The Tattooist of Auschwitz
By Heather Morris
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.
Lale and Gita - what a heart-rendering romance. I am not a huge fan of reading stories set in Auschwitz, for the simple reason that I find myself an emotional wreck by the end of the book and left wondering how on earth anyone could treat a fellow human being so terribly. But a friend had read this book and recommended it to me. And I am so glad she did.
This
novel is a masterful portrayal of a desperate time in history. This is
one of those novels that will haunt you long after you have turned the
last page.
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