As this concluding volume of his moving and revealing memoirs begins, Elie Wiesel is forty years old, a writer of international repute. Determined to speak out more actively for both Holocaust survivors and the disenfranchised everywhere, he sets himself a challenge: "I will become militant. I will teach, share, bear witness. I will reveal and try to mitigate the victims' solitude." He makes words his weapon, and in these pages we relive with him his unstinting battles. We see him meet with world leaders and travel to regions ruled by war, dictatorship, racism, and exclusion in order to engage the most pressing issues of the day. We see him in the Soviet Union defending persecuted Jews and dissidents; in South Africa battling apartheid and supporting Mandela's ascension; in Cambodia and in Bosnia, calling on the world to face the atrocities; in refugee camps in Albania and Macedonia as an emissary for President Clinton. He chastises Ronald Reagan for his visit to the German military cemetery at Bitburg. He supports Lech Walesa but challenges some of his views. He confronts Francois Mitterrand over the misrepresentation of his activities in Vichy France. He does battle with Holocaust deniers. He joins tens of thousands of young Austrians demonstrating against renascent fascism in their country. He receives the Nobel Peace Prize. Through it all, Wiesel remains deeply involved with his beloved Israel, its leaders and its people, and laments its internal conflicts. He recounts the behind-the-scenes events that led to the establishment of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. He shares the feelings evoked by his return to Auschwitz, by his recollections of Yitzhak Rabin, and by his memories of his own vanished family. This is the magnificent finale of a historic memoir.
And the Sea Is Never Full is Elie Wiesel's memoir of the period between 1969 and the present. Wiesel, an esteemed writer (his Night is among the greatest memoirs of the Holocaust) and political activist, begins the book remembering a challenge given to himself at age 40: "I will become militant. I will teach, share, bear witness. I will reveal and try to mitigate the victims' solitude." He defends dissidents in the Soviet Union; draws attention to the atrocities of Cambodia and Bosnia; and fights apartheid in South Africa. He attacks Holocaust deniers, stands with Lech Walesa in Poland, visits Albania as a representative of President Clinton, and wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel's tragic boyhood compelled him to work very hard to love the world. He has learned to do so, and this memoir, like all of his best writing, teaches its reader to love the world while looking directly at its greatest terrors. --Michael Joseph Gross
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Elie Wiesel: The Voice of the Jews:
After ten years of silence about his experiences in the hell of the Nazi reign, Elie Wiesel has unleashed a literary and humanitarian career, utilizing his pen and memories as means to spread peace and stop hate and violence. And the Sea is Never Full, the memoirs of Elie Wiesel from the year 1969, is more than the attempt of a Holocaust survivor to come to terms with the world that betrayed him; it contains lessons learned by one who has seen the worst of humanity and who still finds the avenue for having... more info
Fascinating:
I do appreciate an author with a point of view about things and if nothing else Wiesel has that. His autobiography tells the story of a man with a mission, a passion, and strong convictions.
The continuation of a great man's story:
Elie Weisel in my eyes is a great man. He is the witness of the most horrible evil in human history , who somehow managed to help make the character of that Evil known to the world. He is a devoted writer and a foremost spokesman and defender of the Jewish people. But he is also has a special role in working to help the suffering and the persecuted throughout the world. Years ago in Biafra he was there to try and help the Ibo. And since then he has time and again placed himself at risk to help others. As a... more info
very personal:
I loved the first biography by Elie Wiesel, All Rivers Run to the Sea. I loved his objectivity, his detached but sharp view on the incredible and often cruel incidents that happened in his life, as well as his reserved but firm believe and philosophy you can see behind it. I was fascinated by the personal story of this incredible person and was impressed by the power of his quiet words that was much powerful than too emotional accounts on the tragedy that we often hear.
