A truly remarkable account of surviving a concentration camp
Bewertet mit 5 Sternen
Lale Sokolov is a young Jew from Slovakia who was forced into a cattle wagon and taken to Auschwitz in 1942. There, he eventually becomes the “Tättowierer”, made to tattoo an identification number onto everyone that arrives to the camp and is deemed healthy enough to work. It is there that he meets Gita, the love of his life. He vows that he will do everything possible to leave Auschwitz alive. Every day he decides again to survive, keep his head down, and do as he is told. His job as Tättowierer has some perks, which he dutifully shares with as many people as possible. Over time, he gets to witness gas chambers and crematoriums, as well as the horrifying human experiments of Dr Josef Mengele. With a lot of luck, both Lale and Gita survive and can eventually be together.
Heather Morris tells an extraordinary true story of love and hardship. It is hard and sad to read of these horrendous crimes. What Lale and many others have endured is one of the biggest crimes on humanity. Beautifully written, this heart-breaking and thought-provoking novel is a firsthand experience of surviving Auschwitz. I am grateful to Lale Sokolov for finally deciding to share his story.