Wow- I just finished reading the Auschwitz Lullaby and I think it was one of the better WWII books I have read. It was based on the true story of Helene Hannemann, an Aryan German woman, married to a Romani gypsy, who finds herself at the Auschwitz camp, under the direction of Dr Josef Mengele, as he performed his twisted experiments on children, twins, and other prisoners. This was a heartbreaking story of a mother’s love for her children, her courageous fight for the other prisoners, and how she went on in the face of adversity. As with many of the WWII books that I have read, this one has a completely different viewpoint and focuses on something that I didn’t know much about, the Romani gypsy situation in the war and the experiments conducted by the monster Josef Mengele.
Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially WWII stories.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This a work of fiction based upon a true story. The book reads as if it was an actual diary kept and written by Helene Hannemann. A mother of five children, she is a German and an Aryan, her husband is a Gypsy, thus making all of her children determined as Gypsies, whom were slated for extermination by Hitler. The entire family was rounded up and sent to Auschwitz in May of 1943. Since Helene was German, she could have let her family go on, but she choose to keep the family together.
This is a well written book, documenting what life would have been like in the camps. Helene, being a German was chosen by Dr. Mengele to direct the school for the Gypsy children. She made a very bad situation into a gift for these children, giving them a little bit of normalcy and happiness in otherwise dire circumstances. A remarkable woman, she gave freely of herself to protect and try to provide for her children, they always came first.
I have read many WWII books, the excellent research and the telling of this story is well worth reading for anyone. The end of the book gives a timeline and information of some of the characters depicted in the story. It never ceases to amaze me the atrocities that took place during Hitler’s reign, but stories like these give us an insight into the true character and bravery of the people that were treated so horrifically.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This one gets 4***’s.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for giving me the opportunity to read Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar. I am not sure I would have found this book on my own. This is the first holocaust book I have read since visiting Auschwitz/Birkenau. It was a very emotional read for me. It is based on the true story of Helene Hannemann an Aryan woman married to a gypsy. The entire family including their five children were taken to Auschwitz/Birkenau. Helene was given the opportunity to provide a nursery/kindergarten experience to hundreds of gypsy children while in the camp. No matter how many books I read on this subject I still can not understand the inhumanity of so many people. How can any human being expect a mother to make the choice to live while her children are sentenced to die? Don't miss this read and make sure you have a box of Kleenex ready near the end.

There are many books about WWII and to make another book on the subject stand out it has to bring something unexplored. What this book brings is Gypsy race which was not seen as purebred by Nazi.

The story, based on a true family, starts very interesting with Helen Hannemann introducing her family. She got married to a Gypsy man and had five children.

“In April and May of 1940, practically his entire family had been deported to Poland. (…) Fortunately, in the Nazis’ eyes I was a purebread; because of that, they had not bothered us…”

But in May of 1943, everything changes. Policemen appear at their apartment, taking her husband and children “to be interned in special camps.” It comes very naturally to Helen, instantly she decides to go with her family.

Once in the camp, the story turns into another account of Auschwitz camp brutality. It is pointed out that Gypsies received a bit better treatment than the Jews, but this is not enough to make the story unique.

This is like visiting what is now Auschwitz Museum. Once you see it, it is edged within you to the rest of your life. You see it once in your life and it stays with you forever. The same applies to retelling Auschwitz camp inhumanity.

Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar is a moving account of a German woman imprisoned in the notorious Auschwitz Concentration Camp during WWII. I found it hard to put down.

Helene Hannemann is a German woman with five children who married a Gypsy. One day the SS shows up at her door to imprison her husband and children. They insist she is not being arrested (because she is pure German) and are stunned that she chooses to go with her family. But what woman wouldn't sacrifice anything for her children?

While at Auschwitz Helene meets the notorious Dr. Mengele and because she is a nurse he recruits her to establish a nursery and school for the many children in the camp. After suffering from hunger and cold for many weeks, things begin to improve for Helene because of her relationship with Dr. Mengele. But she soon learns of his experiments on twins, and she begins to fear he will soon require her twins for his experiments.

While written as a novel the life and story of Helene Hannemann and her five children are real. It is an incredibly brutal retelling of what took place within the camps. The author has done his research, and it feels as if he had spent time in the camps as it is so detailed and I assume accurate, right down to the smells.

While the book is titled Auschwitz Lullaby, the lullaby itself is not written in English and is only mentioned once. I'm sure it held some significance to the rest of the story, but it was lost to me because it was not translated.

And finally, while this is a superb retelling of the horrors of Auschwitz, it is by no means a Christian book. God is not credited with Helene's sacrifice for her children. God is not credited as her strength and hope throughout her ordeal. In fact, God is barely mentioned. This does not take away from the book by any means, but why it is listed as Christian is beyond me.

That said, it was still an excellent book and one worth reading.

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

I have just finished Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar and would like to thank Net Galley for the advance copy of this book. This book tells the story of Helene Hannemann a German married to a gypsy and her family while imprisoned in Auschwitz. The story is very moving telling the hardships of how the gypsies were treated going to Auschwitz and while in the camp itself. What would a mother would do to keep her family save at any cost during this terrible time is the basis of this book. A true story dealing with Dr. Mengele, known for his savage death experiments on children and the barbaric camp guards Helene finds ways to help her family. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes books dealing with Auschwitz.

This was a very good, emotional read. While it is fictional, it is based on a true story and has clearly been researched. But I would not read it for a history lesson. I would read it for the humanism that it evokes. I couldn’t help but think of what it was like to try and take care of children in such dire circumstances. As a student I took a Holocaust course with survivor meetings and a multitude f readings and I would put this story just below meeting a survivor.

Thank you for writing this book and helping to stop something like this from repeating.

I've read many historical fiction books on the Holocaust from all different points of view and written in various styles. When reading historical fiction, anything dealing with WWII and the Holocaust are my go-to stories. It's one of favorite genres to read. On that note, I enjoyed this book but I didn't love it. This is the first time I've read about the concentration camps from the Gypsy side. It was definitely a different viewpoint than the books I've read in the past.

I read it very quickly, within a few hours, and felt like I was watching a movie and had to know the whole story in a limited amount of time with not a lot of depth. It jumped through the year that it takes place very quickly. At times while reading, I felt like I needed more.

It is a very difficult subject to study and write about, the acts that occured during that time unspeakable. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was written in a true diary format.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you #netgalley and #thomasnelson for the eARC.

I was excited to read this book and review it pre-released through Net Galley. This novel concerned the impact of WWII on the Gypsys. This book is based on the life of Helene Hannemann, a German woman who married a Gypsy and had 5 children. She ended up in Auschwitz and under Dr Mengele opened and ran a day care/school in the camp. This book was fantastic!! She brought a bit of normal to approximately 100 children for a few hours a day during a horrific time. The book was extremely well written without being too graphic. I recommend having a box of Kleenex nearby but well worth it to read this amazing woman's story!

AUSCHWITZ LULLABY by MARIO ESCOBAR is a sensitively written novel which tells the story of Helene Hannemann, a German woman who was taken away to Auschwitz-Birkenau with her gypsy husband and five children. She was imprisoned in the gypsy camp with her children, who she guarded fiercely. We see how her unselfish life, her determination to survive for the sake of her children and her love and caring for all the children in the nursery school and bigger school that she ran in the camp really made a difference in the hell hole in which they were forced to exist.
In this novel, which reveals the madness of man's inhumanity towards his fellow man, we see the difference that one woman, who wasn't even afraid to stand up to the sadistic Doctor Mengele, made with her life which she poured out for others.
The book is an eye opener and most inspirational. I feel it is a real classic. The author has obviously done a great deal of research into what went on in that horrific time in history and the novel is well worth reading.
I was given a free copy of the book by Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

I loved the Auschwitz Lullaby. While it was horrifying to read about such tragedies, it shows you a side of the concentration camps that is barely written about. This is the story of a wife and her Romani "gypsy" husband who end up at Auschwitz. It is the story of how the wife helps the children if the camp and creates a school. I liked reading about a part of WWII history that isn't talked about much. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Helene is the perfect Aryan subject. A true born German with blond hair and blue eyes. Her only sin was falling in love with a Romani man, getting married, and creating a family. At least, this was the great sin according to the Nazis.

World War II is highly discussed, often written about, and certainly has become a popular time period in the Historical Fiction novel world. It is important to note that while this is a fictional telling, it is absolutely based on the true store of Helene and her five children.

I'm utterly destroyed by this novel. It only took 3 hours to read. Easily worded, but impeccably researched, Escobar uses his novel to remind us that the Jewish people were not the only persecuted people. The horrors endured by the "gypsy" people during WWII were devastating. I enjoyed getting to know Helene and her family.

I am glad to be reminded that the Kindergarten used as propaganda by the Party in their films of Auschwitz was a real nursery, and that kind and loving humans did what they could to protect the children that just happened to be born with the wrong kind of blood.

If you are looking for something similar to The Nightingale or The Lilac Girls, don't look here. Those tales ended on a note of triumph. Avoiding any spoilers, this novel ends with the devastating reality of too many families placed in the camps.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mario Escobar, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Auschwitz lullaby is a heartbreaking yet well written true story of the Holocaust. One of the best I have ever read. It let you see a part of history you really never read about, the children’s school/ nursery in Auschwitz. I have read hundreds of books on the Holocaust but no book like this. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.