I think this would be an important book for anyone facing physical limitations or open heart surgery. He faces reality that life is precious but focuses on hopefulness. ( )

This is a short discussion about Elie’s thoughts about life when he was faced with open heart surgery. He is a prolific writer and is famous for “Night.” This book is short and has limited content but is still worth the read. Elie is a Jew with a philosophical perspective on life that I appreciate. ( )

Open Heart is an intimately honest account of Wiesel’s feelings and thoughts during a time when he wasn’t sure if he was going to live or die. As he faces his own mortality, he reflects on his choices and his conflicting emotions regarding God and his place in the world.

I was moved by the memoir. It’s simple and short, but contains a depth of emotion. I especially appreciated reading Wiesel’s regrets for not doing more and his ongoing questioning of religion. Even Wiesel, who has done so much, wants to do so much more with his life. It was nice to see even Wiesel questioning his choices, but it was also wonderful to see how he always turned to what gave him joy and what he thought were his successes. This book was quite comforting in that. I’m sure all of us could think back to things we wish we had done differently, or things we wish we understood better, but in the end, we can always turn to the things that we take joy and pride in.

Overall, this is a comforting memoir that shows just what it means to be faced with uncertainty. If you are at all a fan of Wiesel and his work, this is well worth the read.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. ( )

A beautiful book. Not as good to read (in my opinion) as another book I read (Night).
But most certainly a book that is thought provoking and interesting to read. ( )

A wonderful (though very tiny) little book by Elie, essentially the ruminations of a person at the end of his life possibly on death's bed. I've always admired and loved the works of Elie Wiesel (and the man himself), and this is definitely no exception. A quiet, understated book about his reflections on his life, on his heart (and his looming heart-surgery, open heart bypass, and then the after-effects of it), his works, 'the event' (the Holocaust), survivors, and the Jewish tradition. It's both enlightening and sad to see a man as distinguished as Elie was, at the age of 82, and so close to death, questioning himself if he's done enough for his fellow survivors, if he's done enough to promote peace and stop hate and discrimination, and to just question his whole existence. But I think this is typical of all of us, and for those of us who haven't accomplished nearly 1/5th (or 1/100th) of what this great man has done, it's a bit of motivation for us to go out and do so much more, to try and live up to something of this level. ( )