The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Lale The Tattooist of Auschwitz 
by: Heather Morris 

Summary: 
The horrors of concentration camp life (from imprisonment, physical & sexual abuse, manual labor to illnesses & death in the crematoriums) during World War II are adequately portrayed in this historical fiction. We follow the lives of Lale & Gita most closely, although most of the third person point of view details Lale's life. Lale & Gita fall in love at the concentration camp, where life is not a guaranteed certainty from day to day. They both suffer illnesses, (typhoid) but are spared from the death wagon. As Lale points out, they all do what they have to do to survive; he becomes the camp Tattooist or "Tatowierer," even though it pains him to defile the skin of his fellow Jews (especially the women.)  Lale is a good, determined man, though, & he is very resourceful; that is what allows him to make his escape from the Vienna camp. 

Book Quotes: 
"Work makes you free." 

"Choosing to live is an act of defiance, a form of heroism." 

"The twinkling of stars overhead is no longer a comfort. They merely remind him of the chasm between what life can be & what it is now." 

My Rating: 4.5 or 5 stars! So good!!!