Book Reveiw

Most of those interred by the Nazi SS were identified not by name – but by a number tattooed on the arm. The principle characters in this story were tattooed 32407 and 34902. 

Heather Morris’s novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz, is the story told to her by a Slovakian Jew and holocaust survivor - Lali Sokolov - whose job it was to tattoo new arrivals at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nazi Germany's largest concentration camp and extermination camp. 

It is a story about how he fell in love with a girl he tattooed upon her arrival. A best-selling novel the book has been shadowed by no small amount of criticism about the plot line clashing with the historical record. Fact-checking by the Auschwitz Memorial claims that - the book contains numerous errors and information inconsistent with the facts, as well as exaggerations, misinterpretations and understatements.  According to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum the novel is - an impression about Auschwitz inspired by authentic events, almost without any value as a document. 

The author makes it clear that even though story is based-upon the personal recollections and experiences of one man. It is not, and has never claimed to be, an official history.  As a consequence this book can truthfully stand by its claim to be a work of fiction. 

Setting-aside the historical inconsistencies and controversies it is a good read solely on the basis of a tale of love and survival in the midst of one of mankind’s greatest crimes against humanity.