Nightfather by Carl Friedman

Running and screaming. Burning and freezing. The survivors of the Holocaust have been through it all. Their stories describe each and every detail of the horrendous events they experienced. Although the book Nightfather is fiction, the stories described depict the actual Holocaust exactly. By dissecting the time period of Carl Friedman’s Nightfather, a reader can understand the elements of fiction and realize the impact of history on fictional literature.

This book takes place sometime during the 1960s after the Second World War. Some Germans would rather forget it ever happened than acknowledge the disgraceful events that took place during World War II “Adolf Eichmann's trial began on April 11, 1961 in Jerusalem, Israel. Eichmann was charged with 15 counts of crimes against the Jewish people, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and membership in a hostile organization” (“Eichmann Trial”). “The 1960s saw an upsurge in civil rights and other organizations promoting freedom and equality for blacks and women” (“Social Movements and Organizations”). Along with the war on poverty during this time, a war in Vietnam progressed as well. “Unfortunately, the War on Poverty was expensive–too expensive, especially as the war in Vietnam became the government’s top priority” (“The War in Vietnam”). The war on poverty was almost completely disregarded as the war in Vietnam continued. Funding the war in Vietnam was the main priority of the American government rather than helping the poor people of America become financially stable.

“NightFather, by Carl Friedman, is a book about an insane father / holocaust survivor, who tells his children gruesome survivor stories of his of his past” (“Nightfather101-Main Idea”). His children believe that t...

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