The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel

The book is a fictionalized, powerful account, set during a period of history that must never be forgotten. As the story opens, Lale Sokolov is a dapper twenty-five-year-old ladies' man who has been raised by his mother and sister to dote on and respect women. He enjoys female companion, but has not yet found the woman with whom he wants to spend his life. He is shocked at the manner in which he and the other men on the train are treated, realizing that his life will never be the same, a reality that is reinforced when a number -- 32407 -- is forcibly tattooed onto his arm. "He grasps his arm, staring at the number. How can someone do this to another human being? He wonders if for the rest of his life, be it short of long, he will be defined by this moment, this irregular number: 32407." Lale resolves to survive.Lale's horror is magnified when he is recruited to assist Pepan, the camp's Tätowierer. Pepan assures Lale that he can help him survive. "You want me to tattoo other men I don't think I could do that. Scar someone, hurt someone . . ." Papan convinces Lale by reminding him that if he doesn't take the job, "someone will who has less soul than you do, and he will hurt these people more." And so Lale swears to perform the job in the most compassionate way possible, given the circumstances.Morris relates the various ways in which Lale risked his life to help others, and did indeed survive confinement in place where hope was in short order most of the time. By some, he was branded a "collaborator" but he used his ingenuity and courage to take advantage of opportunities to save as many others as possible, including the beautiful young Gita with whom he instantly falls in love. She refuses to tell him about her past, her family, where she came from, or even her last name. For Gita it is too painful and she wants to forget because when she is with Lale she is able to escape reality for a few moments. She promises to tell him on the day they leave Auschwitz, but insists they "have no future." Lale refuses to give up, telling her about his vow to survive. "We will survive and make a life where we are free to kiss when we want to, make love when we want to."At its core, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a love story, illustrating the power of love to provide comfort and distraction through dreams of and plans for the future, inspire selfless and risky action, and sustain and inspire during the darkest hours when it appears that hope is only for the naive or unenlightened.Remaining steadfastly committed to his vow is a challenge for Lale, of course. At times he feels nothing but despair, wondering how he is even "still breathing, when so many aren't?" Lale falls into an existence that is comfortable as compared to so many others because, as the Tätowierer, he works with a handful of other prisoners and is removed from the most inhumane conditions to which others are subjected. About that, he feels guilt, especially when he sees others die before his eyes or be brutally herded onto trucks with the knowledge that he will never see them again. Like Lale, Gita is painfully aware of the number of people who have passed through the camps because she works in the office processing paperwork.Lale did, in fact, find Gita after the liberation of the camps, and they married in October 1945. In the camp, Gita told Lale that someday he would honor all of those lost "by staying alive, surviving this place and telling the world what happened here." And he did. "I need to be with Gita," he said. But it was her death that inspired him to at last tell his story. "He wanted it to be recorded so, in his words, 'it would never happen again.'"The Tattooist of Auschwitz is difficult to read because of the subject matter, as well as the knowledge that it is largely based upon the actual experiences and observations of Lale, an ordinary man who, like so many others, was thrust into extraordinary and unimaginable circumstances. But therein also lies its strength. Morris relates Lale's story in a straight-forward, unrelenting manner, detailing how he was stripped of his very identity and assigned a number, along with his freedom, dignity, and possessions, and separated from his beloved family, most of whom he never saw again. Morris details, sans judgment, the things Lale did to survive, challenging readers to question what choices they might make.Morris did not visit Auschwitz until 2018. Once there, she stood on the concrete step that led down into Crematoria #3 and apologized, on behalf of Lale, to the 1.5 million people exterminated there. "He wrongly felt it was his fault that he couldn’t save the souls who died there," Morris relates. "Lale’s motto in Auschwitz was, 'If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.' He believed you owed it to yourself and those around you to make the day the best it could be.”Through Morris, Lale has at last, and for all time, honored those who were lost "telling the world what happened" there.

Mrs. Morris did a wonderful job telling a true story about a hard time in history. The story is told with compassion and in a way that doesn’t glorify the horrible things that happened.

It was well written and didn’t withhold some of the awful events that occurred, yet still highlighted the human emotions. Couldn’t put it down!

This book is both sad and hopeful. Morris writes so well, I could have read it in one sitting. A definite winner

If you enjoy reading about the time of World War Two, and find the atrocities committed towards the Jews interesting in a morbid way, you’ll probably enjoy this book

I was waiting to read Three sisters the third book of this series but when I found that I had to read the first three books of The Tattooist of Auschwitz I decided to start from the beginning and pick up the first book of this series.I'm happy that I did that as The Tattooist of Auschwitz was an amazing story and book that I really was missing from it.. this is the story of Lale Sokolov and Gita.Lale was a Slovakian Jew, transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau on April 23, 1942, with the number 32407. He survived the worst because of his intelligence and charismatic ways to help and see through many of the other Jews and people who were constantly arriving at these camps as well as he spoke many languages that helped him to secure the most valuable opportunities and jobs to survive.Lale was the tattooist of the camp, a job that will provide him with food, jewels, and many favors that eventually can save his life and the life of many others, he trusted many but at the same time, he was careful to continue helping in a low key manner so the SS and the guards will not find out his moves around the camp.Lale's life was not an easy one to learn, what he went through in real life was hard for only one to endure. I was really sad to read many of the things he constantly had to endure thinking how can he still be so composed and not lose his mind? but after all, he was the glue that helped many to survive. I'm glad Lale's family was able to share his story with us. it is many of the amazing stories people have to hear and learn.The strength, the optimist, and the creativity Lale had, the way he was able to help others. people love him as he always brought hope. for sharing his food and many other things the other people needed in the camps, he was a great man.Gita was transported to Auschwitz on April 13, 1942, with the number 34902 she didn't know what was going to happen to her, she only fears she will lose herself in the middle of these walls. she was about to meet the only person that will matter the most and will change her life forever, he was the only one that was able to help her and her friends, he has become the reason for her to continue this journey called life.One of the saddest moments of the book definitely was the Gypsy part. it did break me and made me feel terrible. I wanted to hug Lale at that moment immenselyMany great secondary characters helped to build this world, and helped Lale and Gitas during their journey, and also that contributed to Lale's work and life. Leon, was an amazing help, I cried so much with what he went through, he didn't deserve any of that he was a great friend to Lale, Gita, Dana, Ivana, Cilka, Jakub, even Baretski was a good character.The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the real story of Lale, a man who was kind, empathic, and with a heart of gold that his love for Gita was the only thing that helped him to survive the terrible things SS and the Nazis were constantly doing to them.Amazing book, I can wait to continue this journey.

These days of holocaust deniers and neo-Natzis, this story MUST be told. I pray that someone will someday make a major motion picture so the world will know...

The book has so much memories that one went through during Holocaust. Innocent lives lost, losing loved ones, found love amid survival, heartbreaks, torture, trust and faith, anything you could think of...Highly recommended!

Conheço história muito parecida, vivida durante o período da II Guerra Mundial por uma família que se tornou parte da minha. Alguns fatos muito semelhantes! Shalom!

Did anyone not receive this book and feel that the quality is really cheap? Like this book feels fake? I have not started reading it yet tho I heard it's good.. just that the quality of the book really make me don't feel like reading it.

壮絶、かつ奇跡としか言いようがない本当の出来事は、とにかくすごいです。すごいのですが…残念ながら著者の力量不足を感じずにはいられませんでした。難しい英語ではないので、読みやすいとは思います。An amazing story of survival and resilience, told in an undramatic way. The story is incredible--that two people met and fell in love at Auschwitz/Birkenau, that they managed to survive it all, and that they found each other after being separated as Auschwitz fell...! It would seem crazy if it were a work of fiction.For me, though, the writing was indifferent. Perhaps it's very difficult to make a true story fraught with horrors into a book that manages to convey the horror while not making it a sensationalist melodrama. And maybe I just don't have enough of an imagination. Nonetheless, somehow the writing wasn't vivid, and the story came across almost mundane. So not a bad piece of work, but not as gripping as I had expected.

Excelente livro!