The Tattooist of Auschwitz A Novel

There are many books about the Holocaust or Shoah and many specifically about Auschwitz, the largest of the Nazi concentration camps. I’ve read a few like: “Fatelessness” by Imre Kertesz, “Schindler’s Ark” by Thomas Keneally, “And the Violins Stopped Playing” by Alexander Ramati, “Return to Auschwitz” by Kitty Hart and others. All are great reads but not easy because of the subject matter. Other survivors such as Primo Levi, Viktor Frankl and Elie Wiesel also wrote memoirs of their terrible experiences in AuschwitzI first became aware of the Holocaust , through reading “The Odessa File” by Frederick Forsyth, I guess I’d have been around twelve or thirteen. Before then, the Second World War had been playing with toy soldiers on the carpet, Rommel’s Afrika Corps against the British Eighth Army or decorating Spitfires and Messerschmidts to hang from the ceiling in Battle of Britain dogfights.After learning about the Holocaust, “playing” World War II seemed less appealing. I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau in 2004, I passed under the famous entrance sign declaring falsely “Arbeit Macht Frei”. What struck me about Birkenau was the scale of the camp, I hadn’t realised it was so big, when I’d read of the prisoners crammed into their barracks. I find it sad there are some today who still deny the holocaust ever happened.The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on a true story; Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who finds himself transported to Auschwitz. Gifted with languages : Russian, German, French, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak, and after a near brush with death because of typhus, Lale lands a job as the Tätowierer (tattooist), responsible for tattooing all the new arrivals to Auschwitz. Lale puts his head down, attempting to keep to the rhythm of his job. Don’t look at the faces. He takes the paper and makes the number…Lale is focused on survival, so he takes the job with its perks of extra rations and freer movement around the camp. He is secretly able to buy extra food and medicines with jewels and money found by the girls in “Canada” ( a barracks where the women worked sorting through the confiscated clothes of the new arrivals). Lale is generous and shares what he can with other inmates. The spectre of death is continually present, stalking the camp, Lale seems to have as many lives as a cat. This is not just a tale of survival but also of love, Lale falls for a young Slovakian Jew, Gita, whose arm he tattooed. He vows to marry her when the war and its horrors are over.I found the setting quite familiar from having read other narratives set in Auschwitz. Lale meets the Roma families, whose stories are rarely told in the many holocaust narratives. The Roma were assigned to his block, at first he is wary, Jews and Roma had little contact in the outside world, but “within days Lale has been made an honorary Romany“. Lale is distraught when they are sent to the ovens and only his colleague covering for him, prevents Mengele taking Lale away to a similar fate. Lale looks at Leon and points to the ash now falling all around them. “They emptied the Gypsy Camp last night.”It is an extraordinary story of survival against the odds. We meet Rudolf Hoess and the creepy Dr Mengele but Lale’s main contact with the Nazis is through his guard, Stefan Baretski, a Nazi of Romanian origin, who is young and callous, and who murders inmates with impunity.I was gripped by the story, so much so that I missed my metro stop not once but twice, this has never happened to me before whilst reading a book on Kindle. The story is heart-wrenchingly sad at times, as might be expected considering the subject matter, but the horrors though seen occasionally are not related as graphically as in some other Auschwitz books. This is a welcome addition to the large library of Holocaust books. (less)

I was waiting to read Three sisters the third book of this series but when I found that I had to read the first three books of The Tattooist of Auschwitz I decided to start from the beginning and pick up the first book of this series.I’m happy that I did that as The Tattooist of Auschwitz was an amazing story and book that I really was missing from it.. this is the story of Lale Sokolov and Gita.Lale was a Slovakian Jew, transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau on April 23, 1942, with the number 32407. He survived the worst because of his intelligence and charismatic ways to help and see through many of the other Jews and people who were constantly arriving at these camps as well as he spoke many languages that helped him to secure the most valuable opportunities and jobs to survive.Lale was the tattooist of the camp, a job that will provide him with food, jewels, and many favors that eventually can save his life and the life of many others, he trusted many but at the same time, he was careful to continue helping in a low key manner so the SS and the guards will not find out his moves around the camp.Lale’s life was not an easy one to learn, what he went through in real life was hard for only one to endure. I was really sad to read many of the things he constantly had to endure thinking how can he still be so composed and not lose his mind? but after all, he was the glue that helped many to survive. I’m glad Lale’s family was able to share his story with us. it is many of the amazing stories people have to hear and learn.The strength, the optimist, and the creativity Lale had, the way he was able to help others. people love him as he always brought hope. for sharing his food and many other things the other people needed in the camps, he was a great man.Gita was transported to Auschwitz on April 13, 1942, with the number 34902 she didn’t know what was going to happen to her, she only fears she will lose herself in the middle of these walls. she was about to meet the only person that will matter the most and will change her life forever, he was the only one that was able to help her and her friends, he has become the reason for her to continue this journey called life.One of the saddest moments of the book definitely was the Gypsy part. it did break me and made me feel terrible. I wanted to hug Lale at that moment immenselyMany great secondary characters helped to build this world, and helped Lale and Gitas during their journey, and also that contributed to Lale’s work and life. Leon, was an amazing help, I cried so much with what he went through, he didn’t deserve any of that he was a great friend to Lale, Gita, Dana, Ivana, Cilka, Jakub, even Baretski was a good character.The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the real story of Lale, a man who was kind, empathic, and with a heart of gold that his love for Gita was the only thing that helped him to survive the terrible things SS and the Nazis were constantly doing to them.Amazing book, I can wait to continue this journey.

I have read many WW2 books and this left a lasting impression.

Lale is an amazing person and his love and drive is truly inspiring. His love for Gita was something unworldly. Even in the end, the only time he mourned was her passing after living a lifetime with her. I can say this book is truly to moving and heartfelt. There were so many moments where I felt lost and like I needed to stop reading but I couldn’t. Lale and Gita’s story is one I will never forget. It is so easy to forget that these survivors are real and what they went through and unforgivable nightmare. This book is a reminder that even in darkness, you can find light. I’m so glad they found each other. Bless Lale, he is a true hero of war.

Great and very interesting!