The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

 

Summary (from the publisher): A tale based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov.

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.

Review: Based on the true story of Holocaust survivor Lale Sokolov, this novel follows his harrowing fight to survive after being forcibly transported to the concentration campus in Auschwitz-Birkenau in April 1942. When the guards discover he is fluent in several languages, they assign him the job of tattooist, meaning he must permanently mark his fellow prisoners. Over the next two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities but also acts of great bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his more privileged position within the camp to exchange jewels to obtain food and medicine to keep his fellow inmates alive. And along the way, he meets a young woman who he feels an instant connection to. Her name is Gita, and he vows to help her survive. 

I read this for my book club and am not sure if I would have picked it up otherwise. There are so many World War II novels on the market and they are usually so oppressively grim. And yet. And yet! This book reeled me in. Lale's story was so compelling. The idea of hope, in the form of compassion, survival, and love, even in the midst of grim hate and murder, was captivating. 

There is some tension in this book - and in the greater sense in Lale's life story - regarding the morality of some of Lale's actions. By agreeing to tattoo his fellow prisoners, by bartering with stolen jewels, and by working with his captors, he is in some ways complicit with the abuse. But I never judged or felt negatively towards him because he is always thinking of others and the greater good. To Lale, survival is an act of resistance and defiance. Over and over, he took risks to his own safety to help others and try to help them survive. 

I loved that this book was written after interviews with Lale himself. While it is fictionalized in the sense that it is written as a story, I deeply appreciated that it was based on actual events and real human lives. I was especially touched by the afterword that was written by Lale's son and his memories of his parents and experiences of being raised by survivors. 

Stars: 4