For a book about the atrocities and horror of the Holocaust and the suffering at Auschwitz, it seems wrong to write that it was an enjoyable read, because how can the word enjoyable be used in relation to the reality? The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a harrowing and un-putdownable read, detailing the life and struggles that the Jews were forced to suffer on a daily basis, and the ways they overcame their imprisonment. Amongst the horror, however, shines some light - romance and hope in a place where all hope seems lost.
Based on a true story, The Tattooist of Auschwitz recounts the life of Lale Sokolov, a young Jewish man transported to Auschwitz in 1942. Here, he becomes the camp’s main tattooist, responsible for tattooing the numbers that have become synonymous with the Holocaust. It is during this process that he meets, and falls in love with, Gita, setting in motion a chain of events that see him determined to survive the camp and marry the woman he loves.
I think what struck me most with this book was the information that, when Auschwitz was finally liberated, any Jews who were seen to be Nazi collaborators were sent to gulags in Siberia, where they had to endure further suffering for simply doing what had been necessary to survive.
Based on a true story, The Tattooist of Auschwitz recounts the life of Lale Sokolov, a young Jewish man transported to Auschwitz in 1942. Here, he becomes the camp’s main tattooist, responsible for tattooing the numbers that have become synonymous with the Holocaust. It is during this process that he meets, and falls in love with, Gita, setting in motion a chain of events that see him determined to survive the camp and marry the woman he loves.
I think what struck me most with this book was the information that, when Auschwitz was finally liberated, any Jews who were seen to be Nazi collaborators were sent to gulags in Siberia, where they had to endure further suffering for simply doing what had been necessary to survive.