The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Week 4

Welcome to Week 4 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. 

At the beginning of this section, the guards discover the stash under Lale's bed, and he is beaten badly in prison. What were the chances that the man he helped earlier in the book would be the one who had to do the beating? That was really lucky. If Jakub hadn't been the one to beat Lale, I'm sure he would have died. I was really surprised when Lale got his job and room back. Baretski jokes that Lale is like a cat, and he really seems like he was. He survived so many different things during his time in the camps. He did seem to get a lot of special treatment and special opportunities. Lale decides to continue trading and getting extra supplies after being released. Were you surprised that he went back to that? Wouldn't you think he would be afraid of being killed, especially since he already had one lucky escape? 

I can't imagine how scary it was to be there when the camps were emptying out. I think it would be hard not to be hopeful that the end was coming, but also, the SS were acting erratically, so I'm sure it was so scary to think what final punishment they could come up with. Gita and her crew end up on one of the death marches, and I really don't know how anyone was able to survive those. If Gita and the four other friends hadn't run away, they would not have survived. It was amazing that Gita was able to get to safety and find her brothers. I just can't believe all that she survived. Lale also had a really lucky escape. I couldn't believe when he was able to convince that guard that he wasn't Jewish. And then, he was able to trick the Russians and leave with some jewels. Lale was so smart and had such a will to live. He did so many things to survive. I just can't imagine how he had to keep thinking and scheming every second of every day. 

What did you think about the ending? I couldn't believe how Gita and Lale were able to be reunited after the end of the war. There was so much chaos after the war ended--I can't believe anyone was able to find anyone. It's incredible that they were able to be together and build a beautiful life together. 

How do you feel about the book and its fictionalized account of the Holocaust? Do you feel like since it's based on a true person, it should be treated like a historical document? How much creative license do you think an author of a book like this should have? There has been a lot of controversy about Heather Morris's writing and some things in the book that appear to be inaccurate. If you'd like to read more about the controversy, check out this article. Let me know what you think about the responsibility of an author of this type of book in the comments. 

Did you enjoy reading this book? If you liked this book and would enjoy reading and watching similar titles, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list. 

Check out the video below to learn more about the way the series adaptation was created. What do you think of the fact that the series included Heather Morris as a character? Do you think you would have enjoyed having her impressions in the book? Would you be interested to hear more about the interviews she did with Lale? I wonder if she has released any of that footage. It seems like the recordings haven't been made public. 

Thanks for reading along with me this month! Make sure to leave a comment to let me know if you enjoyed the book. Our next book is Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. I hope you'll join our discussion!