Dawn by Elie Wiesel

This was a difficult book to read. It made me uncomfortable. That isn't a bad thing, in fact I think it was the point.

Elisha is a young Holocaust survivor who gets recruited into a Zionist terrorist organization at war with the English. When the English capture and say they are going to hang a Jewish man named David Elisha gets tasked with killing a captured Englishman named John.

The book tells Elisha's back story including how he ended up part of this group. But the real story is how he works himself up to his task and what he finds out about himself as he contemplates what he is about to do.

Is there ever a just side in a conflict of this nature? Is acting out in violence ever justified? While an older book this story still feels relevant. I was left wondering about the actions of one group against another and how often times people create their own enemies.

(finished December 15, 2013)