Book – Tattooist of Auschwitz
Author- Heather Morris
Published – Sep 2018
Genre – Historical & Biographical Fiction
Well,my buddy opted for light read of Dalai Lama’s Cat,and this weekend,I opted to go back in times of holocaust!The novel is a true story based on courageous survival tale of Lale and Gita, Slovakian Jews imprisoned in Auschwitz in barbaric Nazi Concentration Camp or Death Camp or Killing Center-as it was called in those times.
Protocol was that after every arrival prisoners used to get their individual number of entry by inscribing on arms for extermination by extreme work pressure, starvation or gas chambers.
In April 1942 during WWII, Lale enters the camp after forcible transportation. As he speaks many languages,he lands up getting job of tattooing serial numbers of hundreds of thousands of prisoners and which show most iconic symbol of holocaust!In his 2&half years span in camp,he witnesses limitless heart wrenching brutality &atrocities.He makes several good acquaintances with being naturally soulful natured person he was.One of them was his first pang of romantic encounter with Gita where she was with shaven head, dressed in rags,in total mess and yet he falls head over heels in love with her!His kindness and generosity helps him getting in administration camp, surviving typhoid,getting better lodging,extra ration,exchanging jewels with food items &affection from children or elders.He has immense strength of human spirit in very disturbing or spine chilling moments such as working in cavernous room where piles and piles of bodies are lying with distorted limbs with vomit, blood,urine and faeces! In this harrowing time,he manages to escape his own death and eventually breaks free!
Alas, through forest &crossing freezing river,he is once again captured by Russian soldiers!How he runs away from there too, to reunite with his love and family is interesting read!The book is published by Harper Collins in USA is already translated in 47 languages with rights sold in 43 countries! Heather Morris won lots of awards,accolades&appreciation for penning down such powerfully evocative,vivid &poignant narrative!
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