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A review by theurban_reader
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
imagine a bumblebee. now consider this, according to all aerodynamic laws, the bumblebee cannot fly because its body weight is not in the right proportion to its wingspan.
BUT ignoring these laws, the bee flies anyway.
the protagonist of this book, lale aka the tattooist of auschwitz is a bumblebee my friend.
this book is based on the true story of lale sokolov whose actual name was ludwig eisenberg. lale was from slovakia, he lived with his parents before he was asked to “work” for the german government. this scene was described as such in the book and gave me literal shivers, “… lale watched as the doors of the wagon were slammed shut and heard them bolted by members of the slovakian army, men whose job it should have been to protect him”.
it’s not an ideal world but imagine living in a world where you can’t depend on the people of your own nation, oh wait. you don’t even have to imagine that, just take a look around. have we travelled back in time? have we as a society learnt nothing from history? how much greed is too much greed?
i called lale a bumblebee not for his physical features but because of his perseverance and his hopefulness to make it out alive. i call him a bumblebee because against ALL odds not only did he survive but he went on to live a full life with gita whom he had met at auschwitz. he found love and he survived!
this book at no point gets slow or boring. morris honours lale’s story by giving us an accurate and horrifying account of a man and what he went through in those camps, what he did to survive, and what he gave up. but she also gave us a story where love conquers hatred and reminds us how kindness was, is and shall remain the bravest act.
i most certainly recommend.
if you’ve read it lemme know your thoughts, if you’re gonna read it soon i’ll be glad to hear you’ve been convinced to read this survival story.
BUT ignoring these laws, the bee flies anyway.
the protagonist of this book, lale aka the tattooist of auschwitz is a bumblebee my friend.
this book is based on the true story of lale sokolov whose actual name was ludwig eisenberg. lale was from slovakia, he lived with his parents before he was asked to “work” for the german government. this scene was described as such in the book and gave me literal shivers, “… lale watched as the doors of the wagon were slammed shut and heard them bolted by members of the slovakian army, men whose job it should have been to protect him”.
it’s not an ideal world but imagine living in a world where you can’t depend on the people of your own nation, oh wait. you don’t even have to imagine that, just take a look around. have we travelled back in time? have we as a society learnt nothing from history? how much greed is too much greed?
i called lale a bumblebee not for his physical features but because of his perseverance and his hopefulness to make it out alive. i call him a bumblebee because against ALL odds not only did he survive but he went on to live a full life with gita whom he had met at auschwitz. he found love and he survived!
this book at no point gets slow or boring. morris honours lale’s story by giving us an accurate and horrifying account of a man and what he went through in those camps, what he did to survive, and what he gave up. but she also gave us a story where love conquers hatred and reminds us how kindness was, is and shall remain the bravest act.
i most certainly recommend.
if you’ve read it lemme know your thoughts, if you’re gonna read it soon i’ll be glad to hear you’ve been convinced to read this survival story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Religious bigotry, War, and Hate crime