THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ: A NOVEL by Heather Morris
✯✯✯✯✯ Review by Astrid Galactic
We know that countless of millions of people were murdered and slaughtered during World War ll by the Nazis. There were those who died in the battles, bludgeoned on the streets as dissidents, euthanized because they were Jews, unhealthy, criminals, Gypsies, homosexuals, Free-thinkers, Modern artists or thought to be a threat, for any number of reasons, to the Nazi way of life. Or maybe an unsuspecting person just happened to cross the path of a psychotic Nazi soldier having a bad day and he decided to take his anger out on that person, all for the sport of it all.
It's well known that the Holocaust is one of the more horrifying events within the history of mankind. With the magnitude of those who suffered under this regime or lost their lives because of it, it's easy to lose sight of each and every one of these people as individuals. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is one of those stories that attempts to allow us to meet a few of those individuals and learn about how they suffered and managed to survive the totally inhumane tortures of their imprisonment at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps while, at the same time, finding love.
Though categorized as Historical Fiction, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the life of Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov whom, as a Slovakian Jew, was hauled off to Auschwitz where he met and fell in love with Gita. (I'll not include her last name because of it's importance of such within the story.) The book is as much a love story as it is one of retelling the daily indignities and tortures of the camp's occupants.
Because of Lale's ability to speak several different languages, he held a little bit of a protective status amongst the Nazis making him an asset for their purposes. This was why they immediately gave him the job of Tattooist, or Tätowierer in the German language. You learn early on that you do what they command you to do or it means immediate death. Lale understood this and even used his position to his advantage, often even to the advantage of the prisoners whom he made a point of smuggling food for and other life sustaining items. This is also a story of humanity as much as a story of inhumanity.
As painful as they are, yes, it's true, we must keep the memories of these horrors alive. They are lessons that we all can hopefully learn in order to avoid such tragedies in our future. But we must also remember that this was a massive collection of individuals, all with their own purpose and life stories, many cut short well before their time. Lale and Gita were two of the lucky ones; that is, if you can find luck in their misfortune as is sometimes discussed within the book. You will find yourself experiencing several different emotions, some at the same time, while reading this book. And, of course, it's advisable to keep a box of tissues by your side because you are bound to need a few while sadness overtakes your senses and even shed a tear of joy as you revel in Lale's and Gita's everlasting love. Lale and Gita are only two of many but two well worth getting to know. This is their story.
As painful as they are, yes, it's true, we must keep the memories of these horrors alive. They are lessons that we all can hopefully learn in order to avoid such tragedies in our future. But we must also remember that this was a massive collection of individuals, all with their own purpose and life stories, many cut short well before their time. Lale and Gita were two of the lucky ones; that is, if you can find luck in their misfortune as is sometimes discussed within the book. You will find yourself experiencing several different emotions, some at the same time, while reading this book. And, of course, it's advisable to keep a box of tissues by your side because you are bound to need a few while sadness overtakes your senses and even shed a tear of joy as you revel in Lale's and Gita's everlasting love. Lale and Gita are only two of many but two well worth getting to know. This is their story.
Historical Fiction
Biography*
Biography*
Hardcover, 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0062870674
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: September 4th, 2018
*Catalogued as Fiction but based on the true story of Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov.
*Catalogued as Fiction but based on the true story of Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov.
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