A review by ambaright
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

The Tattooist of Auschwitz’s is a story of two ordinary people living in an extraordinary time, deprived not only of their freedom but also their dignity and identities. 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 (German for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. One day in July, 1942, Lale comforts a young woman waiting in line to have her number tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. This is a story told through Lale’s account of what Gita and him needed to do to survive. It’s a historical fiction story based on these memories of love and survival*.

*Note: There is some controversy associated with this book due to historical inaccuracies. It is important to note that like most historical fiction, this book should be treated as fiction based on the memories of a survivor. To read more about the controversy, here is an article I found: https://theconversation.com/the-tattooist-of-auschwitz-is-controversial-but-is-historical-accuracy-more-important-than-awareness-229282
#ReadEthically