The Tattooist of Auschwitz

#1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 International 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) SokolovΓÇöan unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity. ΓÇ£The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an extraordinary documenta 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 inconfronted and moved. I would recommend it unreservedly to anyonewhether theyΓÇÖd read a hundred Holocaust stories or none.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöGraeme Simsioninternationally-bestselling author of The Rosie Project In April 1942Lale Sokolova Slovakian Jewis forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languageshe is put to work as a T├ñtowierer (the German word for tattooist)tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for over two and a half yearsLale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarismΓÇöbut also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own lifehe uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive. One day in July 1942Laleprisoner 32407comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gitaand in that first encounterLale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. A vividharrowingand 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 HolocaustThe Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.