Book Review: Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

Title: Cilka's Journey

Author: Heather Morris

Series/Standalone: The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Book #2)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult

Pages: 352

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Year Published: 2019

Format: Audiobook

"In this follow-up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the author tells the story, based on a true one, of a woman who survives Auschwitz, only to find herself locked away again. 

Cilka Klien is 18 years old when Auschwitz-Birkenau is liberated by Soviet soldiers. But Cilka is one of the many women who is sentenced to a labor camp on charges of having helped the Nazis-- with no consideration of the circumstances Cilka and women like her found themselves in as they struggled to survive. Once at Vorkuta gulag in Siberia, where she is to serve her 15-year sentence, Cilka uses her wits, charm, and beauty to survive."

My Rating: 5/5

 

I was so curious about Cilka after reading about her character in the first book about Lale's life and his struggle in Auschwitz. Cilka was someone he remembered and spoke about fondly. But I couldn't help but wonder about her life. While this book wasn't completely factual, the author based this story on facts that she found about Cilka's life after Auschwitz, and follow her through her continual struggle in life. I was surprised to hear about how just recently (at least in comparison with learning about other aspects of the Holocaust), we are hearing about women who survived the only way they could, and what they had to endure after they were "liberated". I'm curious to read more from the author in the future.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

 Title: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Author: Heather Morris

Series/Standalone: The Tattooist of Auschwitz Series

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult, Romance

Pages: 262

Publisher: Harper

Year Published: 2018

Format: Paperback Copy (Own It)

First Line: "Lale tries not to look up."

"This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov- an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tatowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism- but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, Prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in the first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. 

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful recreation of Lale and 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 Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.

My Rating: 5/5

I have a bit of trouble rating things that are based on true stories so let me explain this star rating a little bit. I think that this book is so unique for a book based during the Holocaust and especially in Auschwitz-Birkenau. I think that while you're reading you are interested in what's going around Lale, but you're also interested in the romance and survival. I felt that the horrors in this book were placed in an interesting way. You would be reading and feeling a certain way about the two main characters and then you'd be reminded once again of what they are struggling to survive through, or what they are witnessing every day. I am interested in reading about Cilka and her life in the companion to this book, as you're not sure until the end of this book how some things play out (and even then not fully). I would recommend to anyone interested in historical fiction or biographies (as it is based on a true story). 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny