The Tattooist of Auschwitz

The Tattooist of Auschwitz  by Heather Morris   288 pages

I have read many World War II-era novels, but never one set in a concentration camp with a love story at its center. And then to learn that author Morris spent years conducting interviews with the real-life Lale Sokolov added an extra layer of realism, yet the reality was overshadowed by the good side of human nature.

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov was rounded up and taken to a Auschwitz-Birkenau, a concentration camp deep inside Poland. Lale was willing to go in order to keep his family out of the Nazi-inflicted harm.

The details of Lale’s journey in a cattle car is horrendous. I can’t even imagine being crowded like that, with only the others around you holding you up.

Soon after his arrival, his captors learn that he can speak five languages, which can be helpful as more and more Jews are brought to this place. Lucky for him. He was made the camp’s tätowierer or the tattooist, the man who inked the number on the prisoners’ left arm. As the tattooist, Lale enjoyed privileges: better accomodations, better---and more---food, warmer clothing.

He soon learned that some of the other prisoners worked in a part of the camp that gathered the money and the gems they gathered from those killed in the crematormian. Lale used the money and gems to bribe guards and others so he could gathered crusts of bread to share among his fellow captives.

In July, Lale fell head over heels with Gita the moment he saw her and tattooed the number 34902. He knew that no matter what the cost, he would survive and marry this woman.

Author Morris takes readers on a journey that is both horrific and happy. I cheered when Lale was successful in helping his fellow inamtes. I cheered louder when Lale and Gita became a couple. I wept as Morris described how the Jews were forced to live, starving a but more day-by-day. Morris focused most of her energy on the love story without making the story seem like the nightmare that it was. That is why I give “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.