From the time that I watched the Oscar-winning film "Life is Beautiful," I have since been fascinated by any story that chronicled the suffering of Holocaust victims during World War II.
It was known to be the most atrocious crime ever committed in the 20th century. I can only imagine the agony that the Jewish people had to endure in the hands of the Nazis. They were stripped of their liberty, dignity, and humanity because of one man's abomination against their race and faith.
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This novel by Heather Morris was based on the story of one Holocaust survivor, Lale Sokolav, who was given the task of tattooing every single individual who arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. He was himself a Jew who got lucky to be chosen by the SS because he spoke different languages.
The events narrated in the story were factual and authentic, having been told by someone who saw and experienced firsthand the cruelty and inhumanity of the SS guards.
Lale's Holocaust experience was made richer by the friendships he established while in captivity. He saw death on a grand scale and it made him numb. Brutal death was normalized in a complex that was built purposely for it. Death came in various forms --- hanging, gunshot, firing squad, and the gas chamber. Those who did not die of these eventually died of malnutrition and illness. Auschwitz was a living hell.
Lale's life changed when he laid eyes on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in Auschwitz. She disembarked from the Holocaust train and went to line up for the tattooist. Gita captured Lale's heart and for a moment he thought he finally had a reason to live and survive.
Their romance was known only within their circle. They had to remain discreet so as not to raise suspicion. Theirs was a kind of love forged in the worst possible backdrop --- the Holocaust. They were not promised tomorrow because Death was constantly lurking behind walls, ready to aim at anyone who wished to escape from the electric barbed wires of the prison camp.
Will their love survive the war?
