Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Lovers in Auschwitz:
They found love in a hopeless place.
Quick synopsis:
The story of the two people who fell in love and survived Auschwitz in World War II.
Fact for Non-History People:
In 1941, the Warsaw ghetto covered 2.4% of the city but housed 30% of the city population.
Fact for History Nerds:
In Auschwitz, four women would be forced to sleep in a twin bed measuring 78 inches by 31 inches. Sometimes, up to eight women would have to share that space.
My Take on Lovers in Auschwitz:
I am sure that you, like me, never considered the possibility that people might be hooking up while in Auschwitz. We would be wrong. It just goes to show you that even in hell, people have needs.
Lovers in Auschwitz by Keren Blankfeld follows the lives of Zippi and David as they orbit each other in the aforementioned hellhole. It is obvious when you think about it, but the actual “love” part of the story takes up a limited amount of page count. If you are looking for a bodice-ripping love story, then I assure you this is not the one for you because it was freaking Auschwitz. Instead, Blankfeld tells a much more engaging story about how two people tried to stay alive in one of the worst places on Earth while somehow intertwining their lives for a short amount of time.
It would be more accurate to describe the book as a dual biography of two Holocaust survivors. Blankfeld expertly walks the tightrope of telling her story with context without talking down to the audience. I have read a lot of Holocaust literature and even when Blankfeld explained something familiar, she did is succinctly without condescension.
The book is simply exceptional, and you don’t need to be a history nerd to enjoy it. And, God forbid, you might learn something along the way.
(This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher.)
Verdict:
Amazing. Read it. Buy it here!
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