Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "ww2"

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Much of this book is difficult to read because of the subject matter; everything being related took place at a very dark time in history. However, I found that the prose flowed in a way that carried the story forward and kept my interest throughout. I became engrossed in these characters' stories. The main character, Lale, a Jewish man, was assigned the role of tattooist—tattooing a number on the arms of all the people who were captured and taken to Auschwitz and Birkenau. Lale's role, although almost privileged (it bought him time, as he was of use to the SS who had captured him), was a double-edged sword; having to watch others being killed every day, and being treated differently, meant that he was always torn, left with the feeling that he was working for the SS against his own people. This aspect of his story was compelling. He risked his life by doing things to help his fellow captives, while working in his role as a tattooist. There were many times when he came very close to being killed.

What makes Lale's story compulsive is the fact that while being a captive in such horrendous circumstances, there was still enough hope and faith within him that he was able to fall in love and plan a future in such uncertain times. He fell in love with Gita, a woman he was tattooing, at first sight. Their romance blossomed over the years they were held at the camp, and it is a story that adds some light to this otherwise incredibly sad tale.

Lale's account of what was happening in the camp sheds light on the atrocious and inhumane treatment of innocent people at Auschwitz. Lale told the author, Heather Morris, that he wanted his story to be told in the hope that "It would never happen again". As well as showing the worst side of human nature, one of the things Lale's story highlights is that even where the unimaginable is happening, there will always be people who are willing to risk their lives for others, and they are the true heroes.




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