powerful book showcasing triumph of human spirit

This book is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov. However, it is marketed as historical fiction because the author fills in gaps in the story (and dialogue) as she sees fit (the elderly survivor, Lale Sokolov, told Morris his story, relying only on his memory). It was definitely a good read – at times I had trouble putting down this book. It was in many ways similar to other Holocaust books I’ve read, though one significant difference was Lale’s privileged position at Auschwitz, which entitled him to perks (extra food, relative freedom to move about camp, not required to attend rollcall, etc. ) which other prisoners didn’t have. While of course it is an account of horrific events, it is not completely depressing – actually, it showcases the triumph of the human spirit in unimaginably bad circumstances – Lale and Gita actually fell in love while in Auschwitz-Birkenau! Lale was also incredibly generous, frequently using his position of privilege to acquire and distribute additional food to the other prisoners at great personal risk. I appreciated the discussion of the various groups of prisoners – the book made it clear that Jews were not the only ones held in Auschwitz/Birkenau – so were the gypsies/Roma people, political dissidents, Polish, Hungarians, etc.