The Tattooist of Auschwitz [movie-tie-in]: A Poignant Novel of Love, Survival, and Sacrifice Amidst the Horrors of the Holocaust
#1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 International Bestseller • Now a Peacock Original Series starring Harvey Keitel and Melanie Lynskey
This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov—an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.
“The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an extraordinary document, a story about the extremes of human behavior existing side by side: calculated brutality alongside impulsive and selfless acts of love. I find it hard to imagine anyone who would not be drawn in, confronted and moved. I would recommend it unreservedly to anyone, whether they’d read a hundred Holocaust stories or none.”—Graeme Simsion, internationally-bestselling author of The Rosie Project
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.
Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.
One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.
A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.
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Community Reviews
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
254 pages
What’s it about?
Lale Sokolov is a 25 year-old Slovakian Jew when he is forcibly transported to the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is April of 1942 and Lale will survive for 2 ½ years in the camp.
What did I think?
So I found myself stuck at the airport with no book and the cashier at the bookstore highly recommended this to me. This was basically a love story set in a horrible time and place. I myself intentionally try to be selective when reading books about the holocaust. At one point are we turning the misery of others into entertainment? And yet, we should not forget- so there is the conundrum….
Should you read it?
This was a love story, a story of what one will do to survive, and a story of triumph. If you are looking for a quick book about the holocaust then this is a fine choice.
Quote-
“Lale and Leon’s daily lives are still being dictated by the arrival of transports from across Europe. AS spring becomes summer, they do not stop coming.
Today the pair is working with long rows of female prisoners. The selection process is taking place a small distance away. They are too busy to pay attention to it. An arm and a piece of paper appear before them, and they do their job. Over and again. “
If you like this try-
Among the Living by Jonathan Rabb
The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard
The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
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