Wow--what a riveting, heart-breaking book about five escapees from the Auschwitz death march find each other and try to survive. Such personal stories highlighting both the physical and mental effects for the Holocaust.

Set in 1945 Poland and inspired by true events, The Tale of One January by Albert Maltz tells the story of six prisoners of Auschwitz who manage to escape the Death March and take shelter in an abandoned factory in a neighboring town.

In January 1945, Claire, a Frenchwoman and Lini, a Dutch Jew manage to escape during the Death March from Auschwitz by hiding in a haystack during a halt in their journey. Four men from another death march also have the same idea and the six of them decide to stay together until the advancing Russian Army arrives. (They can hear the distant sounds of the Russian rocket guns slowly getting closer). The men were non –Jewish political prisoners -two of the men, Otto and Norbert were German; Jurek was Polish and Andrey was Russian. Claire, multilingual and having worked as a translator with the SS, helps them communicate with one another. The group of six manages to find shelter in an abandoned factory in a nearby village where they believe they would be safe from the eyes of the retreating German Army. As the narrative progresses we follow this group as they spend the next few days as they each share stories of their lives from before the war, the events that led to their arrest and what they envision for their future. A local farmer helps them with food and water and after years spent in the horrific concentration camps, their new circumstances are cause of both elation and reflection. The clean water, the freedom to bathe, sleep and eat on their own time, and simple meals of potatoes and cabbage while making them happy also trigger traumatic memories.

“We’ve moved from Auschwitz to paradise.”

This is a character-driven story and the author delves into the psyche of these six people who spent years in captivity, fighting for survival. We witness moments of fear, hope, sorrow, grief, anger, empathy, resentment, kindness, trust, friendship and attraction and desperation – a spectrum of reactions and emotions that rise to the surface – proof that after everything they have endured, they have not lost themselves completely.

Originally published only in England in 1967 this is the first time the novel is being published in the USA. The author, one of the Hollywood Ten, had been blacklisted on account of which his book was not published in the United States. Do read the Introduction by Patrick Chura, where he discusses the historical context and the people and events that inspired this novel. I would suggest, however, that you read the Introduction after reading the novel.

Heartbreaking, brutal yet incredibly moving, this is a short novel but not an easy read. A must-read for those who enjoy WWII fiction inspired by true events and people.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for the much-appreciated digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Please note that certain terminology might offend some if viewed from a contemporary lens but were contextually relevant in the era in which this story is based.

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A Tale of One January by Albert Maltz is a historical-fiction story of two women who escaped from a Nazi death March in January, 1945. Mr. Maltz was a playwright, screenwriter, and author. He was one of the Hollywood Ten jailed to refuse to testify before Congress about the Communist Party.

Lini, a Dutch Jew; and Claire, a blonde French anti-fascist who is working as a translator for the SS in Auschwitz, manage to escape during the Death march from their Nazi captures. The two friends have helped each other survive in the concentration camp.

The two meet four men who help them survive the winter and the retreating German army. The four are Norbert, a German; Jurek, a Pole; Otto, an Austrian, and a Russian POW, Andrey. The men are political prisoners (except Andrey) and are not Jewish.

The author was living in Mexico City, as he was blacklisted in the United States. in 1960 he met Dounia Wasserstrom, a French woman and political prisoner, who worked as an SS interpreter in Auschwitz. When the Russian Army was advancing on the camp, the prisoners where being marched to an unknown destination. This is when Mrs. Wasserstrom and her friend made their escape.

Mrs. Wasserstrom, a Ukrainian Jew, testified against the Auschwitz SS men in Frankfurt. Part of her testimony was used in The Investigation, a play by Peter Weiss.

This book was first published in 1967, but only in England, as American publishers wouldn’t agree to publish it.

This is a short book, and I honestly thought it was translated as some of the narrative is clunky. I soon figured out that A Tale of One January by Albert Maltz is written in a way to mimic Eastern European accents.

It was refreshing to read Holocaust literature which isn’t blatantly attempting to squeeze tears out of the reader. It was equally as refreshing to read an actual historical-fiction, as oppose to fiction which takes place in the past.

An interesting aspect of the book is how the things which are taken for granted, are viewed as luxuries after a time spent in hell. An ice bath, for example, is not just a pleasure, but helps the protagonists become human, scraping the filth of the consternation camp off of them.

Small acts of kindness by a local farmer, and other acts by the prisoners themselves, slowly give them their humanity back. There’s a lot to this short book, and that’s not even considering its historical significance.

A Tale of One January

This novel is not for children, and neither is it for the faint-hearted. A group of men and women escape from a death march after they leave a Nazi concentration camp. They feel great joy at their freedom, terror at the prospect of being found, anger at the Nazis, extreme stress, lust, camaraderie and many other emotions in a short time, as they hid in a nearby abandoned building, getting food from a local sympathizer.

The shocking conclusion will haunt the reader.

Based on a true story, this is not so much about Auschwitz as it Is about the euphoria of escape and the sudden realization of freedom. Two women and four men find themselves sharing space and contemplating both the past and their futures, It's subtle, chilling, and hopeful all at once, It's also long delayed from publication in the US- which is a shame. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC, A good read.

There are many heart wrenching stories about the Holocaust and this was not one of them. Not enough information about anyone to really care about them. For a recent one try To Die Beautiful or The Golden Doves. I received and arc from NetGalley and was under no pressure for a positive review. Ramona Thompson

An emotional book, that will be hard to forget. If you have any interest in WW2 or the horrors done there and how people can recover. Read this.

During a Nazi death march two women bury themselves under straw to escape. While sleeping in the straw, four men hide themselves also. When the Nazi's march everyone else off, the six wait, finally emerging free. The six bind together to survive and share resources. While escaping through the countryside, they take refuge in an abandoned factory. With Nazi and Russian forces closing in, survival becomes uncertain.

This was an absolutely fascinating book. The characters were dynamic and unique, each struggling through horrendous circumstances. The bond and interplay between the six was interesting to watch and kept the story moving. This story really needed an epilogue. Despite this criticism, 4 out of 5 stars.

Simply put, it was an honor to read this book. It is not just another Holocaust novel because of who the author is. Albert Maltz was the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, a novelist, playwright, and successful Hollywood screenwriter. Because he refused to cooperate with the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee, he was blacklisted at the height of his career, fined, and imprisoned for a year. This novel was completed in 1962 but no American publisher would touch it for fear of reprisal by the Committee. It is just being released for the first time in the United States.

This story is based on a real Auschwitz survivor, a woman who escaped during the final death march at the end of the war. It only covers a couple of days but the poignancy of the simple pleasures these former prisoners find in freedom will touch your soul. The joy of finally bathing, if only with a small bucket of ice-cold water and no soap after years of degrading filth in the camps. The men & women are constantly drawn to a single window, to view without bars, a landscape free of barbed wire. These small acts give them back their humanity. Reading this book is fighting back against censorship which has once again raised its ugly head with books being across America. I encourage everyone to read this extraordinary book.

I am grateful to NetGalley & Calder Publications for the opportunity to read the ARC and I will be purchasing copies when it's released 7/23/2023.

I’m so mad at this book and the emotions it made me feel!!!!! This was such a wonderful story that stands the test of time, originally being published in 1967. Im so glad I was able to read this story; being an avid reader of wwII/Holocaust historical fiction, I have never read a book like this.

This book really makes you fall in love with the characters. It’s very character-driven instead of plot-driven, exploring the relationships and dynamics between characters in a time no one today could truly comprehend the emotions they would be feeling. I found it to be very realistic in the characters all having different trauma responses and outlooks on life after such experiences in Auschwitz.

The ending absolutely tore me apart! I was absolutely not expecting it, thinking the narrative was going to go a completely different direction. I remember only one other book leaving me with this same hollowness- the writing just leaves you feeling both empty and full of emotion. I aspire to write like that one day.

The introduction in this edition is invaluable. I do wish it had come as an epilogue or note AFTER the story, as a lot of it didn’t make sense to me having never read the story before. I went back after finishing the novel to reread the introduction and I got so much more out of it knowing the context. It’s so interesting (and heartbreaking) how this was based on a true story, and seeing all the details that were kept or changed to make the whole story was just so fascinating and valuable.

There’s not much more to say, really, other than that I absolutely love this book and highly recommend it. It’s imperative that we remember stories like this, remember this time in history as it happened.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA for allowing me to read this book.

Powerfully written and immersive. I felt like I was with the escaped inmates of Auschwitz. Definitely not an easy topic, but this was done well. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Tale of One January is finally appearing in the US. The author, Albert Maltz, was a leftist who refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Committee and was blacklisted, so no US publisher would touch the book when it was completed in 1962. it was eventually published in the UK in 1967, and the publisher is finally issuing the book here in the US.

Based on the narrative of a Jewish Ukranian woman who escaped the death march from Auschwitz along with a female friend, it relates the story of the escape itself, and how the two survived along with four male escapees. It's not a tale of the camps but the story of their adjusting to freedom., and dealing with growing physical attraction between the sexes. The narrative is simply told but is powerful nonetheless.

An excellent contribution to Holocaust literature, A Tale of One January is highly recommended.

My thanks to Calder Publications and to Netgalley from providing an ARC of this book.