The Tattooist of Auschwitz a novel by Heather Morris is based on the powerful true story of love and survival. Heather Morris is a writer and native of New Zealand, now residing in Australia. In 2003, she was introduced to Lale Sokolov, who entrusted her with the innermost details of his life during the Holocaust.This is what was written on the inside cover.
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 Tatowierer (German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.
Imprisoned for more than 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 Gits, and in the first encounter, Lale vow to somehow survive the camp and marry her.
A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lal Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become 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.
I have visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and could not imagine the horrors that were done to the prisoners there. I left with a very sick feeling. After reading this book my feels did not change but it was nice to hear about a love that grew from inside the camp. This story tells you about what happen to this couple during their times in the camp. It tells of many brave people besides Lale and Gita. Towards the end of the war they are separated and sent to different camps. Do they find each other at the end? Read the book and find out.
Have you read this book? If so what did you think?
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