The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

I’ve heard about The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, I’ve read reviews on blogs, like the one made by Sarah at salocainwonderland.co.uk. I loved the book, with the picture of the entrance to Auschwitz and the uniforms the prisoners would wear. Of course, I was intrigued by the true story of the Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist and the woman he falls in love with. I’m glad I found the book at the library because it was extraordinary. It is a historical fiction book, but it is based on a true story, told by Lale after his wife Gita died.

Morris tells the story of Lale (Ludwig), a Jew that was transported from Slovakia to Auschwitz in 1942. He volunteered in an attempt to save his family from having the same fate. At the end of the book Morris tells us what happened to his parents and his family.

Lale’s story at Auschwitz is incredible, because he is very intelligent and knows a lot of languages, he gains the privileged position of Tätowierer– the tattooist. He has to mark the well known numbers on the prisoners’ arms. In his position he meets Gita and falls in love with her.

Most of the book is about their life at Auschwitz and what they had to deal with after getting out. Amazingly, he has problems with the Communists in late 1940s and decides to leave Europe for good, ending up in Australia. There is where he meet Morris, to whom he talked for years about his experiences as a Holocaust survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The story is described as “heart-wrenching, illuminating, and unforgettable” and that is how I would describe it too. I loved the book.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Details about the picture: –
My rating: 5/5 Stars.
Would I recommend it: Yes
Published by: Zaffre Publishing
Year it was published: 2018
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): Historical fiction
Pages: 277

About the author: Heather Morris was born in New Zealand and she now leaves in Australia. In 1995 Morris began work in the Social Work Department at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne where she stayed until 2017. She wrote screenplays for years, taking a scriptwriting course, attending seminars in Australia and US.

In 2003 she was introduced to Lale Sokolov, an elderly gentleman “who might just have a story worth telling”. The Tattooist was intended to be a screenplay and went into competitions with it. She was inspired from competition readers to publish Lale’s story as a book. She went on to raise funds on a Kickstarter campaign, so she could publish her story as a novel. She continued with another book, about Cilka, a woman who helped Lale.
Books by her: The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka’s journey.
Website & Social Media Links: www.heathermorris.com.au