after his father died.
Sad but great book.

"Night" by Elie Wiesel (pg 85-102)

Since there are so many impactful words I've decided to quote them

"An icy wind was blowing violently. But we marched without faltering."
 "Faster, you tramps, you flea-ridden dogs!"
"The night was pitch-black. From time to time, a shot exploded in the darkness. They had orders to shoot anyone who could not sustain the pace."
"The road was endless."

 They were not allowed to slow down as they ran or they were shot to death.

"Chilled to the bone, our throats parched, famished, out of breath, we pressed on."

Elie uses great descriptive writing. He makes you feel like you are the one chilled to the bone and out of breath.

Many people froze to death during this part of story. Can you imagine being piled on top of eachother and knowing that some of the bodies were dead?

This is a hard ending to the book. His father starts to become colorless and some even thought he was dead. People were eager to get rid of the dead bodies. They were riding a train in the snow.

"Throw out all the dead! Outside, all the corpses! The living were glad. They would have more room. Volunteers began the task."

How can people become so unemotional? Is this what they call being in survival mode?

"Night" by Elie Wiesel (78-84)

I couldn't stop reading this book until the end. It was pretty short and I don't read on my own time. I like to read more documentary or how to books.  I really am enjoying this process.

This part of the book is interesting with thinks getting closer to the end. Elie becomes disabled as he gets an operation on his infected heel on his foot. He gets to hang out in the hospital but is afraid of being there. They all live in fear on dying everyday. He and his father are no longer in the same area but everyday they connect at some point. Rumors swept the camp that liberation was near.  Cannons could be heard in the distance. 

"It was like an injection of morphine..." this is what the rumors felt like.

The same day they heard this rumor is when they needed to evacuate!  The Russians were close and the camp was to be taken to somewhere deep in Germany.

"The camp had become a hive of activity." I like this descriptive sentence. A hive of bees is so crazy with bees flying in all directions making it hard to track where they are going.

This would begin a journey for all prisoners in the freezing cold weather. Elie decided to make the journey even though his foot had not healed yet. If he would've stayed they would've killed him.

"How much longer would our lives be lived from one "last night" to the next?" 
"Poor clowns, wider than tall, more dead than alive, poor creatures whose ghostly faces peeked out from layers of prisoner's clothes! Poor clowns!"

Great visual as he describes how they looked as they prepared for the evacuation.
                                     

Night by Elie Wiesel (pg 63-65)

Christmas and New Years they did not work? I wonder why that was. I'm glad they had 2 days.

I never knew that people died by getting hung in these camps.
"like a sword, the order cut throught the air"
They tortured the rest of the camp by making them watch and walk by the hanging body.

"then the entire camp, block after block, filed past the hanged boy and stared at his extinguished eyes, the tongue hanging from his gaping mouth. The Kapos forced everyone to look him squarely in the face. Afterward, we were given permission to go back to our block and have our meal.  I remember that on that evening, the soup tasted better than ever.."

Many brutalities were shared in this section. Stories of many more being killed by hanging. Even children being orderd to beat their own fathers for not making the bed properly.

                               

"Night" by Elie Wiesel (pg 66-77)

"The summer was coming to an end. The Jewish year was almost over. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the last day of the cursed year, the entire camp was agitated and every one of us felt the tension. After all, this was a day unlike all others. The last day of the year. The word "last" had an odd ring to it. What if it really were the last day?"

This how the chapter begins. I love how the details and the question really makes you wonder if it could be the day they kill everyone and he escapes somehow.

"Night was falling rapidly" I will keep this one in mind as a descriptive way to tell the reader what time of day it is.

I think that there's a common theme in the book about how Elie loses his faith in God. He starts off as a very religious boy.  Shortly after arriving to the camp he lost all faith. He was angry with God and asks why would he let people die. I would ask the same questions. It's hard to accept death and I asked God that question seven years ago when my oldest brother died at age 29. 

It's amazing how people in those conditions considering fasting during this time. They were given bread and soup in very small rations. 

Later on came the selection process where the weak people were taken to the cremetory.
Some men would just give up after so much sacrifice and wear on their bodies and spirts.  One man asked, " In three days, I'll be gone... Say Kaddish for me.?
I don't know what Kaddish means but by the context, I think it means prayer.

"Winter had arrived."  I already am starting to shiver. I can't imagine these people working in the cold and sleeping in these conditions. Homeless people have it better than they did. The Jews were beat , and lashed with whips. Starved and left to die.

"Night "by Elie Weisel (Pg 48-66)

I'm trying to look for writing techniques or ideas on how I would start my own chapter in a story.
This chapter starts out with a great visual.
"The camp looked as though it ahd been though an epidenmic: empty and dead."

I find there to be many forms of this type of sentence structure. I enjoy feeling like I know what he sees at that moment in time.

Descriptive sentences.
"He was a stocky man with big shoulders, the neck of a bull, thick lips, and curly hair. He gave an impression of kindness. From time to time, a smile would linger in his gray-blue eyes."
 "Our tent leader was a German. An assassin's face, fleshy lips. hand resembling a wolf's paws.  The camp's food agreed with him; he could hardly move, he was so fat."

Time.
I'm seeing the importance of tracking time. The author uses, "the first three days went by quickly", "ten minutes later", and "many years later."
I need to keep this in mind when writing.

Language.
Blockaltsete was a German Jew. He uses italics for all German words.  Meister a German employee or civilian.
The importance of this is that it reminds you that this was in a different country and culture.  I enjoy learning new words.

"Night"- by Elie Wiesel (pg 37-47)

"You are in a concentration camp. In Auschwitz..."

You are in Aushwitz? I replay this in my mind as I read. This young boy and father are going to one of the worst camps that existed. As I read this book, I start to feel the emotion of desperation and helplessness.
There is a difference in reading a holocaust story because of the terrifying endings that we can expect. I have to admit that I had a hard time putting this book down to blog. I read it from this page until the end.

However I noted sticky notes as I found some of Elie's descriptive phrases I liked.

"Comrades, you are now in a concentraton camp Auschwitz. Ahead of you lies a long road paved with suffering. Don't lose hope...." This was said by the SS officer in charge. I couldn't believe that there were people that had human feelings during this time.

It wouldn't last long unitl what I've seen in the movies and read in history books turned into reality.

Night- by Elie Wiesel pg (7-34)

I find myself wanting to keep on going with this book and not stop.  There is now a feeling of suspense and fear of the unknown. Moishe was a foreigner and all foreign Jews were deported due to a change in government. The Fascist government had taken over and some people only saw it as just politics.

This is interesting how the people at the time were almost unaware of what was to come in just a few months. They started seeing these changes in government and witnessed the first round of deportees leave and never question where they had gone? Things were calm and settled months later until one day Moishe reappeared in the community.

When I read moments like its so difficult.  I know what is to come and I feel so helpless . I wish someone could of warned them and that the people would've believed it was true.

Moishe tried telling everyone but he had such an unbelievable tale that no one thought he was in the right mind. 

"Moishe was not the same. The joy in his eyes was gone.  He no longer sang.  He no longer mentioned God or Kabbalah. He only spoke of what he had seen.  But people not only refused to believe his tales, they refused to listen."
What desperation he must've felt?

I really like another line that the author used for Moishe.
"They think I'm mad." he whispered, and tears, like drops of wax, flowed from his eyes.

Later the story describes the beginning weeks before the concentration camps.
The laws that prohibited Jews to have any gold or anything of value.
The gold star.
The ghettos and how they actually felt safe in there.  Even though they were couped up in one area they were amongst people who supported each other.
The final days of this deportation were so emotional.  No sleep, only eating enough to satisfy hunger to save for the unknown of the days to come. 

Elie's dad who was connected with someone in the Hungarian Police was a strong character in the Jewish community.  He plays a role of strength and wisdom to his community and family.  There is a very emotional part when they get the news that they need to prepare for deportation, pack a bag, only bring essentials. There is a long silence and then a sense of urgency to get everyone up and going. 

Elie also shares that there was a knock at the sealed window that night.  However no one was there.  After the war he found out that the friend of his father's who was part of the Hungarian Police had tried to warn them that night. 
"Before we entered the ghetto, he had told us, " Don't worry. I'll warn you if there is danger."  Had he been able to speak to us that night, we might still have been able to flee..."
What if?

"They passed me by, like beaten dogs, with never a glance in my direction. They must've envied me."
This is when he is in a file walking out of the ghetto. There had been 3 rounds of deportation. They were part of the final one.

 There is much more during this next part when they get separated to never see his mother and sister again.  The train ride and arrival to the camp. The smell he describes as burning flesh! The lies him and father both have to say to have better chances of not dying or being separated. 

I have so much to share so I will try to blog with less pages read. I just couldn't put it down. So will try to be better at this for next blog.

Night- by Elie Wiesel (pg 3-6)

The little town of Transylvania. Where is this place? I will need to look it up? I didn't know it existed maybe only in the story of Dracula?  However, I now realize that is where Elie is from. 

The Jews of Sighet.  I know there are a lot of Jews all over the world. I know that during the war they were persecuted all over Europe but I never understood why.  In the story, he begins by introducing this man called Moishe the Beadle.  The poor man jack of all trades.But this part really stood out.

"He was poor and lived in utter penury. As a rule, our townspeople, while they did help the needy, did not particularly like them. Moishe the Beadle was the exception."

I find this to still be true in society today.  For example: I see this with people who say they support the homeless shelters or people in need.  Yes you can write a check or give some of your loose change towards these people. But do you really like them? Would you offer one of them a place to sleep or simply help them out of pity or to do the "right thing"? 
This is a feeling that we still have with people in need. Just a sad but true statement.

Later the story moves on toward the discovery of meaning of God for Elie.  He was a very religious young man. He prayed quite often.  Moishe would begin to ask many questions whenever he noticed he was praying.  Why did he pray?  Why did he cry and pray? Why so many questions did Moishe ask?  So Elie began to ask them back. He asked Moishe, "Why do you pray"?

Moishe responds,
"Man comes closer to God through the questions he asks Him. Man asks God and he replies. But when we don't understand His replies. We cannot understand them.  Because they dwell in the depth of our souls and remain there until we die. The real answers, Eliezer, you will find only within yourself."

This is the beginning of a spiritual journey between Eliezer and Moishe.

Night- by Elie Wiesel (Foreword by Francois Mauric)

The next part that I read was the foreword. It was written by the French writer who helped Elie publish his first version of this book. He starts and speaks about the first time he met Elie.  Somehow the conversation lead to the times of the holocaust. Francois told Elie, "I have thought of those children so many times!" and Elie responded, "I was one of them."
I try to imagine that moment and how this conversation would lead to the changing of so many lives by sharing Elie's story.

Later Francois shares the fate of the Jews of the small town in Transylvania and how this "child" would share his story...
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed."

I can't wait to start reading further.  I wonder how much this book will bring me back to when I read the Diary of Anne Frank?  Or will it be more graphic now that I have seen so many documentaries and movies over this subject?

"Night" by Elie Wiesel -Preface of the New Translation

I was recommended this book by a co-worker who loves to read and has a huge library of books.  We talked about how interesting this blog would be to read after reading the entire book. To be able to document this experience is pretty exciting to me as I am not much of a reader.

I started reading this while on a short break at work. My co-worker Melissa gave me just a few details prior and since it had to do with the holocaust so I immediately was sold.  I really enjoy documentary or real life story movies.  This book is a revision of the original that was 45 years ago and now his wife helped re-translate and write this version with a more original sentiment. The author was a new writer and had lost some of the story in translation and due to publisher requests.

The first sentence of the preface reads, "If in my lifetime I was to write only one book, this would be the one."  This instantly sent me a message telling me that this story really means a lot to the author.
He really goes on to just talk about what most people know about the holocaust. Like that the Nazis in Germany were killing Jews by the hundreds and thousands all over Europe. Or that Jewish men, women and children and the Jewish culture trying to be erased forever in history. So many young boys like himself would be witnesses of so much tradgedy but would never be able to have the words to say or ever really be understood.

He originally wrote this book in his mother's tongue in Jiddish.  He explained that in order for this book to be published it needed to be translated into French and English; also needing to make some cuts to the original manuscript.

Here is an example of the Yiddish version translated: "In the begining there was faith-which is childish; trust- which is vain; and illusion-which is dangerous."
The book goes on with more quotes from the original translations of the Yiddish version and it is very deep and dark and you almost feel like it's happening to you.
I am definitley hooked and excited to keep reading!