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The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel Paperback – Sept. 4 2018
Heather Morris (Author) Find all the books, read about the author and more. See search results for this author |
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The #1 International Bestseller & New York Times Bestseller
This 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.
“The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an extraordinary document, a story about the extremes of human behavior existing side by side: calculated brutality alongside impulsive and selfless acts of love. I find it hard to imagine anyone who would not be drawn in, confronted and moved. I would recommend it unreservedly to anyone, whether they’d read a hundred Holocaust stories or none.”—Graeme Simsion, internationally-bestselling author of The Rosie Project
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.
Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.
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.
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, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarper Paperbacks
- Publication dateSept. 4 2018
- Dimensions15.24 x 1.83 x 22.86 cm
- ISBN-100062877003
- ISBN-13978-0062877000
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Product description
Review
“Based on a true story, the wrenching yet riveting tale of Lale’s determination to survive the camp with Gita is a moving testament to the power of kindness, ingenuity, and hope.”
— People
“Like the Nobel Prize-winning author Elie Wiesel’s Night, Morris’ work takes us inside the day-to-day workings of the most notorious German death camp. Over the course of three years, Morris interviewed Lale, teasing out his memories and weaving them into her heart-rending narrative of a Jew whose unlikely forced occupation as a tattooist put him in a position to act with kindness and humanity in a place where both were nearly extinct.” — BookPage
“The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the story of hope and survival against incredible odds and the power of love.” — Popsugar
“The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an extraordinary document.. I find it hard to imagine anyone who would not be drawn in, confronted and moved. I would recommend it unreservedly to anyone, whether they’d read a hundred Holocaust stories or none.” — Graeme Simsion, internationally-bestselling author of The Rosie Project
“What an extraordinary and important book this is. We need as many memories of the Holocaust as we can retain, and this is a moving and ultimately uplifting story of love, loyalties and friendship amidst the horrors of war.” — International bestseller Jill Mansell
“As many interviews as I did with Holocaust survivors for the Shoah Foundation and as many devastating testimonies as I heard, I could not stop reading THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ—an extraordinary story of love so fierce it sustained people enduring the unimaginable. Read it, share it, remember it.” — Jenna Blum, NYT and international bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family
“To many, this book will be most appreciated for its powerful evocation of the everyday horrors of life as a prisoner in a concentration camp, while others will be heartened by the novel’s message of how true love can transcend even the most hellishly inhuman environments. This is a perfect novel for book clubs and readers of historical fiction.” — Publishers Weekly
“..this is a powerful, gut-wrenching tale that is hard to shake off.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Although one might suspect that there’s far more to his past than is revealed here, much of Lale’s story’s complexity makes it onto the page. And even though it’s clear that Lale will survive, Morris imbues the novel with remarkable suspense.”
— Booklist
From the Back Cover
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.
Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.
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.
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, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.
About the Author
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Product details
- Publisher : Harper Paperbacks (Sept. 4 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0062877003
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062877000
- Item weight : 307 g
- Dimensions : 15.24 x 1.83 x 22.86 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: #12,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #27 in Jewish Historical Fiction
- #33 in Jewish Literature (Books)
- #77 in Cultural Heritage Historical Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Heather Morris is a native of New Zealand, now resident in Australia. For several years, while working in a large public hospital in Melbourne, she studied and wrote screenplays, one of which was optioned by an Academy Award-winning screenwriter in the US. In 2003, Heather was introduced to an elderly gentleman who ‘might just have a story worth telling’. The day she met Lale Sokolov changed both their lives. Their friendship grew and Lale embarked on a journey of self-scrutiny, entrusting the innermost details of his life during the Holocaust to her. Heather originally wrote Lale’s story as a screenplay – which ranked high in international competitions – before reshaping it into her debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Customer reviews

Top reviews from Canada
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Overall, it felt like a very one-dimensional story full of one-dimensional characters. A lot of "this happened and then this happened and she said this and he said that" without any real emotion to it. I did not feel for any of the named characters that died, nor was I able to be particularly invested in the central relationship.
It certainly depicted a different experience of the Holocaust than other books I've read or movies I've watched, but unfortunately, I didn't feel that it lived up to its potential.
After the war and their return to Slovakia, they realized that Europe was an unappealing place for them to remain. So they moved to Australia and remained there until their deaths. Gita died three years before Lale and he decided to tell his story to the author so that he would always be remembered with his darling Gita. They had one child in 1961, Gary, who writes the forward to this book. Originally the story was written as a screen play, but eventually Heather Morris a New Zealander completed the novel and had it published.
As all stories of the Holocaust are difficult to fathom, parts of this are difficult to read but it is more important to read them now and never forget man's inhumanity to man. It is a triumph that any of these prisoners lived, no matter what they had to do to survive.
Lake was a fashionable young man-about-town, popular with ladies of all ages. He, along with other Jews were transported by cattle car from his home area in Slovakia. He was soon selected to tattoo a numerical identification on the arms of multitudes arriving at the death camp. Among early subjects he tattooed was a frightened, trembling young woman, Gita.
As tattooist, Lale was in a privileged position, but never without dread. He was given a larger portion of unappetizing food and a better place to sleep while many of the inmates were tortured and shot or herded towards the crematorium. He was determined to survive and developed a romance with Gita who returned his love. He promised her they would survive, marry and have children.
Lale established many friendships within the camp. Among them were women whose duties were to sort through the belongings of those marked for death. They gave jewels and money they found to Lale in exchange for more nourishing food and chocolate which he obtained from a contact outside the camp. With the precious stones and money he was able to bribe some guards for better conditions for others and to get time alone with Gita. He also divided up foodstuff to pass on to as many as he could. He was distraught when a group of Gypsy friends were led away to the gas chambers. He was concerned that he might be regarded as a collaborator with the Nazis.
The author met Lale in Australia in 2003 where he and his wife Gita immigrated after the war. He had found success as a business man. They had a son. Gita was now dead and Lale wanted his story told before his death. Although the book is described as historic fiction, the publisher believes about 95% is factual. Most of the book has been found to be true with conversations word for word as Lale related them. Inner thoughts were invented by the author. Some minor errors can be attributed to an old man’s hazy memory. Photos of the couple depict them at different stages of their lifetime together.
Top reviews from other countries




This is not a downbeat tale. The strength of the human spirit shines through on every page. It was hard to put down, I had to keep reading. And in the last pages there are amazing surprises.
A wonderful book about a truly remarkable character. I cannot recommend this more highly.
