This was an engrossing read. Fredy Hersch was a phenomenal person by all accounts. This book grabbed me from page one clear through to the end. Fredy was a bright light in a very dark time. His kindness has touched my heart and I will not forget his name ever.

I was rooting for Fredy throughout this entire book. What a phenomenal story.

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Perennial Paperbacks for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest review.

4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wendy Holden’s The Teacher of Auschwitz is a deeply moving, heavily researched account of a man whose legacy, until now, has lingered quietly in the margins of Holocaust history!
Fredy Hirsch, a Jewish, openly gay youth leader with a flair for charisma and an unwavering moral compass is brought to life in this unforgettable biographical novel. This book is not just about the Holocaust; it’s about dignity, defiance, and the power of hope, even in the darkest corners of humanity.

Holden does a great job balancing historical detail with emotion. The story takes its time with Fredy’s early years, showing us the makings of a man shaped by contradiction, both German and Jewish, athletic and artistic, disciplined yet full of warmth. But it is within the ghettos and camps, particularly Auschwitz’s notorious children’s block, that his heroism truly shines.
Against a backdrop of despair, Fredy fought to preserve childhood and structure. He secured extra rations, convinced guards to allow education, and created a space where children could laugh and play!! Small rebellions of joy against a backdrop of death.

The Teacher of Auschwitz doesn’t stray from horror, but it doesn’t wallow in it either. It is ultimately a testament to one man’s refusal to let brutality define him or the children he protected. Fredy Hirsch may not be a household name, but after reading this, you won’t forget him.

A vital read for anyone interested in history, untold stories of resistance, humanity, and light found in impossible places!!

Thank you Harper Perennial for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is another important book about the horrific events that many Jewish people went through during the Holocaust. It is based on the life of Fredy Hirsch who risked his life every day at Auschwitz trying to protect the children from danger and trying to engage their minds to keep them from thinking about what will probably await each of them when their time is up.

The book is divided into two parts. In the first part, we learn about Fredy's family and about his years growing up. He was a poor student and trying to find his way when he decided that he wanted to be an athlete and worked hard to keep himself in good shape and to teach boys how to be healthy. He was also a bit flamboyant and many who knew him assumed that he was gay (which he was). When he was sent to the ghetto in Theresienstadt he volunteered to be part of the governing council and help people when he could. He started working with the children in the ghetto, helping them to get through each day in brutal conditions. When the ghetto was dissolved and its member sent to Auschwitz, Fredy again tried to be helpful to everyone and to help them adapt to the conditions in the camp. He asked the camp leaders if he could have an unused building to use as a school for many of the children and somehow he also managed to get extra rations for his students. Dr Mengele took an interest in Fredy and the school but I've read so much about him, you have to
wonder if he had ulterior motives. But eventually time ran out for Fredy and he and many of his students did not survive. But some of the students that he helped did survive the camp. It was so touching that there is a chapter at the end of the book made up of testimonials from some of the people he helped at the camp. He made a difference in many lives and it was heartwarming to read what they said about it. For me the most touching testimonial was one of the shortest "He built a wall in our hearts against suffering."

This book was a well researched look at one of the forgotten heroes who tried to help other people during a terrible time in world history. Be sure to read the author's cast of characters where she tells a bit about all of the people in the book who were real people and what happened to each of them during or after the war.

Heartbreaking and deeply inspiring—Fredy Hirsch’s story is one of quiet heroism in humanity’s darkest hour.”

This novel beautifully honors a lesser-known figure of the Holocaust: Fredy Hirsch, a young, gay Jewish teacher who created a haven for children within the horrors of Auschwitz. Through compassion, courage, and defiance, he gave these children something unthinkable in a death camp—hope.

The story is both devastating and uplifting, rooted in real history and brought to life with powerful, emotional detail. While the pacing slows at times and the narration leans heavily into reflection, it’s an essential, soul-stirring read for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Born Survivors.

Fredy Hirsch a name which should be remembered was a remarkable man filled with compassion, empathy, child-like-ness, and exorbitant amounts of resiliency to persevere and put others ahead of their own well being. Life circumstances paved for Fredy to live his life in Czechoslocakia where life conditions for German-Jewish and LGBTQIA to be able to live their lives more freely. Like history recalls the invasion of Nazi's becomes eminent and Fredy is taken and relocated to the ghetto of Terezin. Making the most of this opportunity to teach, instruct, and love he continues to survive and helps children continue to survive and have dignity to take care of themselves, have a spark of hope, and learn amongst the suffering. Yet again, Fredy is transferred to Auschwitz (where the title comes into play) and significantly the "children's block" of Auscwitz-Birkenau where he was a person of power, known for his compassion, innovation on how to interact with children, improving their life conditions, and convincing the SS guard that children were worth allowing to live, and valuable. Fredy incorporated the arts of painting (snow white and the seven dwarves), dancing, singing (German and French tunes), and performing for the SS guard to survive and he worked to improve the morale and conditions of the children amongst the harsher realities of what Auschwitz was. He was known by ALL as a caring, compassionate, and figure of light that taught children educational games and activities. Fredy Hirsch would advocate for children and help all that he was able to.

The level of reality and research that Wendy Holden did for this novel was impeccable. A tune for details, recalling and researching real account and testimonies on the character of who Fredy was, who children and significant characters intertwined throughout this book, and larger historical accounts than fiction. There were several moments as this progressed that this really made me ponder about how children and how they were treated, portrayed, and how this provided an alternative testimony to the common death of a reality in Auschwitz. Fredy contained much love for children to sacrifice his own life for those too young to know.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this ARC. Thank you to Wendy Holden for sharing the life of Fredy Hirsch, who I will thin about past this story. I recommend to anyone who is looking for a real rooted story and account of a person during WWII.

The Teacher of Auschwitz is one of those books that stays with you long after you finish the last page. It tells the heartbreaking yet inspiring true story of Fredy Hirsch, a brave, gay Jewish man who gave everything he had to protect and care for the children of Auschwitz. Despite being surrounded by horror, he managed to create a small world of hope and learning, giving the kids a tiny sliver of childhood in the unthinkable. This book is beautifully written—emotional, powerful, and absolutely unforgettable. You’ll need tissues for this one. Huge thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the ARC!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 17, 2025
World War two non-fiction writer Wendy Holden’s new book, “The Teacher of Auschwitz” highlights the life and death of Auschwitz camp prisoner Fredy Hirsch. Fredy, who was both Jewish and German, had a passion for helping children, being a role model, scout leader, guide and teacher before the war. As both a gay man and a Jew, Fredy’s life was doubly threatened when the Nazi SS came, sending Fredy and most of the children he loved in a cramped train to the freezing cold, barren death camp. Once at Auschwitz, Fredy made it his mission to help the traumatized children collecting there, encouraging them to paint and sing and laugh, while, daily, those around them were being sent to the gas chambers.
Fredy Hirsch was a real-life Auschwitz prisoner and, although he did not make it home, his story is powerful and gripping. Using letters, diary entries and conversations with living survivors, Holden does her best to create a true-to-life tale of Fredy’s experiences.
The story is broken into two parts; the first part bounces back and forth between different stages of Fredy’s life, before and during the Nazi occupation. Although a little disjointed, since it isn’t told chronologically, the story details the important aspects of Fredy’s life, including his important relationships and how he came to be the type of person he was. The second part is much easier to follow as it flows from one month to the next during Fredy’s time in Auschwitz. Combined, the two sections tell the lost tale of one of the many heroes of the infamous prison camp.
“Auschwitz” is written as if it was orally narrated, low on descriptive detail and high on conversation and character development, but this style makes sense when you consider that Holden was going off of the personal notes and interviews of Fredy’s friends and neighbours.
“The Teacher of Auschwitz” has a unique perspective as Fredy was, unfortunately, not an Auschwitz survivor. He did, however, play an important role in the camp and is forever remembered by the children whose lives he touched. Holden’s story is emotional, eye-opening and touching but, obviously, it is not an easy read. Stories of the horrors of Auschwitz and other similar camps need to continue to be told, and the heroes and survivors need to be remembered. “Auschwitz” by Holden does this in spades, ensuring Fredy’s name does not end up lost to history.

Grab the tissues. Find a quiet place. The Teacher of Auschwitz will bring you to tears. It didn't take long for the tears to start flowing. My heart was beyond crushed. When Fredy Hirsch's name finally clicked in my head; the tears flowed even more. It took me awhile to remember his name. I will not forget Fredy Hirsch's name again. I will remember what he did during the atrocities of the Nazi invasion. Fredy Hirsch may not have been able to save many of the children in his care but he made their last days the best he could. He eased their suffering.

Fredy Hirsch was born Jewish. Fredy Hirsch was born to be a teacher. The Teacher of Auschwitz tells his story. The reader is taken on a very realistic journey of Fredy Hirsch's life. We are given glimpses into his life before anyone had heard of Hilter. We watch as the Nazis take more and more control over Czechlosovakia changing Fredy Hirsch's life and that of so many of the Jewish peoples.

My respect for Freddy Hirsch grew with his concerns of the children in the Terezin Ghetto after the Jewish population was forced into horrid living conditions, packed into rooms like sardines. He stood up and made sure that children would still have a chance to be children. His love of the children brightened the pages. His love for the children, his concern for thier welfare would be his downfall.

Finding himself in a truck, packed with others did not stop him from looking after the children. Being in Auschwitz did not stop hin from looking after the children. We should all be screaming his name, thanking him for all he did for the children suffering, trying to survive in the concentration camp.

The Teacher of Auschwitz tells a detailed story of the horrors of the ghettos and camps. Using interviews of survivors the author was able to bring Fredy Hirsch back to life. He kept the children safe in Block 31. ALong with others, he taught the chidren bring hope for a better future. Any questions I had could be easily researched bringing even more tears. Remember Fredy Hirsch and his love for the children when so many had forgotten they were human.

I have read many, many books centered around Auschwitz and WWII. I have found that the best books are those based on true stories/real people. This book tells about the life of Alfred "Fredy" Hirsch, and it alternates between several different time periods. At times, the change in time periods was slightly difficult to follow.

The life of Fredy was fascinating as well as heartbreaking. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be rather dry, and it was difficult to push through.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

This book is inspired by a true story. I love that the author has provided timelines, testimonials, characters and has introduced us to a man who risked everything to protect children in Auschwitz.

If you like Holocaust survivor stories with world war two background, read this book. People have endured Holocaust brutality. And those who have survived have seen so much and been through so much. The book deeply touched me. I read one or two books before this. Fredy was exempt from getting marked because he was german. I liked reading about the teacher which was a fictional character. In a brutal concentration camp, only Germans were exempt from the brutality but the brutality they witnessed cannot be forgotten. Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia and Fredy was taken to the Terezin ghetto. He did everything to protect the children and their innocence. This is a story of darkness, hope, survival, deprivation, and finding light in darkness.

Thanks to the Publisher

I have read many books about WWII and the Holocaust, but nothing has compared to the emotions I experienced while reading The Teacher of Auschwitz. Numerous times, I got tears in my eyes and goosebumps on my arms. Wendy Holden told Fredy's story beautifully and I will forever remember him.

What defines a hero? There can be many definitions, but after reading this book, Fredy Hirsch definitely qualifies as one. A mind and gentle man who put the children and their welfare ahead of himself. Fredy, a sensitive boy, grows up in Germany. He emerges as a leader in the youth groups he belongs in. As threat of war is becoming increasingly imminent, Fredy moves to Czechoslovakia where it seems safer for Jewish people , such as himself. After a few years however, the Nazis invade Czechoslovakia. When Fredy is taken to the Terezin ghetto, really, just a holding place before being transported to a concentration camp, he keeps up with his teaching, inviting others to do the same. After some time he is again transferrred, this time to the dreaded Auschwitz concentration camp. There, Fredy is given a bit of a level of privilege and uses this to his advantage to get all he can for the children. (Sometimes , standing up to the most feared people in the camp, like Josef Mengele, a man of pure evil.) In doing so, he keeps the lives of the children as “normal” as possible and does all he can to make things lighter and ease their fears. I have toured Terezin while visiting the Czech Republic. I saw some of the drawings from children that were mentioned in the story. I recalled going into the Small Fortress area that one of his friends was brought to. Any time I read of a place I’ve been to, it makes stories like this all the more real. In this case, I have chills and it makes that place all the more horrific.
The extent Fredy went to in order to bring any amount of fun (such as the many plays he has the children performing) to the lives of imprisoned children is so touching. The author, Wendy Holden (a new to me author), does a wonderful job making you understand who Fredy is and really feel how much he cared for the children. There are also moments of rawness in the book, that make you stop, think, feel, and cry. Although the subject matter is heavy, and there are a couple of alternating timelines in the first half, the book flows very nicely. As the author requested from readers, I will remember Fredy Hirsch and the sacrifices he made to bring some joy to the lives of these innocent children. Thank you for bringing his story to light.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I have read many books that take place during the Holocaust and feel I have learned a lot about the horrors that occurred during that time in history. As a teacher myself, I was very interested when I first learned about this book.

I had never heard the name Fredy Hirsch prior to reading this book and I felt like I really got to know who he was from reading this book. I loved his character and his passion for helping the children.

The beginning of the book moved kind of slow for me and I wasn’t as engaged right away as I was by the end of the book. I liked learning about Fredy’s early years prior to being in the Ghetto and then Auschwitz. I did find it confusing at times trying to remember the time period as it went back and forth between times but it got easier as I got more into the book. By the time I was reading the chapters that took place in Auschwitz, I was very invested in the book and couldn’t stop reading.

I appreciated the added parts at the end including the survivor testimonials, the author’s note, the cast of characters, and the timeline. I felt all of these parts really added to the book and helped me have an even greater appreciation for the man Fredy Hirsch.

Overall, I felt this was a great book that helped share another part of the Holocaust that wasn’t known. The Holocaust was an absolutely terrible time in history but it gave me a greater understanding of what the prisoners went through during this time. While this was ultimately a heartbreaking story, it was nice to read about how Fredy helped to make the horrific time a bit better for the children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing me with an eARC of this book.

I had never heard the name Fredy Hirsch until reading this book. I now will not forget his name. The author did a beautiful job of painting Fredy's character and the positive impact he had on children during such a horrific time. The story did end kind of abruptly and I found myself wanting to know what happened next.

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of #TheTeacherofAuschwitz by Wendy Holden

This book is a moving and deeply humanizing account of Fredy Hirsch, a young, gay, German-Jewish man whose extraordinary efforts to protect and uplift children during the Holocaust deserve to be more widely known. Inspired by real events, Wendy Holden brings Fredy’s courage and compassion to life as he builds a haven for children inside Auschwitz—a place of hope, learning, and joy amid unthinkable horror.

Fredy’s story resonates deeply, not only because of the unimaginable circumstances but because of his steadfast determination to preserve the dignity and spirit of the children around him. He’s portrayed as both kind and persuasive, able to earn unlikely concessions from SS guards—mirroring real-life historical records. This novel isn’t an easy read—it’s heavy, heartbreaking, and haunting—but it is absolutely worthwhile.

his was one of the most powerful and heartbreaking books I’ve read in a long time. I had never heard of Fredy Hirsch before, but now I’ll never forget him. He was a young Jewish man who found himself in Auschwitz, and instead of giving in to despair, he created something incredible: a school for children, right in the middle of the camp.

What really struck me was the strength and dignity he showed in the face of such cruelty. Fredy didn’t just protect the kids physically—he gave them hope, structure, and even moments of joy. The fact that he managed to do this in one of the darkest places in history is almost beyond belief.

Wendy Holden does a beautiful job telling this story. You can feel how deeply she respects the people she’s writing about, and the book reads with a sense of urgency and heart. It’s devastating, yes—but also inspiring. Fredy’s story reminded me that even in the worst circumstances, one person’s courage can make a real difference.

If you’re interested in World War II history, the Holocaust, or stories of quiet heroism, this book is absolutely worth reading. Just have tissues nearby.

I have grown weary over time with books in this time period as I’ve read so many but this one was heartbreaking and beautiful and showed another side of this horrific time period
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me

This story is based on the real life of Fredy Hirsch. Fredy was a young Jewish man who lived several years in the Terezin ghetto before being sent to Auschwitz. Fredy had a passion for physical education and a heart for children. His greatest accomplishment was protecting as many children as he could from the horrors of the war. He insisted on cleanliness and did his best to ward off disease. In Terezin he began educating the children in special rooms. Later in Auschwitz, he was able to secure an entire barracks just for the children where he created an oasis, a haven that shielded the children from the horrors of the concentration camp.

This book was so inspirational! I have read many Holocaust stories but all of them focused on the adults. This one gave insight into the many children who lived in Auschwitz. Fredy was brave, kind, persuasive, and resilient. While most people were scared of the SS officers, Fredy's charm enabled him to ask (and receive) things that were unheard of. I loved that the story was told in first person (even though Fredy died). It made it even more authentic to hear his story in his own voice. There were two things that kept me from giving it a higher rating. One is the slow pace. The first half of the book focused on his life before Auschwitz. It was interesting but so detailed that I had to keep putting it down. It picked up once he arrived in Auschwitz and set up the kinder barracks. The other problem I had was that the chapters kept switching back and forth in time. It was hard to follow on my kindle. I would have preferred a chronological timeline. Overall, Fredy's is a story that needs to be read.

Over all, I did enjoy this book. I do feel it started out slow, and the jumping around in timelines did get kinda confusing. This book showed a very very brave man. The way Fredy, protected children and brought some light and love during this very horrific times was absolutely heartbreaking but amazing. I am so happy I was able to read his story.

The Teacher of Auschwitz is the lightly fictionalized story of German-Jewish Holocaust victim Fredy Hirsch. This is not a perfect book, but I do think that it has a lot of heart. The portrayal of Hirsch is sympathetic and attempts to work through some of the controversy he has faced since his murder. Hirsch was, of course, gay. In the decades since the Holocaust, this has often resulted in him being maligned for his interest in working with children (as though the two things have any relationship at all!). I think that Holden deals with this well. Likewise, she uses some newer information to provide an alternative explanation for how someone utterly committed to protecting his students could go on to commit suicide rather than leading them bravely into the gas chambers. It posits a situation in which he is more or less poisoned to prevent his participation in a revolt. Whatever the truth, I do believe that Hirsch was a good man, much loved by his surviving students. I think this book helps to humanize him and show his incredible youth. He was so young and yet did so much for so many.