Based on the true story of Lale Sokolov, who is forced to tattoo numbers on his fellow concentration camp detainees' arms.
The Bookseller
Heart-breaking – a tale of love and survival amidst the horrors of Auschwitz Human – the real story behind one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust – the blue numbers tattooed on prisoners’ arms Inspirational – the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances Unforgettable – a story untold for over seventy years is finally shared Life-affirming – one man’s determination to survive and live a full life with the woman he loved Fully verified – Lale Sokolov’s background and story has been fact-checked against all available documentary evidence
The Story
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz. When Lale, given the job of tattooing the prisoners, saw Gita waiting in line, it was love at first sight. In that moment he determined to keep them both alive. This is a story of hope and of courage.
Born in New Zealand, Heather Morris is passionate about stories of survival, resilience and hope. In 2003, while working in a large public hospital in Melbourne, Heather was introduced to an elderly gentleman who ‘might just have a story worth telling’. The day she met Lale Sokolov changed both their lives. Lale’s story formed the basis for The Tattooist of Auschwitz and the follow-up novel, Cilka’s Journey. In 2021 she published the phenomenal conclusion to the Tattooist trilogy, Three Sisters, after being asked to tell the story of three Holocaust survivors who knew Lale from their time in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Together, her novels have sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. Her exceptional new novel, Sisters Under the Rising Sun, will be published in 2023 bringing another heart-wrenching true story to life with experiences of women in Japanese POW camps, and how they found bravery in sisterhood and hope to survive in music.
