It's been a while since I've written a book review or even picked up a book and sat down to read.
I've just not had the time! I came across this book - The tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris in my local Waterstones and knew that it was a book I wanted to read. I was not disappointed and was automatically hooked when I started reading.
Blurb
'I tattooed a number on her arm. She tattooed her name on my heart.'
In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale, a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure this woman, Gita, did too.
So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the tattooist of Auschwitz.
My View
It's hard to write in words how much this book made me feel. I cried, I laughed, I loved, I smiled...
There aren't enough words to describe how Lale and Gita must have felt whilst at Auschwitz. Whilst studying History lessons at school, I often wondered how life must have been throughout the war period. I have always loved History, even more so when I hear people's stories and experiences. This book is just that. This book is the story of Lale and Gita who met in a concentration camp, it was love at first sight. Author, Heather Morris tells their story.
There aren't enough words to describe how Lale and Gita must have felt whilst at Auschwitz. Whilst studying History lessons at school, I often wondered how life must have been throughout the war period. I have always loved History, even more so when I hear people's stories and experiences. This book is just that. This book is the story of Lale and Gita who met in a concentration camp, it was love at first sight. Author, Heather Morris tells their story.
I generally don't even know where to start when writing this review. I couldn't put this book down and whilst reading, I couldn't believe that I was reading someone's story, this was their life for three years. How did a person survive what they went through? You can't even imagine how the people in the camps where living, worked...this book makes you feel and it gives you a sense of what life was like living in the camps as a prisoner during such an evil period of time.
Lale is at Auschwitz, he stands out from other people at the camp - he can speak a few languages, he's well dressed, he's known for being a lady's man back at home. This makes him stand out and is made the camp's tatowierer, even though it has it's benefits, it also has many repercussions. As well as better sleeping conditions, he has access to more food and is able to move around the camp more freely. This is how he meets Gita and finds a reason to survive. Lale, is able to help other people at camp and does what he can to help others, he saved many peoples lives. You can clearly see in the book that Lale feels guilty for his job in the camp, often saying sorry to the newcomers when he can, when he's not being watched by the Nazis for branding them with a number.
This book shows you the worst of humanity as well as the beauty of life. Lale, himself told his story to the Author and I recommend this book.
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