The Tattooist of Auschwitz

By: Heather Morris

Narrated by: Richard Armitage

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught, he would have been killed; many owed him their survival.

There have been many books about the Holocaust - and there will be many more. What makes this one so memorable is Lale Sokolov's incredible zest for life. He understood exactly what was in store for him and his fellow prisoners, and he was determined to survive - not just to survive but to leave the camp with his dignity and integrity intact, to live his life to the full. Terrible though this story is, it is also a story of hope and of courage. It is also - almost unbelievably - a love story. 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 determined not only to survive himself but to ensure that Gita did, too. His story - their story - will make you weep, but you will also find it uplifting. It shows the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.

Like many survivors, Lale and Gita told few people their story after the war. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they raised a son and had a successful life. But when Gita died, Lale felt he could no longer carry the burden of their past alone. He chose to tell his story.

©2018 Heather Morris (P)2018 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

amazing story

what a true story. to hear the horrors of concentration camps from a survivor , and what he went through makes me feel blessed. he was a hero and survivor.

Amazing book. Couldn’t stop listening. What a story

Incredible. I loved this. It’s a true story and just such a compelling read. I’m sad to have finished it. Just such a wonderful example of the power of the human spirit.

Such a tender story

Important stories must be told over and over again. We may not think about what it took to survivs each day... For a story of survival this is filled with such heart break... Great narration.

What?!? Only 3 Stars For Richard Armitage? Yes...

Don't get me wrong--generally, Armitage absolutely elevates prose to dizzying heights, and when I saw he was to be the narrator of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I was thrilled.
Uhm, no.
The book is fraught with tragedy, has tenderness, has passion, but Armitage delivers it all in the same ponderous, oh so ponderous, tones. I had to speed the whole thing up to x1.25-x1.5 speed as what sensitivity there was within the text is lost in such slooooow and serious reading. He does well with accents, well with dialogue, but for the most part... ouch!
And this is very much an Ouch-ish kind of book. Lale and Gita have nothing, no power of choice, little dignity; all they have is each other in horrific circumstances. They live moment to moment, never knowing when the SS will come for them. Never knowing when they can laugh, when they can kiss. The book depicts the terrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau quite well, the determination to just get through each day, surviving at all costs--even if that means "defiling" your fellow human being with tattoos that turn a person into a number rather than a name (but don't worry--Lale shows his humanity in numerous other ways).
While a good book, I don't think it merits 5-stars as it's fairly easy to put down/put away for a time, and I'm very much into cover-to-cover listens.
Maybe it was Armitage (whom I would still gladly listen to in another work), maybe it was a certain dryness of the text. I don't know.
I'm glad I listened to it, but I wish it had been more engaging...

The Power of Love

I see where some have mentioned the technical problems. Do not let that affect your decision for this incredible book. It is all resolved less than a third of the way through and it is Mr. Armitage's voice anyway. To review the book is to pour out one's heart for the horror and the hope found in this story. It is a testimony to the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of love that two people can survivor such an ordeal and make such a difference by risking life daily to alleviate the suffering of others along the way. As always, Mr. Armitage's passion for a good story permeates his narration. In a place of nightmares where one has to hold emotion in check lest you betray yourself, Richard brings a depth to the dialogue that draws you in and makes you a part of the lives of Lale and Gita. You weep with them, tremble for them, hope with them. The best part of the book for me was the afterword by their son...a full testimony to the beautiful lives of his parents. This is a must read for anyone interested in Holocaust history. This generation is passing and we must remember...we must always remember.

Fantastic Narrator

Fantastic Narrator and a gripping true story. Very well written. I would recommend this read

Incredible story and amazing performance

It's been a long time since I couldn't fall asleep, wondering what would come next while I had to stop reading. Every character and scene becomes so vivid, terrifying, yet somehow obsessing. That must attribute to Richard's performance, oozing with extreme tenderness. Not quite sure if the post edition goes wrong, some skippings occur in chapter 25.

An intriguing story of human resilience

The best stories are those that are a true and real life experience. HM has conveyed Lale's story with such clarity - a beautifully told account of his harrowing experience from which such inspiring resilience emerges through his love for Gita and his common sense. The story is well narrated, and the characters emerge through well done accents - although I found some of the English district accents quite amusing in the context of the concentration camps full of Eastern European Jews and others :-)

#Holocaust
#WorldWarII
#Inspiring
#Interesting
#Tattoo
#sweepstakes
#tagsgiving

Moving

The story itself was intriguing and moving. The story of determination to survive and help others survive was motivational given all that is known about the horrors of concentration camps. Some of the story was difficult to hear but inspiring as a whole. Kudos all around.

Finding Love In A Hopeless Place

This story needs to be heard by everyone. Two people finding a deep love in the most horrifying place, not knowing if they would live to see the next day, made my heart sing one minute and then cry the next. Thank you Lale for allowing Heather to tell your beautiful story. Thank you Richard Armitage for being brilliant and taking such tender care with these people's lives. Thank you Heather Morris for letting Lale's words tell the story.