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Loading... The Tattooist of Auschwitz (original 2018; edition 2018)by Heather Morris (Author)
Work InformationThe Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (2018)
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This is another holocaust story based on a true story. I think it's mostly true but classified as a novel because the author had to fill in some blanks. It was amazing that Lale was able to do all he was able to do, but I suppose his language abilities and smart wit got him farther than a lot of prisoners. I'm glad everything worked out for him, but if it really didn't happen I would be wondering if it was too good to be true. I couldn't put this book down. It had me hooked! Don't get me wrong, this is a hard story to read (because of the awful things that happen), but it's a story of strength and courage and one that will stick with my the rest of my life. Reading this book, I felt like I knew this man so well he was family. That shows me how brilliant written this is and how enthralling it was. I really commend this author, this is absolutely brilliant. One of my all time favourites. Wow! I had put off reading this one because I thought it was going to be depressing and hard to read. While it was at times depressing, overall it was a fascinating read. A quick read - I read it in one day. This is a love story that starts in Auschwitz. It tells the true story of Lale and Gita. Lale is the tattooist because he can speak several languages. While performing his job one day, he falls in love with Gita. He vows to her that they will get out of the camp alive. He is very enterprising and finds ways to ensure that they both (and some of her friends) stay alive. This is a beautifully written love story during the horrors of Auschwitz. no reviews | add a review
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HTML: This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolovâ??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 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."â??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 barbarismâ??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 condi No library descriptions found. |
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Heather Morris, the author of this boo, was told the life story of Lale Sokolov (born Ludwig Eisenberg) shortly before his death, and turned it into this novel. It's a tale of young Lale, in Europe in the '40s. He's a Jew and Auschwitz is in the title, so you can probably guess what happens. While in Auschwitz he manages to get a job as a tattooist, which while kushier than most, was still a job as a prisoner in a concentration camp. He was in Auschwitz for three years and was a hustler the whole time. He ends up getting extra food, which he distributes mostly to people more in need them himself, but also to other people for favors. He also makes other connections that allow him to enjoy special privileges, which he eagerly shares with other prisoners, and which get him out of too many near death experiences. But the main theme throughout the book is his love for a woman he meets in the camp, Gita. At times beautiful, at times absolutely beyond heartbreaking, their love almost outshines one of the worst atrocities in human history.
I'm not one for corny love story books, so that must not be what The Tattooist of Auschwitz is. I had to stop five or six times throughout this 250 pages book because I was overcome with emotions. I still have a heavy feeling in my heart, despite the book ending the way it did. Morris didn't waste a single word in telling this remarkable story, and I wish I could travel back in time and meet Lale and Gita. I don't know what else to say besides read this dang book. Cry. Laugh. And feel the love. ( )