“The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a war story, it is also, maybe even more so, a love story.” —Sara Nelson, VP, Executive Editor, HarperCollins Publishers
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov—an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.
One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.
Watch an interview with Lale here:
A few photos of Lale and Gita:
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.
Listen to the first five minutes of the audiobook below:
Be sure to tune in to the Library Love Fest Facebook page on Friday, April 12th at 11:00 AM EST to listen to a conversation between author Heather Morris and her editor, Sara Nelson. The Tattooist of Auschwitz is available now.