The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.

"A brutally honest re-telling of the Holocaust and how amidst all the suffering, love was still possible."
3 Stars
Pros:Based on true life events
Cons: There way the story was told didn't convey what the characters were feeling, I felt it was too factual.

Full Review:
Lale is a young, charming, successful man with his entire life ahead of him, that is, until he volunteers to be shipped off to Auschwitz in order to keep his family safe. His sacrifice his noble enough and as he begins to learn what life is like at the most infamous Concentration Camp, he is at least glad that he could spare his family this horror, or so he hopes.

He is quickly sought out and given the assignment as the Tattoowierer, or the Tattooist, the man who tattoos the numbers onto the incoming prisoners. And though he hates it, hates inflicting pain on anyone, he dose what he must in order to survive. His days are cruel, laborious, gut wrenching and when he isn't forcing numbers into peoples skin, he is starving, freezing, suffering at the hands of the Nazis, all because he is Jewish.

His days are very much the same, until one day, he happens to lift his head and catches the eye of the girl he's tattooing and he is instantly smitten. They managed to find one another again and get to know each other. Her name is Gita, but she refuses to tell him anything else about her because she feels there is no reason, no hope, they are not making it out of Auschwitz alive. Lale believes differently and asks her to promise him that on the day they leave this place, she will at least tell him her last name.

The book moves quickly, told factually and unemotionally. Yes, there are moments when Lale or Gita suffers a terrible loss, but the author tries to leave the emotions out of the narrative. With life at Auschwitz being so unpredictable and death always looming, the narrative keeps you attentive and intrigued because you have to know what happens. At times it seems a little too convenient, things seem to work out surprisingly well for Lale, but if this is truly a fictional re-telling of true events, then I believe it could have happened.

This book was not an easy read, simply for the fact that it dealt with the single most horrific time in our human history. The subject matter aside though, it was a quick read, nothing too complex about the plot and the plight of Lale and Gita is enough to keep the pages turning.

I would recommend this book to anyone really. Though the lack of emotions from the characters is a little off putting at times, overall, it's a startling, honest and necessary tale of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Comments

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov

"When a scientist, Benes, who has integral and world changing information attempts to defect and join our Side, he's injured. A blood clot forms in his brain and the only way to save his life is to miniaturize the crew of the Proteus and inject them into Benes' body, so they can break up the blood clot from the inside. Of course, one thing after another goes wrong and every chapter is a new catastrophe but it was definitely a fantastic voyage. 2 Stars Pros: Grant is one dry character but he's a welcome bit of amusement in an otherwise serious and scientific novel. Cons: Grant is also SUCH a man that he spends most of the mission staring at saving the one woman board, Cora./Definitely ripe with anatomical lessons and what part of the body they were in. Since I've never been great at anatomy, a lot of it was lost on me and became burdensome near the end. Full Review: As in all things, there is a good side and a bad side. This book is very vague as...

Animal Farm by George Orwell

"A blithe and scathing commentary on equality, power, corruption and how everyone is created equal, but...some are more equal than others. Orwell hit the nail right on the head with this novel and it's no wonder it's a staple for most high school curriculums. " 3 Stars. Pros: Benjamin the Donkey is the smartest animal on the farm and it would have done all the others a world of good if they had listened to him in the first place. Cons: The fact that societies like this actually do exist is nauseating and terrible. It's not a con, per se, it's just a gut wrenching fact. Full Review: When the overworked and mistreated Animals on Manor Farm decide to rise up and overthrow their cruel master, they're successful. They rebel and now find themselves with an entire Farm to run. They rename it Animal Farm and are intent on creating a paradise, where work and play are equal, where productivity is key but relaxation is a must and all the lives of all the animal...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

"Arnold Spirit, Jr, or "Junior" as he's known on the Rez, does something no Spokane Indian has ever done. He enrolls in Reardon High School and begins the long and often painful process off navigating not only high school and adolescence but also being an outsider. Alexie handles it all with grace, humor and honesty. This was a great read. I would recommend it to anyone." 5 Stars Pros: Alexie handles the ups and downs of not only adolescence, but tragedy and loss in a stark, honest but gut wrenchingly relatable way. Cons: Some of Junior's all-consuming guilt, though understandable was a little repetitive but it's all part of being a teenager. Full Review: It all starts when Arnold Spirit Jr, or Junior, throws a textbook across the classroom. When he opened the book he saw his mother's name, her maiden name and it enrages him. He's furious that the reservation is so poor that they're learning from thirty-year old textbooks. He doesn't...

All the Books.

Search This Blog