The story follows the German mother of 5 in Auschwitz and her courage and strength during such a difficult time. It was a moving book based off real people at the Holocaust camp. I can't imagine being in Helene's place seeing what she saw day after day. This book is a reminder that even in awful situations, you can still have hope for better things. Always have your cup half full instead of half empty.

I have read a lot of books on WWII but must of them have been about the Jewish persecution, I have read little about what happen to the Gypsy population. What a heartbreaking story! I sat down and read this book in a day and cried most of my way through. To learn what man can do to each other, we must never forget!

The author has recreated a beautiful but harrowing account of the interment into Auschwitz of German born, blue eyed, Helene Hannemann who as a young woman fell in love and married a man of Romani (gypsy) heritage. Helene is initially offered the chance by the Nazis to remain and not be taken as prisoner but how could a mother of five and one with a strong love for her husband stay, not ever to know the plight of her family. The Nazis did not generally discriminate when it came to mixed marriages and so called pure blood Germans found themselves taken as prisoners along with Romani, Jews, Homosexuals etc. The author takes the reader into the trains the cattle carts, overcrowded, lacking water and sanitary facilities, the heat, the cold and the death within the carts. Helene and her husband Johann with their five children survive. On arrival at their destination families are separated with young children staying with mothers and the men taken to work and to clean up for the Nazis. Helene and her children find themselves in a makeshift unfinished building living in deplorable conditions. The author’s descriptions leaves no doubt in the mind of the reader the desperate situation the prisoners found themselves in. Dr Mengele arrives at the camp where he favours Helene because of her German heritage and different appearance compared to the Romani prisoners and she is a nurse. She is able slowly to improve conditions for her family and others immediately around her. Helene emerges as a brave and strong woman who is able to create a calming presence amongst her fellow prisoners. Mengele’s personality, psychopathic madness needs little to be said, however the author gives a view that he is really drawn to Helene for which she is able to utilise for increased improvements, food etc for the children. Mengele of course lies about his actual purpose in the children’s nursery/school and in particular regarding twin children. Helene possibly because of her naive character fails to read Mengele correctly until she witnesses the physical proof of his experiments on children. When the children through hunger and fear cry, Helene sings lullabys to them to help them settle. The terrorising is building to a crescendo as the Germans begin to realise they are losing the war, starvation in the German people creates a madness in those running the camps, there is less food for prisoners and so to reduce demand the mass extermination rapidly increases. Helene’s older children have discovered a method of escape but Helene fails to act, discovery would mean being shot. Mengele offers a final exemption to Helene for her freedom but again she declines.

This book was in first person which I’m not usually a fan of. I found it strange that the prologue was in first person of one character and then the first chapter changed to a different character but still in first person. Also based on the prologue, I thought the rest of the book would be more like a journal but it didn’t sound like one. I also found there was too much description and not enough actually happening. It was like getting a bird's eye view and never landing on any event for a significant amount of time. I never finished the book because I couldn't get into it and it wasn't my style.

This book was amazing. I think that it took two very important things to make it so - a fabulous (new to me) author who is also a historian and did his research and wrote it well AND a real-life heroine that the story was based on. This combination made for a stellar book that I couldn't put down.

I do wish I'd found this book in the original Spanish first - but now that I know who Escobar is I'll be watching him on Amazon and reading other books by him in Spanish.

World War II and the plight of the Jews have always been my favorite time period to study. And I always knew that others were put in concentration camps too, but it was good to open my eyes to the hardships the gypsies faced too. And I can only hope to be the type of mother and person that Helene was. Her dedication to her family and her husband's people was quite impressive.

I've also been interested in learning more about Dr. Mengele ever since I heard one of the twins under his "care" speak in college. Hearing Eva Kor speak was an amazing honor. I am saddened though by how many didn't make it.

I love when an author can take a person from history and stay quite true to their story but also novelize it. It is a great way to open our eyes to the past and guide us to do more research and learn more about that person and more about the past.

This book went fast for me since it is one of my favorite time periods to study, but it wasn't an easy read. No book about the Holocaust can be. But I would truly recommend this book to everyone. It is well researched, and well written.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

When Helene's husband and five children are arrested by the SS for being Romani, she decides to accompany them to Auschwitz. Her husband is immediately separated, but Helene and her children are housed in the gypsy family camp. Helene, a trained nurse, works in the hospital overseen by Dr. Mengele. When Helene convinces Dr. Mengele to create a school/nursery for the children, she is chosen to oversee it.

This book is based on a true story. I found Helene to be a courageous and extraordinary woman. The book was well written, engaging and held my attention. Overall, highly recommended.

Based on a true story, Mario Escobar’s Auschwitz Lullaby demonstrates the power of sacrifice and the strength of human dignity—even when all hope seems lost.

Auschwitz Lullaby is a good book. I found it to be realistic and I actually didn't know this was not a true story. There are some elements that are from real stories out of Auschwitz that the author took from to create this story. It saddened me to learn the truth about the people in the book but all the same, the author did a fine job conveying the story. I cried. Thank you.

Auschwitz Lullaby opens with a profound quote from Elie Wiesel.
Although I have read many books on the Holocaust, & have seen films on the Gypsies’ fate, I was still unprepared for this story. I have found it increasingly difficult to continue reading, the ‘benefit of hindsight’ giving me an ever-increasing dread as to what was to come... As uncomfortable as that is, we have a duty to not turn away – these people have the right to be remembered, & their story told so that it never happens again.
In many ways the Gypsies had a very different concentration camp experience from the Jewish people,yet it was still one of great horror & unbelievable wrong. It is so difficult to accept that fellow-humans could do such hings to others. I think maybe the worst thing is that this book is based on an actual family’s reality ...

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed
in this review are completely my own. "

*thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

I have read a decent amount of stories about Auschwitz and the Holocaust and still Im finding stories such as these that offer me a new point of view about what it was like there. This is the first story like this that I have come across that is about how the Gypsies were treated and what it was like for them in the camps. The horror that they were exposed to still manages to unsettle me because you just can't shake the pure fact that it is in fact, based on a true story. This actual story was not true, it is a work of fiction, but Gypsies were at Auschwitz so it easily could have been somebodies true account of their time there. Horror like this actually did happen in the world and it makes me quite sick. Yes it is true that the Gypsies seemed to have it a bit easier than most other stories I have read, which is particularly based on the Jews who were sent to Auschwitz, but that does not lessen the inhumane way they were treated. This story was interesting and kept my attention for most of the way through it.

Helene is German woman whose only crime is that she married a gypsy man and bore is children, an act considered despicable by the Nazis. One day Helene’s children and husband are sentenced to the Auschwitz concentration camp and Helene, in a desperate act of unselfish motherhood, refuses to leave their side. In Auschwitz, Helene becomes a hero by running a kindergarten for the children, the only slim ray of light for them in utterly desolate circumstances. She is also one the few who bravely confronts the monster Josef Mengele.

Based on actual circumstances, Auschwitz Lullaby is a beautifully told tale of ultimate sacrifice and heartbreak in the midst of utter evil. Helene’s tale is different in that she is actually an Aryan woman who chose to forgo her own life to remain with her children. When given the option of life outside the camp or staying with her children, she chooses the latter. As a mother myself, I totally understand the reasoning behind this act of selflessness. It’s portrayal reveals a rare glimpse of humanity in a horrible situation. This is a tale that needs to be told over and over and over and never forgotten. 5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson and Mario Escobar for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book took me on a journey. Of hatred and of the selfless love of a mother. It is well written and you will find yourself not wanting to come to the end of this story. Not wanting the pages to close and the tale to end. This is a difficult subject but one that needs to be remembered.

I am always drawn to titles that take place during WWII, so when NetGalley offered this book, I requested it and was glad I did as it was a wonderful story. This is a fictional account based on the real life of Helene Hannemann, who gave up her life for her family. She is a German woman married to a Romani man with five children. When the Germans start rounding up all the gypsies, they come for her husband and children. She did not have to go with them but chose to go and ended up in Auschwitz II. She is a nurse so is assigned to the camp hospital where she meets the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele who offers her the task of setting up a nursery and school for the young children where they will get better food and warmer surroundings. She realized as time went on who and what Dr. Mengele did to some of the camp children, especially twins and children with two color eyes. I am glad that the author only described one of his "experiments" toward the end of the book as history tells of the awful things he did. She and her children were some of the last people in Auschwitz II and was ultimately taken to the gas chambers. Her courage to fight for her family was inspiring, and I highly recommend the book.

Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar is a wonderful and emotional book. It tell the story of Gypsy families and children were were held at Auschwitz during WW ll. The book is extremely well written and many times painful to read. The story is based on a real German woman Helene Hannemann and her experiences working with Dr Mengele. It describes the horrible conditions and continual fear of death that they experienced daily. .

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion. I was very intrigued by this book. While I have read many books on the Holocaust, I was unaware of the things in this book. It was a hard read for obvious reasons but a very compelling story.

Despite being of Aryan descendent, Helene is not able to get her Gypsy husband and five children spared in Hitler's Germany. Hence, she joins her family when deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her decision baffles Nazi officials: Aryan women were regarded as baby-making machines. Being detached from her gypsy connections, she would easily be able to raise another pure race family with an Aryan man.

To keep herself sane and ensure the safety of her children Helene works at the camp's hospital as a nurse. Eventually appointed by Herr Doktor Mengele to head the camp's kindergarten. In this vantage position, Helene is not blind to the ongoing atrocities but seeks to collaborate with her captors for the sake of her children with the hope that they will soon be freed by the Allied forces or Russians.

I was intrigued by Helene's story as I rarely encounter stories about interracial relationships and gypsies in this popular sub-genre. Many books tend to focus on the European Jews and lesser focus is on the minorities that suffered under the Nazis.

One thing that I found amiss in this book was the symbolism of the title, Auschwitz Lullaby. Yes, there are mentions of a lullaby in the book at least three times. But I felt that it was not pronounced. We get to know that Johann and Blaz (their first-born son) are musicians but there are not linked to the lullaby. Hence, I theorised; the prisoners were soothed to the work-life rhythms of the concentration camps which led them to their eventual sleep-death. Hence, my favourite line in the book was "Exhaustion is time's best friend. It lets us turn the pages quickly like in a bad book."

I am not sure why this book was tagged as Christian Fiction, because the characters do not practise their faith apart from the mention of Helene's Christian background and eventual lack of church attendance, which is seemingly after the birth of her twins and judgement over her unconventional marriage. Though, despite the circumstance, this can be labelled "clean fiction".

The book seems well-researched and Mario Escobar attempts to highlight the motives in this fictionalised account. Overall, Auschwitz Lullaby would be great for anyone to read more about the WWII atrocities and would like to know a bit more about the infamous Dr Mengele.

Absolutely amazing story of the gypsies who were kept in concentration camps.during WWII. The story grabbed you immediately and never loses the readers attention.

Finely crafted and smartly structured. One of the best reads of the year.

This gave me so much hope, as a mother my life is with and for my children. I'd hope to have the grace and dignity of Helene and the ability to comfort my children in the most inhumane living conditions. Auschwitz shows you the great depth of depravity and also tremendous love, honor, strength and perseverance and the depth of character to make me want to do and be better.

You won't be able to read this story and not absolutely love Helene. Her bravery, the will to put her kids before anyone, and her unconditional love for humanity will take hold of your heart and soul. Fair warning... this is the true story of a woman...a german woman...a german woman during the early 1940's...a german woman during the 1940's who married a "gypsie" man and had two kids...
This woman was given a choice. Stay home or travel to Auschwitz with your family. Helene wouldn't hear of not staying with her children. It wasn't even a thought. Her kids are an extension of her soul. But what she experienced in Auschwitz? There are no number of books, stories, memoirs, or historical fiction accounts of what happened in Auschwitz that you can read that would tire you. Every story and account of what happened is like reading it for the first time. Helene is the woman you would want to fight for your child if you weren't there to do so.
Mario Escobar has recreated Helene's story with such huge respect. He has given Helene's story a voice and her experience a purpose. This was a beautiful but heartbreakingly important story! 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Auschwitz Lullaby

Author: Mario Escobar translated by Gretchen Abernathy

Pages: 281

Genre: Historical fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Based on the title alone, you know as you start to read Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar translated by Gretchen Abernathy that this book is going to have a slightly predictable ending. Unlike other WWII and Holocaust novels I've read Auschwitz Lullaby focuses on a lesser known group of people sent to concentration camps; Romani none pretty much as gypsies outside of their people. So to me that was a welcome change. This novel focuses on one family but though their eyes you see life in the gypsy camp of Auschwitz. Helene the mother could have avoided being sent to the camp because she was German not Romani but she chose instead to go with her husband and children, because a mother doesn't leave her children.

It's through this novel that you see that Doctor Mengele pulled a lot of twins from the gypsy camp and others. If you've studied history you know what horrible things he did, things I won't mention in this review. Helene and a few other woman under Mengele orders create a kindergarten as well as nursery do in part to the fact that she is a nurse. The women do their best to give the children a normal life as possible inside the camps.
Reading Auschwitz Lullaby was bitter sweet. It was the first and only Holocaust novel that I've read that focuses on Romani and not the Jewish population. I'm not going to lie Auschwitz Lullaby was not an easy read, and books about the Holocaust should be easy reads they should be reads that challenge you and make you think. As well as teach you so that events like that never happen again. I recommend that everyone 16 years and older read this book. To me it is a must read. Have tissues handy.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.