"The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel" by Heather Morris

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

I have read a lot on the holocaust. The majority of what I have read is non-fiction, and the majority of that is memoirs. However, many of the fiction pieces I have read are just as memorable and almost as gut wrenching as pieces written by people who lived through the experience. Naturally, when I came across The Tattooist of Auschwitz, it caught my attention. I knew nothing going in other than the the title, so at first I didn't realize that it was based on the true accounts of Lale Sokolo. I'm sad to say that I wasn't very impressed with this particular book.

The story at the heart of the novel is fascinating. I did my own research on the real people in this novel and the history behind the novel is nothing short of amazing. Lale was an incredibly courageous man and his love for Gita is so inspiring. Their lives after the novel were also interesting. So why didn't this novel appeal to me? I think the first thing that bothered me was the writing. The novel is written in first person, which didn't work for me. I wondered if the technique was chosen so that it didn't feel like a piece of history but instead like the reader was really there in the moment. Whatever the reason, it was somewhat annoying to read. Additionally, I felt like the writing itself was rather bland. Morris does a good job of hitting all of the correct beats that one would expect to find in a book that takes place at Auschwitz, but I never really felt terror like I expect when dealing with such subjects. I felt like I was moving from one moment to the next, but in a way that wasn't compelling. I liked that the story got started almost immediately, with almost not build up, but it still felt rather boring throughout it's entirety. I also struggled because scenes transitioned at odd times without much warning. The last thing that bothered me, was that this book is a novel. Heather Morris describes meeting with Sokolo before writing the book. I can't help but wonder what liberties were taken that made this book be listed as a work of fiction. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if it weren't fictionalized.

I suppose it should be noted that I watched Schindler's List for the first time the night before I read this novel. Perhaps the bar was unfairly raised. Maybe, I was subconsciously expecting more than could be delivered in a novel. Whatever, the reason, this book wasn't for me. I'm glad I read it because I was able to learn the captivating history of several people, I just wish that I had come across these people in a different context.

Happy Reading!

-Melly

"Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust" by Leanne Lieberman

I read this book solely because the title caught my attention. I do that a lot and I'm glad that I do because I have picked up quite a few interesting books this way. Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust tells the story of a girl who is tired of her life being defined by her Jewish heritage. She would be perfectly happy to never read another Holocaust memoir and would love it if her parents would quit pressuring her to join the activities with the other Jewish kids. More than anything she just wants to be a normal American teen. Things begin to change for her after two events. While doing research for school, she comes across the word holocaust but it is not capitalized nor does it relate to the mass killing of Jewish people during World War II. She is startled to learn that "holocaust" doesn't just refer to Jewish people. The second event includes many of her classmates, one of them being her crush, who start playing a war-like game that in some ways glorifies the Nazis. After these events, Lauren begins learns a lot about herself, the people around her and her heritage.

I have read a good number of books surrounding the Holocaust, both fiction and non-fiction. But I do this by choice and not because anyone makes me. In spite of this, I can easily see why Lauren would be exhausted by her family's history and be done spending so much time focused on that era of history.  Leanne Lieberman does a great job of capturing what it would be like to be in Lauren's shoes. Even someone who doesn't have their individual heritage pushed on them can relate to Lauren and her struggles. Though I feel that this book won't have as large of an audience that will enjoy it, I still recommend that people at least give it a try. You just might learn something about yourself as you read it.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Storyteller" by Jodi Picoult

It's no secret that I have read a lot of holocaust related books in my life time.  Also no secret it that I am (somewhat) a Jodi Picoult fan (I say somewhat only because I have liked everything I have read but haven't read everything yet).  So for me The Storyteller is a great combination.

Sage keeps mostly to herself but when she is approached by a prominent, elderly gentleman from her community she will get the shock of a lifetime. Josef Weber asks Sage to kill him.  He was an SS Guard during the holocaust and can do no longer live with his guilt.  Sage's grandmother managed to survive the holocaust, but has never told anyone the full story.  Conflicted, Sage wants to hear her grandmother's story.  The book spends a lot of it's time flashing back to the events of World War II.  We find out about Minka's (Sage's grandmother) and Josef's pasts and how their paths crossed each other (sorry, spoiler, but it's not a surprise when it happens).  As to be expected from Picoult, there is a twist at the end though not as intense as the other Picoult books I have read (this is the first one that I actually guessed how the novel would end- and I was right!) but the book doesn't focus on the fact that the ending will have a twist.

I was very impressed with this book.  I expected it to read more like the rest of Picoult's books with more drama and controversy.  While this book did have some, it's wasn't nearly as intense as the rest of her books.  I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the holocaust or to anyone that just needs a goo read. I absolutely loved this book!


Happy Reading!
-Melly  

"Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay

My first encounter with this novel wasn't with the novel at all.  I saw the image of the DVD cover at the Redbox kiosk and was immediately drawn to it.  A few weeks later I sat down to watch it on Netflix.  Going into it I knew it took place during the holocaust.  There is just something about stories from this era of history that draw me in and refuse to let go.  This story was one like no other I had experienced, but it captured me just the same.

I didn't realized that the film was based on a book by the same name until after viewing it.  Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key is a story you will not soon forget.  It's July, 1942.  Paris, France.  Sarah's life is about to change forever.  When the French police arrive to arrest her family, Sarah hides her young brother Michel in a secret closet.  Not understanding the situation, she tells him to stay there until she returns and locks the door behind him.  Unfortunately she doesn't realize that she and her family are being taken to the  Vel d'Hiv and from there will be deported to the concentration camps.  Alternating with this story, set in present day, is the story of Julia Jarmond a journalist assigned to write about the upcoming Vel d'Hiv anniversary.  As  her life becomes consumed with her research, she realizes that the apartment she and her family are about to move into was once inhabited by a family arrested in the roundup- Sarah's family.

This novel covers a lot of topics.  It is not solely a holocaust novel.  Sarah and Julia's lives intertwine in unexpected ways as Julia digs deeper and deeper in the the history of her husband's family and tries to discover what happened to Sarah.  Much of the novel focuses on Julia's life and the struggles she faces when she finds out she's expecting her second child and realizes her husband doesn't wish to be a father again.  Though 60 years separate the two, it is interesting to see how Sarah influences Julia.

This a captivating book.  There are moments that are absolutely horrific.  In a way it's a story that's been told hundreds, thousands of times over, but it doesn't read like that.  It's a heart-breaking novel.  Though from the very beginning you know where the story is leading, you can't help but have hope that the expected will not take place and that the novel will have a truly happy ending.  I cannot recommend this book enough (the film too).  



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Anne Frank and Me" by Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld

While preparing to write this review, I was surprised by the negativity of  the editorial reviews and the overwhelmingly high number of positive reviews from readers.  This is a work of fiction and should be read as such.  It is not meant to be a biography of Anne Frank nor should it be read for that reason.  It is purely the story of a fictional person living through events that took place in real life (just like many, many other books).

Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld focuses on a teenage girl named Nicole.  The book begins with Nicole shirking off school assignments (both in school and out) in favor of daydreaming about the boy of her dreams, Jack, and developing her website, Notes from Girl X.  It is clear that Nicole is intelligent, but often wants to take the easy way out.  Instead of reading The Diary of Anne Frank for class, she visits various websites, stumbling across one arguing that the diary was not written by the teen during the Holocaust, but is instead a work of fiction.  Nicole and her sister begin to question why she would be required to read a "fake."

The next day, Nicole's class visits the traveling exhibit, Anne Frank in the World and her life turns upside down.  When shots ring out and her classmates being to panic, Nicole is caught in the mob of people and blacks out.  When she wakes up, she is no longer in modern day America, but is now a Jewish girl living in occupied Paris, France.  Convinced she is an American from the future, but with no way to get back, Nicole suddenly must figure out how to survive the Nazi occupation.  More than once she finds her life in grave danger and begins a journey that will change her forever.

I have read this book many times.  Every time, I cannot put it down until I have read it cover to cover.  I find it engaging, gut wrenching, and inspiring.  It is a very powerful book and once you've read it, you won't soon forget it.

Happy Reading!
-Melly