The #1 International Bestseller & New York Times Bestseller
This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov—an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.
“The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an extraordinary document, a story about the extremes of human behavior … Auschwitz is an extraordinary document, a story about the extremes of human behavior existing side by side: calculated brutality alongside impulsive and selfless acts of love. I find it hard to imagine anyone who would not be drawn in, confronted and moved. I would recommend it unreservedly to anyone, whether they’d read a hundred Holocaust stories or none.”—Graeme Simsion, internationally-bestselling author of The Rosie Project
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.
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.
more
Hands down one of my favorite books of all time. It spurred a whole new list of books about the holocaust for me. I couldn’t put this book down.
I really liked this book
It was well written . Although I wanted to find out what happened next, I had to take breaks as it was heartrending. The horror of the holocaust makes it so hard to comprehend that people treated fellow human beings with such evil. The strength & determination they had
to survive was what made me able to finish!!
I listened to the audio book. I found it difficult to hear at times. I do not know what words the book had written, but the reader, trying to be dramatic barely spoke the words at times and they came out as a puff of air. That made it hard for me to follow the first 1/3 of the story. As the story unfolded, that breathy whisper went away and I could then get more involved in the story line.
This is not the typical book I would read. I like to read happy books, with small, silly disagreements that are easily overcome and the people live happily ever after, romance to be exact.
I was given the ARC for the second book by this author, Cilka’s Journey: A Novel, and prior to reading that book, I wanted to read The Tattooist of Auschwitz. This book was heartbreaking for me to listen to, but honestly, I thought the horrors I would listen to would be much worse. I am sure they were much worse for many people in the concentration camps. I was happy that the details did not go further than they did.
Since Lale had a prime prisoner’s job, he was afforded some privileges. He used his position to survive and also to help others to survive. I am sure the hard laborers’ life was drastically different. While I was listening, I had many thoughts. One of my first was how in this awful situation would anyone be thinking of falling in love, or have love strike them. I think that is a valid thought. While you are fighting every day to stay alive, how can any other emotion enter you mind? I knew this book was based on a true story, so I had to let that though go and just believe that it was true that love could be found in the bleakest of situations.
The story of Lale and Gita was wonderfully heartbreaking. I will say this, and assume it is not a spolier, since Lale had several interviews with the author. Lale is a hero. He kept his sights at his goal of one day leaving the concentration camp and he not only achieved that, but he was the reason that others left also.
I feel like I cannot comment honestly about how the book was written, when I listened to it, instead of reading it. I do not think I had the same experience.
I can tell you that the story I was told has not left my mind since it ended and that is a trait of a great book to me.
This book will touch your heart and open your eyes to the horror that they went through
Of all the story’s from WWII, I know it’s based on a true story but some of it is really hard to believe.
Absolutely amazing book! Very well written and such an easy read! I couldn’t put it down the suspence of what could happen next kept pulling me to read more and more!
Would definitely recommend this to anyone
Despite the heavy topic, I felt disconnected from the story.
I was really into Lale’s journey in the beginning. Then the story felt choppy, jumping from chapter to chapter. It lacked emotion. I feel like Lale must have been charismatic to pull off all that he did, but he was not described that way. He really wasn’t described at all. His love for Gita felt simple though you did get that they were meant to be.
I think it would have been a different experience if written in a journal/diary format. I also would have loved more of the afterword from number 32047.
An amazing piece of truth about the horrors of the past and, despite being in the very heart of danger, shows how love can still grow in the worst of times.
While taking liberties with a few historical facts, this book was touching and emotional. Morris handled the worst aspects of Auschwitz with delicate balance while showing the hope that some prisoners must have felt.
Quick read…I finished the book in less than 24 hours…and worked an 8 hour shift in there. I couldn’t put it down!
Horrific and brutiful. A powerful reminder of man’s inhumanity to man the incomprehensible destruction of blind obedience.
A must read! But get your tissues! A haunting story about life inside the Auschwitz concentration camp and the daily choices people had to make.
Great story. Eye opening
True account of survival at the death camps.
Ihana, surullinen ja valitettavasti totta. Rakastuin ensisivulta, ahmin ja kaivauduin yhä syvemmälle sohvaan. Kiitos tästä tiedonmurusten sipsipussinpohjasta
one of the best stories on World War 2
Must read
Historic and stunning.’ An exciting authentic WWII story, but there is some dichotomy here. The jacket says it’s fiction but the author goes to great lengths to document her characters
I’m just started with this book, but I was a child during this period. I find it very interesting and sad.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a true story that reads like a novel. It presented a humane understanding of concentration camp prisoners who may have appeared to cooperate with their captors in order to survive. In this case, the protagonist, Lale, is the prisoner who tattooed the numbers on the arms of his fellow inmates. From this story, the reader gleans an understanding of how a truly good person does what he must for survival. Unlike some, Lale, never allows his position, which affords him a modicum of safety others do not have, to overtake his goodness and turn him mean. Instead, he puts his own life at risk on many occasions to make the lives of his fellow prisoners a little more bearable.