The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

He is assigned to Block 7, a building full of bunks, each of which is occupied by two to four prisoners. He’s then escorted to a nearby location called Birkenau, which is several miles from Auschwitz’s main area. Afterwards, they find that their clothes have been replaced by striped prisoner garb, which Lale puts on before the Nazis shave his head. Upon receiving their tattoos, the prisoners are told to strip naked and enter a large shower. During this process, he learns that he has arrived at Auschwitz, where he’ll be put to work. He’s then led with the others into a building, where they line up and wait for identification numbers to be tattooed on their arms. Lale follows instructions as Nazis use the butts of their rifles to hit anyone who doesn’t obey them. When the train arrives at its destination, SS officers force the passengers out and yell orders.

But after days on the train without food, he can tell his new job won’t require a suit. The Germans claimed they would put him to work, but when he reported for duty, he didn’t know what he’d be doing, which is why he’s now dressed in a suit, wanting to look good regardless of what his job will be.

Lale’s family is from Krompachy, Slovakia, and when he heard that the Nazis were forcing Jewish families to give the government a child older than 18, he offered himself up. It is April, 1942, and 25-year-old Lale is riding through Europe in a train, cramped in a cattle car with other Jewish men.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris