Henry was a very young boy when Hitler came to power. His family struggled to stay together. But, this was just not meant to be. After his father’s death, Henry and his mother were sent to the concentration camps. And how Henry survived years of starvation and abuse is shocking. And then his struggle with the unknown of liberation and the success in the United States is a tale not to be missed.

There is so much packed into this book. And yes it is all terrible and hard to believe. To know human beings did this always amazes me. Man’s inhumanity to man! But, what I discovered is, I do not think I ever really knew what happened to the children after liberation. To be honest, I don’t think I thought any of the children survived. So, to say my eyes were opened is an understatement. This story had me crying and terrified for all the children. I just cannot fathom people doing this to other people…ok…I have said that already but this story just brings it to the surface.

The narrator, William Hope, is incredible. He must have had to pause in places and get his emotions in check!

Need a heart wrenching memoir…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this book from the publisher for a honest review.

I absolutely loved this book, it took me on a journey of all my emotions from anger to sadness and at time happiness and reflective. The story is told in a way that really pulls at the heart strings and gives you an understanding of true strength and grit! One that will stay with me a long time.

True story of Holocaust survivor Henry Oster. At age 5 Oster was deported to concentration camps. When he landed a position working Auschwitz horse-breeding stables he made it his mission to be a valuable worker in hopes of not being killed.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Stable Boy Of Auschwitz' by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Thread Books for Henry Oster, Dexter Ford, NetGalley and Thread Books.

Publication date: 4th April 2023

This is the first book I have read by this author..


I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching unique cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Thread. I have yet to read a book published by Thread that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of an introduction, 57 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Cologne, Germany, Lodz, Poland, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland, Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany, Normandy and Ecouis, France, New York and LA, USA .

This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Heinz Adolf Oster/Henry Ford. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. The fact there are multiple protagonists is even better as it increases the readers knowledge of what more characters are doing and feeling.

'The Stable Boy Of Auschwitz' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Henry and Dexter discusses/includes violence, persecution of the Jews, the Holocaust, Persecution, murder and death.

Well, what can I say but wow!!! This story is definitely not going to leave my head anytime soon. Firstly I must congratulate Dexter Ford and Henry Oster for an extraordinary novel that seriously needs to be made into a movie which I assure would be best selling!!! I would also like to thank Henry for telling Dexter his life story to ensure what happened is never forgotten!

This book is very powerful and extremely well written. It is devastatingly heart-breaking and beautiful at the same time. The storyline of this book is based on a true story which is another thing that drew me to read it. It is absolutely rammed with emotions that will make you smile, cry, hate and laugh on the roller-coaster ride to hell that is World War 2 and the persecution and murder of the Jews and many others. Nothing is left out and the author has done an immense amount of research and brings Henry's story to life. Dexter Ford was Dr. Henry Oster's optometry patient and is told Henry's history after he spotted the tattoo on his arm of B7648. Dexter then writes Henry's history down and turns it into this beautiful memoir of his life. I had never heard of Henry before reading this but have read 'The Violinist Of Auschwitz', 'Celia' s Journey', 'The tattooist of Auschwitz', 'The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz,' The Girl Who Survived' and 'The librarian of Auschwitz', among many other memoir and stories about survivors and victims of the holocaust, all of which I enjoyed so when I seen this I was intrigued to discover the ongoing of the war through another person's eyes and from a different perspective.
This book did not disappoint. Some people believe that these stories should not be written but I am a strong believer that these victims and survivors earned the right for their stories to be told and to not be forgotten and this book does just that. I loved discovering not just Henry's stories but those who surrounded them also. What they went through , the suffering they went through themselves along with seeing those suffering and being murdered around them, the conditions they were forced to live in and the horrors they were forced to watch, wwords just cannot describe the anger I felt towards those who caused them this pain and suffering, loss and heartbreak and the pain and sympathy I felt for each and every person who died and lived during this hell. This book was very hard to read as a whole but there were certain parts that will stay with me for a very long time and that we're soul destroying. What the Nazi's did to these innocent people makes me absolutely sick to my soul. I enjoyed learning about the life of not only Henry but the life's of others in the camps and people he met on his journey. My heart absolutely broke for Henry who suffered from the age of just 5 years old. I have twin sons who are 5 years old and a 10 year old and I couldn't even begin to imagine them going through anything like what Henry seen and went through. It really resonated with me and when I was reading the pages I kept picturing Malaki, Hunter and Ryder's faces and had tears streaming down my eyes constantly. After being kicked (literally) down so many times and after so many losses and heartache most people would have just given up but Henry managed to keep on going and refusing to back down. I absolutely loved watching the relationships and friendships between Henry and Ivar Segalowitz grow and develop throughout this story. There were several characters, along with Henry, that will stick in my mind for a very long time after what they did or went through. Hans Isidor Oster was Henry's father and was the first one the change in laws impacted. He was no longer allowed to work and later own a home. This broke his heart as you can see that he felt that he was letting his family down and was struggling to support them and protect them. Elizabeth Haas Oster was Henry's mother and she was forced to watch her husband suffer through these changes while struggling to do anything about it herself while also seeing their child Henry suffer. Being a parent myself what happened to these poor innocent people would be my absolute worse nightmare, especially being separated from my children not knowing, or even worse actually knowing what could happen to them next. There were two Polish brothers who I will remember for their kindness to Henry. they would give him some food even though by just doing that they could get punished or even killed themselves. We later find out why they were doing it and it is heart-breaking as they are also victims being forced to do something they want no part in. The majority of Germans were either a part of what went on or turned a blind eye. However, not all of them were as bad as others and several characters stood out in this book for me by showing kindess when they didn't have to and when it could have let to more problems and even death themselves. There was an SS soldier at the beginning of the book who stormed into Henry's family home to force his father to leave. However, when the SS man recognised Hans Isidor Oster and remembered the way that he had treated him in the past he told the other soldiers there was a mistake, giving the family some respite for a time. There was an SS soldier who ran the bakery who caught Henry stealing some bread. This soldier did shout and beat henry but later showed some kindness after speaking to him and gave him bread and a tomato. Another one of the SS officers who worked in the Admin building walked with Henry during one of the transport collections to ensure that he got back to his building "safely", well as safe as you can be in a camp!! Along with the many characters that I will remember for a long time there was also so much I learned that I never heard of before and many of which I will be doing more research into myself. Some of these events include Kristallnacht, what happened on the train to Ecouis, Henry's residence with the Rothschild and what the Germans called their Saturday night theatre. I wont go into more details about them as I don't want to give too much away about the book. I was absolutely disgusted by how Henry was treated when he finally got out of the camps and went on to try to get an education at the USC School of dentistry where the disgraceful Dr Rutherford would not even give him a chance!! One of the other things that I liked about this fantastic books and that I wanted to mention is that each chapter is named in a way that it summarises what that chapter is about. I always prefer chapters being titled rather than just numbered as it gives more characterisation tio the book. I can't say more than that though as I don't want to give anything away so you will just have to pick up a copy and see what I mean. This is just one of those books that should be read by absolutely everybody and there should be a copy in every school and educational building as Henry along with so many others should never be forgotten!!!


It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture. I loved the modern day chapters as well as the historical ones and felt like I was being told the story over a cup of tea.

I read approximately half of this book on kindle and listened to approximately half on audio book. I must also give a huge congratulations to the narrators William Hope, Susan Oster, Dexter Ford and Henry Oster who not only brought the storyline to life by really portraying the emotions through their voices so a HUGE congratulations all!! I cannot imagine that this was anywhere near an easy feat!!! I am looking forward to discovering more books read by William Hope (main narrator) as you definitely have a perfect "book" voice!! I sometimes struggle to absorb the storyline through an audio book but if you are the same as me I can promise you will not have that problem with this amazing narrator!!

Clear your schedules and grab your tissues as you will not be able to put this book down or stop the tears from streaming!!!

Congratulations Henry and Dexter on an absolutely stunning emotional rollercoaster ride of a book!! I would say this book is is even more emotional and memorable than the likes of 'The' diary of Anne Frank'. I would like to welcome you to my favourite 3 historical author list!!!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the letter from Dexter Ford and Susan Oster

Overall a heart wrenching, devastating must read memoir filled with courage, survival, love, friendship, loss, hope and so, so much more!!!


Genres covered in this novel include History, World History, Historical Fiction, Historical European Fiction, History Of The Holocaust, History Of Central Europe, History Of Poland, History Of Eastern Europe, Holocaust Biographies, Holocaust History For Young Adults, Holocaust, Biographies, Jewish Studies, Jewish Biographies & Memories, Jewish Holocaust History, Jewish History, German History, World War ll History, Historical Germany Biographies Jewish Biographies and Memoirs amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz', 'The Lucky Ones', 'The Midwife Of Auschwitz', 'Orphan Train', Shari Ryan, Ellie Midwood, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Librarian of Auschwitz and anyone interested in the Holocaust and its history.


285 pages/ 6 hours and 59 minutes

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with Kindle Unlimited, £8.27 in paperback and £16 on Audiobook via Amazon, at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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A beautifully written account of an untold story of the stable boy of Auschwitz. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking at times!

4.5 stars This is my second memoir about the Holocaust this year and it never gets old. There is always something new to learn. In this one, the author shares his terrifying and heartbreaking experience as a German Jew living in Cologne when the Holocaust starts. He identified as a German yet was betrayed by his country. He was one of the only Jews from Germany to survive, since they were the first people taken to the death camps.

His story was truly amazing and inspirational. His perspective during and after the war was fascinating. Although I knew about the "death march" this was my first time reading about someone's experience in it. Wow so incredibly scary and unimaginable.

This memoir is worth the listen to learn about and remember the Holocaust. The audio performance was average. Thank you #NetGalley.

I have read and listened to some historical fiction about World War 2 and this book is one of the books that will stay in your heart and mind.

This book contains a personal and heartbreaking story about a Jewish boy (Henry Oster) that grew up in the terrible period of World War 2, this true story gives more insight in that time period about for example why the German people elected Hitler and how the hate towards Jews started. But also how things were in the camps when they were liberated and the period after liberation. Most book don’t include a time period after the war and how people tried to get their life back on tracks, without family and a house to live in. The audiobook is great narrated by William Hope and at the end there is a great afterward of the wife of Henry Oster, Susan.

As many other families, my family was also deeply affected by the second World War. Two family members were deported to a concentration camp but survived. I had family that had an active role in the resistance. I think it is very important to never fully forget what has happened to try to prevent recurrence.

📍 Thank you to the author, publisher + NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Review also posted to @redheadbookgirl (IG), Goodreads and Storygraph.

[Non fiction // no rating]

This was a heartbreaking, informative, poignant story of Henry’s remarkable, moving and unimaginable experience of the Second World War. I enjoy reading historical fiction, and I’ve been around horses my entire life, so this book seemed like a great pick for me.

I’m going to get this out the way first: I do feel the title is pretty misleading. This does not mean the book was not incredibly well-written and devastating, but that I would have been less likely to read this, had I known that only a tiny percentage of the book was actually about Henry’s role as a stableboy. I had imagined a story akin to WAR HORSE, albeit non fiction, and would have liked more details about his life with the horses, as I was led to believe this was the main focus of the book.

Having said that, I never tire of reading such incredible stories of hope and resilience, and I listened to this in just over one sitting. It doesn’t matter how many books I read on the topic, it’s still impossible to come to terms with the fact Auschwitz was a real piece of history, that occurred on the planet we live on. The note at the end read by Henry’s wife Susan was also especially moving.

𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @ 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍
✨🍂

I have previously read a few books about Auschwitz so knew that this book was going to be for me.
It was a harrowing listen from the beginning and the heartbreaking story of Henry who told his story from start to finish, it was interesting to not only hear about his time in Auschwitz but also what he went on to do after his freedom. Although challenging in places due to the experiences that Henry had to go through and the difficulties that he faced from a young age I enjoyed this book and was hooked from the start.
This is a very well written and read book which portrayed the life of Henry Oster well. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I listened to an advanced copy of this audiobook and would like to thank the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen in exchange for my honest review.

I found the narration to be fitting for this memoir and wouldn’t change anything about it.

This memoir was extremely difficult to listen to with heartbreaking and emotional themes. It was devastating but inspiring hearing Henry’s story of survival, suffering and friendship. Henry was 5 years old when Hitler took power and this memoir follows years of his life through those horrific times and how, against all odds, he survived.

Over the years, I have read many personal memoirs by survivors of the Holocaust but few have pulled at my heartstrings and inspired me as much as The Stable Boy of Auschwitz: A Heartbreaking True Story of Courage and Survival by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford. It was originally published under the title of The Kindness of the Hangman by Dexter Ford. I listened to the audiobook that was very well narrated by William Hope with a touching afterthought by Henry’s wife, Susan Oster. The Stable Boy of Auschwitz took place before World War II, during the war and then after the war.

Henry grew up in Cologne, Germany as an only child. He was barely five years old when Hitler and the Nazis took control of Germany in 1933. As a Jewish boy, his life was about to change drastically. Henry and his family witnessed the unimaginable terrors of Kristallnact. Shortly afterwards, Henry and his parents were ousted from their comfortable apartment and forced to live in one room in a much less desirable location in Cologne. Food became harder and harder to find. Henry’s father started to experience severe depression. He felt hopeless in his role as provider and protector. It wasn’t long before he died from starvation. Although Henry was still young he tried to take care of his mother. It was just the two of them now. Even as a young boy, Henry proved to be brave and resourceful. Then the Nazis relocated Henry and his mother to a ghetto in Łódź, Poland. The conditions were far worse than the conditions in Cologne. At least Henry and his mother were still together and had not been selected for deportation.

In 1943, Henry’s and his mother’s luck ran out. They had been selected for deportation. The two of them were pushed into an overcrowded cattle car that was headed for Birkenau/ Auschwitz. Henry and his mother were separated immediately upon arrival. For the first time in his life, Henry was totally alone. Henry was starving, scared and almost ready to give up hope when he arrived at Auschwitz. He considered himself extremely lucky that he had been assigned to work in the stables at Auschwitz. Since Henry spoke German fluently, he was assigned to the two mares, Mutti and Olga and the stallion, Barbarossa. These horses were used to taking orders in German so Henry was assigned to them. Henry was responsible for breeding these horses for the Nazis for the war effort. Every day Henry worked with the horses, was one more day he got to live. Henry took a real liking for the horses and they provided a sort of comfort for him. In the back of Henry’s mind, he knew he could never make a mistake, steal food or become too weak to work. He focused on one day at a time and how he could survive all the atrocities he was made to endure.

In The Stable Boy of Auschwitz, Henry shared all the fears he felt during his time in Auschwitz, his most private thoughts, thoughts he had never spoken out loud before and each and every atrocities he was made to endure in Auschwitz and later in Buchenwald before the camp was liberated by the Americans. From the 2,011 Jewish people that had resided in Cologne before World War II only 23 survived, including Henry. Henry was very fortunate that an aunt and uncle recognized his name in a newspaper in California and brought Henry to the United States and adopted him. When he arrived in Los Angeles, California, he spoke no English at all. Henry not only mastered the English language but went on to attend and graduate from college and then optometry school. It really saddened me that Henry once again had to experience antisemitism when he applied to dentistry school. There were institutions here in the United States that openly limited the number of Jewish applicants they accepted into their programs. Henry was denied entry into Dentistry School because he was Jewish. With everything that Henry had gone through during the Holocaust, it was so unfair for him to have to experience antisemitism in the United States as well. His backup plan for not becoming a dentist was to attend optometry school. It proved to be perfect for him. Henry went on to marry and have children. He wanted others to know what he had endured so that those that perished during the Holocaust would not be forgotten and that the Holocaust would never happen again. Henry spoke often at schools, youth groups and at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. He was a very special man who lived every day of his life, as his wife mentioned, as if his cup was half full instead of half empty. Henry accomplished a great deal in his life after arriving in California but he never forgot and he helped others to do the same. I was filled with raw emotion after reading Henry’s story and was so glad he got to tell it. Please read his story for yourself. It was impossible to convey all that he endured and accomplished in my review. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Stable Boy of Auschwitz by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Most holocaust works are about survivors. In this work, Henri Oster recounts his experience. Henry shows us his life before the camps, unlike most works. We learn about his parents and Cologne, Germany.

Henry loses his father in the Lodz Ghetto and helps his mother escape the first Auschwitz roundups. We hear how family comes first in daily living. When your only meal is a slice of bread, common courtesy and etiquette are ignored.

Henry and his mother were divided forever when they were sent to Auschwitz. He went to Auschwitz, and she was sent to Birkenau. Henry found a German-speaking friend within the camp to help him through the atrocities. The Stable Boy of Auschwitz depicts Henry's daily life in a cruel world. But Henry takes the reader deeper, showing kindnesses from some SS Officers, how speaking German allowed him to care for the horses, and how dumb luck and the willingness to take a risk almost killed him but saved him from even worse treatment.

Written to show humanity, love, betrayal, courage, brutality, pain, and aid. A different book about the holocaust and how one boy survived.

I really struggled with this book. I have huge respect for Mr. Oster. I have huge respect for anyone who not only suffered in the holocaust but survived it. The atrocities that Henry Oster suffered as a child are almost incomprehensible. The atrocities of the time are as we all know beyond believable. I firmly believe that the stories should be told. In order that it never happens again. What I struggled with was the beginning of the book, I almost gave up in the beginning chapters in all honesty, it got really political for me, it almost felt like Hitler coming to power could have been a good thing, if he’d only othered “others” I cannot imagine taking away from any the horrors that anyone faced. I just feel it’s worth pointing out for other readers who may not stick with it for this reason. The narration picks up well too, initially I wasn’t gripped but it definitely improves massively.

Thank you to NetGalley and bookature for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Such a gripping, well written, gut wrenching, powerful and moving memoir.

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz is the true story of Henry Oster's young life. He was five years old in 1933 when Adolf Hitler took power. In Auschwitz he worked in the horse breeding stables. He believed if he worked hard and made himself hard to replace, he may stay alive. Stay alive he did, in 1945 while imprisoned at Buchenwald camp he was liberated.

This book begins by telling the history of events leading up to the Holocaust. Readers may learn more about Hitler's rise to power and why some chose to stay.

So much hate, so much brutality, so much heartache, so much killing, but there was also hope, courage, and strength beyond comprehension.

One can't help but feel many emotions while reading this book. I am in complete awe of those who survived and have been able to tell their stories. They are important and should never be forgotten. There are not many survivors left in the world. I went with Ma (grandmother) to the German Consulate in Los Angeles once a year and then every few months at the end of her life, so she could continue receiving her reparations checks. The last time we went, we were the only ones there.

Remembering is what we must do. Henry Oster was young when he and his family were transported to the Łódź Ghetto in Poland. Imagine having a happy life and having someone take it from you. Take your belongings, take the lives of your loved ones, and take away your freedom. Henry's story is both a heart wrenching story of loss and devastation and a story of courage and hope.

I appreciated how the book showed his life before the Holocaust, during, and after. So many people have heard stories about happened during the Holocaust, but not about what happened to survivors after they were liberated. How they were helped and eventually made their ways into the world. I am so happy that this part of the book was also detailed.

While reading books such as this and thinking about my own family member who was in Auschwitz, I can't help but wonder if I would have had the strength. How do those who have lost all that there is to lose, have everything taken from them that can ever be taken, keep moving forward. Hope, will, strength and courage.

Again, this was a well written, gripping, educational, moving memoir that is a testament to the inner strength and resiliency that we as humans possess.

This is not a BIG book in terms of length, but it is big on feeling and history.


#TheStableBoyofAuschwitz #NetGalley #Memoir

As someone who has read a lot of Holocaust literature, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually learned from this book. Telling the story of a German, Jewish boy who ends ups in the concentration camps of WWII, this novel not only tells his story but offers information that helps explain Hitler's motivation and strategies as well as the US's history of eugenics. While he does spend a brief time as a stable boy, there are many other jobs and experiences he has over his 3+ years as a prisoner. His story has many similarities to Elie Wiesel's Night, but goes one step further and follows him as he integrates back onto 'normal" life. This is a must read for anyone interested in reading about this horrific time of history and will appeal to everyone from young adults to those much older.

Rounding up to 5 stars.

Time after time Henry Oster managed to elude death. Many thanks to NetGalley for approving my request to review the audio version of The Stable Boy of Auschwitz. The book is arranged in many very short chapters. I had the sense that the book was painful to write; even though Henry had shared his story many times with schools, churches, synagogues, youth groups. He spoke every month since 1977 at the Museum of Tolerance in LA about his experience as a holocaust survivor.

The narration by William Hope was very well done.

A couple minutes from Henry's wife Susan is included at the end of the book.

Thank you to Henry Oster and Dexter Ford for documenting Henry's story in the Stable Boy of Auschwitz. This review is provided in exchange for the opportunity to review the advance listen version of the book. It should be required reading in hopes that we never forget. Publication date is April 4, 2023.

This is a painful, firsthand account of the life of a German Jew during World War II. In the latter 1930s, Henry Oster was just a boy when Hitler began his rise to power.

In the intervening years, Henry and his parents were sent from Cologne to a Polish ghetto, where his father died. Later, Henry and his mother were sent to a concentration camp, where they were immediately separated, never to see one another again.

As a young teen, Henry used his intelligence and cunning to stay alive. Each day was a challenge simply to see one more sunrise.

In all, he spent 10 years as a shunned and reviled German Jew until American troops liberated the camp he was interred in. At which point, he was a 16yo with no family, left to try to find his way in the world.

This story is a tribute to the power of the human spirit, even in unimaginable circumstances.

Thank you to Henry Oster, Dexter Ford, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narration. I am however finding it difficult to review this book, as whilst I get from the book that Henry Oster is a remarkable man, the book just didn't elicit as many emotions for me as I would expect for a book of this type. I was not at all interested in the politics at the beginning of the book and found that a tough way to start a novel. Nearly turned me off finishing. I was more interested in Henry's life which we got more of as the story progressed. As the story was from Henry's point of view it was quite judgemental to the whole German race- which I guess I can understand after what Henry went through. The book seemed to try and write about a long time span in a short amount of time, which meant I didn't feel fully immersed in any one time/place/incident. It was good to have the view point of a German Jew.

This book was absolutely incredible. I could not stop reading, I finished it within 24 hours. I have read a lot of WWII books but this one stands out and I will never be able to forget it. The story is so compelling it almost reads like fiction, or maybe that was just my subconscious trying to not accept the atrocities, but when you do remember this is a memoir, it is heart wrenching. I went through a world of emotions reading this book. I will be highly recommending this one.

Anyone able to compose their hardships with such eloquence is masterful.

'I was once just a German.' 72%

Oster, aided by Hope's poignant narration, has managed to offer a standout work in a saturated market. While there will always be a necessity for people to share their stories around atrocities, especially those that were experienced by so many- most of whom were never able to share them- it is true to say that there is a glut of them available. However, Oster's writing takes a different tack. It is written from a profoundly reflective stance, one that evaluates all of the events- from all sides- and delivers what may be the most balanced depiction of World War II matters ever penned.

It is crucial to note that this is not a new publication. This was originally published in 2014 under the title of The Kindness of the Hangman, which, while not as marketable, did better encapsulate the tone used. Anyone motivated to read this because of an interest in the horses involved will be disappointed; it's a feature, and a compelling one at that, but it's only one part of Oster's life. Yet, by virtue of how much of the time is explained- including an exploration of the anti-Sematic experiences of Oster's childhood, through to the political changes of the country- this is a comprehensive recount of a pivotal juncture in Germany's history.