One of those books that will stay with me forever. Lale has volunteered to go and work for the Germans so as to save the rest of his family. Those who don’t “give” one son will be sent to the concentration camps This is the story of Lale’s journey through Auschwitz /Birkenau and of his presence of mind to live and to help others. This could be a work of fiction- it isn’t. Lale lived and saw so much that man should never have to see let alone think about. This, to me, should be compulsory school reading, so that the atrocities are never allowed to happen again, and that we all understand why so that man can live alongside man in harmony. This is captivatingly written and you take not only to Lale but to some of the others, some of whom only “live” for a few pages but represent so many innocent lives. A poignant, brilliantly told tale that I can’t recommend highly enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a film (It started life as a screenplay). I do hope so as the impact it will then have would be tremendous. There aren’t the right words to describe this or how it makes you feel. So I will just say read it- you will be enlightened for doing so.

My goodness how to review a book that is harrowing, but also hopeful? A book that made me gasp in horror at man's inhumanity, but also marvel at man's hope and compassion for others.

As you can see this book has filled me with so many emotions whilst reading it and trying to put a review together. At times it was so easy to read, as the story is told in a easy going manner, but then there were times where I got such a shock, when Lale uncovers more harrowing scenes in the camp. The love story between Lale and Gita was amazing, making this part of the story heart-warming and full of hope.

This is definitely a book that will stay with me for a very long time. It also needs to be shared far and wide, to be read by all ages and all peoples, so that would happened is never forgotten, so that it never happens again.

This was my top book of 2017. A heartbreaking true story that reminds us of the horrors of the Holocaust but is also a tale of the fight for survival and finding love in the least likely of places.. We should never forget this horrific period in history and Lale and Gita's story will be with me for a very long time.

Author Heather Morris uses such a light touch to tell the harrowing tale of the prisoner of Auschwitz who became the tattooist. Despite the sheer horror of the setting, this is ultimately an uplifting story about love, survival and triumph. She came to know the tattooist, born Ludwig “Lale” Eisenberg, over the course of three years, and this book is based on his story. In the book, he is a truly remarkable human being. Viktor Frankl-like, he absolutely refuses to be a victim and chooses instead to survive. Lale, who has to tattoo numbers onto the arms of all newcomers to the camps (those who are not sent immediately to the gas chambers), is smitten by one of the girls he has to ink. Then, against the awful backdrop of death, torture and deprivation, the love story between Lale and Gita unfolds. Beautifully written, disturbing yet compelling.

What a remarkable story! This is unlike any book on the Holocaust that I have ever read, and is truly a must-read for 2018. Lale, a young Slovakian man, was sent to Auschwitz in one of the first groups of Jewish prisoners. Through a series of...Fate? Providence? Luck? he is assigned to be the tattooist of the concentration camp. He is constantly faced with moral dilemmas, gruesome deaths, and the possible loss of his true love.
Whether you've read everything, or nothing, on the Holocaust, read this. Everything about this story and this man's life will give you food for thought.

Author Heather Morris retells the story of Lale, a Slovakian Jew who is forced to work at the concentration camps at the Tätowierer during WWII. While working, he meets the lovely Gita, another Slovakian Jew, and is completely smitten by her. The two instantly fall in love and struggle to survive the camps of horrors. 

Lale enters Auschwitz full of optimism with a strong will to survive and does so by trading jewels from deceased Jews with nearby villagers for extra rations or goods. With his extra rations, he shares it among his peers and bribes SS officers in order to see Gita. However, upon his arrival, Lale falls ill and is taken care of by the tattooist who later takes him under his wing as the new tattooist. 

With a bright motto and an optimistic point of view, Lale and Gita's love story of survival captivate readers from the start. Through the eyes of survivors Lale and Gita, at times, the readers are transported to 1940s Auschwitz and Birkenau where they can experience the horrors of the camps. Despite the inhuman and unfortunate events that occurred in the concentration camps, Lale and Gita manage to find a little happiness and hope in a better future in each other.

Likes:

Everything. Heather Morris beautifully wrote Lale's tale and I hope we are able to see it come to life as I have heard rumors of a possible film. It is a very short read yet it can be quite detailed. This amazing novel took over three years to write using interviews with Lale himself shortly after Gita's death and before his death. It is quite moving and pulled at my heartstrings and at times, it made me tear up. 

Dislikes:

There's nothing much to dislike in my opinion.

“The Tattooist of Auschwitz” is the heartbreaking narration of the daily life of an ordinary man, Lale Eisenberg (a name later changed to Sokolov) who in 1942 ended up in Auschwitz and Bikernau. He is a jew, a prisoner in the camps, who was lucky enough to be designated tattooist, a position that allows him access to both the prisoners and the nazi guards. Fortunately for us, he and the love of his life Gita, lived to tell the tale.

Before I go into detail I must clarify that I don’t really care whether Lale was telling the truth about himself and his own actions. That is not the point of the book so don’t let yourself be distracted by the doubt. This book, apart from being an incredible love story, is telling you something about the human race, and you better listen to it:
How cruel can human beings be?
How compassionate can they be?
How far would they go in order to survive?
How far could you go in order to be able to tell the story on behalf of those that didn’t make it through?
How much can human beings endure?
How is it possible to remain human when you’re treated worse than cattle?

The list of questions like that could go on forever but I’ll just add one more... ARE YOU WILLING TO LISTEN?

The answer to all of those questions is what makes ordinary humans become heroes. Surviving the worst or enduring the worst until death makes you free. The answer was every man and woman, old and young who were and still are today trying to make it for another day at concentration camps, prisoner camps, extermination camps. Sentenced to die from the moment they step in.

According to Wikipedia Auschwitz-Bikernau is what we all know as Auschwitz. It is located in Bikernau, Poland, some 3 kms far from the original Auschwitz, it was also known as Auschwitz II. It was at Bikernau where Jews were exterminated en masse either in crematoria or in gas chambers.

It was at Bikernau where Gita “lived” while Lale was at Auschwitz. He had to tattoo her numbers on her arm. Now, the tattoos were only inflicted on Jews. And I really mean inflicted because the sanitary conditions were nonexistent. Not for the tattoos, not for nothing, they didn’t exist period. So it was when he tattooed her when they met and he fell in love with her. From then on his all of his life goes around Gita, and hers around his. When she agrees to be with him, he makes her a promise that is why and how they could survive. He promises that they will be free, that they will survive Auschwitz and that they will be able to go wherever they want, whenever they want and do whatever they want. With no one pointing a gun at them for the simple crime of smiling.

I’m not going to go into much detail because the book will be out soon and you have to read it. Seriously, you have to. You must simply know that he was the tattooist, that he had certain privileges in comparison with the rest of the people there, he had more security, for example (Jews and Gypsies were exterminated indiscriminately, and other people too, we all know that). This is what makes this book so valuable, that Lale was a priceless witness even though he was scarred and threatened too. Through Lale we know what life was like for the prisoners, that there were other race, nationalities, faiths, political affiliations. We get to know how and when the crematoria (the ovens) were built and when they started to work. We get to know how women were raped or used. We get to know about Doctor Mengele...

It is particularly hard to read the chapter in which Lale is made to go into a gas chamber in order to identify two bodies that seem to have the same numbers tattooed. I am not ashamed to say that I cried in that moment. And the words that were said to him afterwards (spoken by Baretski, his nazi guard):
“You know something Tätowierer? I bet you’re the only Jew who ever walked into an oven and then walked back out of it”.
What can you say to that? These were the cruellest words ever spoken.

Now, I haven’t read “The Divine Comedy” or any other book or document describing the different levels of hell. But now I know that there were many levels of hell at Auschwitz and Bikernau because both Lale and Gita had been in several of them and lived to tell. And yet, Lale says in the book that there was worse than the worst he had been in. And that, at some point, death was a better thing compared to to some of these hells.

This book is heartbreaking, hard, difficult, sad... but what amazes me is the hope, it is hopeful. Lale, Gita and many other people went to hell, and spent there three years of their lives, three years stolen from them, and they never lost hope. And they loved, and they were loved. It was love and hope combined what saved them. In Lale’s words, there must be a future for us, and you’ll see it. And now you can learn this story, read this book, and be a better person to others.

I adored this book. It's heart breaking yet makes your heart flutter. It deserves tons of awards and I wish it the best in the book world. The characters were fleshed out well, but sometimes I felt they were boring. The writing was good and it worked well with the story it was telling. Every piece of this book worked amazingly together and it's beautiful seeing how well crafted this story is! I can't wait to buy my own copy :)

A truly remarkable account of surviving a concentration camp

Lale Sokolov is a young Jew from Slovakia who was forced into a cattle wagon and taken to Auschwitz in 1942. There, he eventually becomes the “Tättowierer”, made to tattoo an identification number onto everyone that arrives to the camp and is deemed healthy enough to work. It is there that he meets Gita, the love of his life. He vows that he will do everything possible to leave Auschwitz alive. Every day he decides again to survive, keep his head down, and do as he is told. His job as Tättowierer has some perks, which he dutifully shares with as many people as possible. Over time, he gets to witness gas chambers and crematoriums, as well as the horrifying human experiments of Dr Josef Mengele. With a lot of luck, both Lale and Gita survive and can eventually be together.

Heather Morris tells an extraordinary true story of love and hardship. It is hard and sad to read of these horrendous crimes. What Lale and many others have endured is one of the biggest crimes on humanity. Beautifully written, this heart-breaking and thought-provoking novel is a firsthand experience of surviving Auschwitz. I am grateful to Lale Sokolov for finally deciding to share his story.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia.

A story about survival and hope during a time when most didn't survive and hope was something hard to hang on to. I love this story, and I love that Heather Morris was able to tell Lale and Gita's story for them. It's always hard to read these stories of the Holocaust, but I think it is so important to tell these stories so that history is not forgotten. So that it is not repeated.

WWII-era novels are among my favorites to read, which is why this one caught my eye. The fact that the author wrote it based on the story of a real-life Auschwitz survivor made it even more compelling. One quote really captures it all: “For here, in the very worst of circumstances, is the very best of humanity.”

The book follows the life of Lale Sokolov, who finds himself working at Auschwitz as the Tatowierer, tattooing the identification numbers onto the prisoners arriving in camp. This position affords him “opportunities” not given to many others, such as extra food rations, which is the only benefit to the job. He is determined to do what he needs to in order to survive. He realizes early on the importance of helping others and being kind, even amid the horrors surrounding him. Gita is a young girl at the camp, and Lale falls for her almost immediately. Their story is key to the story.

The author explains how she came to tell Lale’s story, which was fascinating to read. Some scenes do seem a bit rushed, however, and a bit more about their lives outside the camp would have been a nice addition. It was originally written as a screenplay, and the heart-wrenching scenes, as well as the hope-filled ones, would play out well in a movie. This is a part of our history, and it’s one that should never be forgotten or repeated.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

Wow!!! An amazing, heart breaking, uplifting portrayal of survival from Auschwitz. I could not put this down and devoured it in 2 days. I did not appreciate until the end that this was based on a true story and when I did the tears flowed even more. I have and will be recommending this book to anyone that will listen.

This book is a love story in one of the most awful time in history. It doesn’t hold back on the events of the time but it does let.you know that love and the determination to live are possible in the worst of times.

A heart wrenching book of concentration camps and the people. Based on a true story, a reminder that good can still happen to the fortunate. Historical readers and readers of WWII will appreciate Morris's book.

This isn't a book I will choose to read but for some reason from the moment I see it and read the synopsis I wanted to read it immediately! I like the story, it was a quick read! The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a powerful story that once you read it, you'll never forget it!This is a sad story so you have to be in mood to read it! "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris is based upon the harrowing experiences of Lale Sokolov in Auschwitz and Birkenau.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Some books have the ability to take your breath away. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is one such book.

It is the story of Lale Sokolov: a young Slovakian man who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. Books with an Auschwitz setting are invariably horrific and harrowing. It is even worse when it is a true story.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz reads like a movie, every detail is crisp in your mind and you do feel transported to the same time and place. And even with prior knowledge of the Holocaust, nothing can prepare you for the verisimilitude presented in this account. What is beautiful is that even through all the horrors there is still hope. The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a beautiful read.

It may sound dramatic but it is an honour to read such a story.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the first book I read in 2018 and I can assure you that it will take some beating as the book of the year for me.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is available.

For more information regarding Heather Morris please visit her website www.heathermorris.com.au.

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How does one review a book which tugs at your heart and touches your soul?

This is a story of two ordinary people, living in an extra-ordinary time, deprived not only of their freedom but their dignity, their names, and their identities.
Told from the viewpoint of Ludwig Eisenberg (later Sokolov), aka Lale, from Krompachy, Slovakia, this is first person account of his life in Auschwitz. He volunteers to work for the German government to prevent his whole family from being taken to concentration camps, and finds himself in Auschwitz.

He lands a job as the Tattooist of Auschwitz, wherein his primary responsibility, is to ink each new person with a no. which will identify him or her.
On the job, he meets Gita and while inking her, it was love at first sight.
Lale lived his life by the motto: If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.
He constantly believed that he will live to leave that place and will walk out a free man, with Gita.
Lale was kind to everyone and had respect for others. Because of these traits of his, he becomes a friend to all prisoners. And it was his kind deeds and simple acts of humanity, along with his resilience, which brought him back from death many-a-times.

Lale and Gita’s inspirational love story is the central theme in this book.
Not only did they survive – they lived to tell their story.
This book is incredibly heart-warming in its optimism and humanity and is a true story of survival and love during the Holocaust.

I will leave you with a quote:
“When you spend years not knowing in in five minutes’ time you will be dead, there’s not much that you can’t deal with”.

A truly moving, emotive story. We all know the atrocities of the holocaust and the concentration camps but these are such personal stories that are even more heart rending knowing they are true. The author has done an amazing job of bringing the horror of Lale's memories to life in this story. It doesn't feel right to say I loved this book based on the subject but it had me enthralled and should be read as such an important piece of history.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is devoid of human emotion. It’s robotic, almost like a book report. Heather Morris’s writing style detracts from Lale and Gita’s powerful story. While Lale and Gita face insurmountable hardships in Auschwitz, Morris waters it down to mechanical facts. There’s no fear or since of urgency to Lale or Gita’s actions. I found myself not connecting to Lale and Gita like I wanted too.

**Net Galley provided and an advanced copy for an honest review**

I will never forget this book as long as I live. Heather Morris seamlessly tells the true tale of a man who lived a life of daily uncertainty in whether he would live or die - but who never forgot how to love. The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an indelible story of survival in one of our world's darkest moments in history. Emotions run the gamut in this novel of fear, betrayal, guilt, hope, affliction, passion, friendship, and determination. The events of Lale and Gita's life are incomprehensible for those who did not also experience it. However, Morris' screenplay turned book - gives you a glimpse into first person account, of what had to be done to survive Hitler's agenda. One thing is certain though; Hitler may have tried to eradicate an entire people group - but he could never rid the world of love. Lale and Gita prove that no matter the situation - if you have love, you have hope. Where there is hope, there is light. And light - always overcomes darkness.