Book title: The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Author: Heather Morris
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Number of pages: 272 pages
Genre: historical fiction, World War II, Holocaust, romance
Release Date: September 4th, 2018
Favorite Quotes:
“As he looks into them, his heart seems simultaneously to stop and to begin beating for the first time, pounding, almost threatening to burst out of his chest.”
”He grasps his arm, staring at the number. How can someone do this to another human being? He wonders if for the rest of his life, be it short or long, he will be defined by this moment, this irregular number: 32407.”
”” You intrigue me, Lale. I was drawn to you. You had a strength that even your sick body couldn’t hide. It brought you to this point, sitting in front of me today.””
”A doctor who will cause more pain than he eases, Lale suspects; whose very existence threatens in ways Lale doesn’t want to contemplate. Yes, a stain must remain to remind Lale of the new danger that has entered his life> He must always be wary of this man whose soul is colder than his scalpel.”
””Be attentive, Lale; remember the small things, and the big things will work themselves out.””
””It is enough that one of us has a little happiness. We share in it, and you let us-that’s enough for us,” says Dana.”
”He sits outside for a long time, looking skyward, wondering what the Americans had seen and thought. Several of the men join him in the silence, a silence that is no longer quiet. A wall of grief surrounds them.”
” The twinkling of stars overhead is no longer a comfort. They merely remind him of the chasm between what life can be and what it is now…”.
”… identified by their race, not their nationality, and this is something Lale still cannot understand. Nations can threaten other nations. They have power, they have militaries. How can a race that is spread out across multiple countries can be considered a threat? For as long as he lives, be it short or long, he knows that he will never comprehend this.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
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 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 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.
My Review:
5/5 stars
This was the first book by Heather Morris that I have ever read. Heather Morris writes the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two people who end up meeting and falling in love whilst they are enduring the everyday horrors of the Holocaust. It is absolutely unfathomable how people could outright see groups of people as inhuman and treat them they way they did during the Holocaust. You cannot put into words what Lale, Gita and the others had to go through in order to survive each second. They each put their life at risk in order to help others who were possibly worse off, even though they were all victims of the Holocaust. It’s incredible reading what Lale and Gita did for each other, as well as those around them.
This was a beautiful yet heartbreaking story of love strength and determination. Even though subject matter like this is difficult to read, it is a part of history and extremely important to read, especially through the eyes of people that were able to survive.
After reading this book, I found out there is a sequel, Cilka’s Journey (The Tattooist of Auschwitz #2). This story is about Cilka, with whom Lale and Gita met at Auschwitz, and her story and her experience in being liberated from Auschwitz-Birkenau, only to then be accused of collaborating with the Nazis and be sent to a labor camp.
Thank you to Heather Morris for taking the time and research to write the story of Lale and Gita Sokolov
Author Websites:
Living in a World of Book Quotes 