The Tattooist of Auschwitz

The Verdict

Few recent books have reached more readers, or drawn more scholarly objection, than this one. Heather Morris tells the story of Lale Sokolov, a real Slovak Jew who tattooed identification numbers onto prisoners at Auschwitz and fell in love with a woman he was marking, drawing on interviews with Sokolov late in his life. As a love story of survival it has moved millions; as a portrait of Auschwitz it has been sharply criticised for inaccuracy. It works best understood for what it is — a novel of one couple's survival, not a reliable account of the camp.

Who Should Read It

Why We Rated It 3.8

Historical Context

The Tattooist of Auschwitz (2018) is a novel based on Lale Sokolov, a Slovak Jewish prisoner assigned to tattoo numbers on arrivals at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and his relationship with a fellow prisoner. Morris drew on interviews with Sokolov; the book sold in the millions.

Criticisms & Debates

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial's research centre catalogued numerous historical inaccuracies — including tattoo numbers that do not match the records and implausible events — and cautioned against treating it as factual. It is a love story set in the camp, not a document of it; for the history, turn to survivors like Levi and Wiesel.

Events Covered

Read It Alongside

If This Is a Man Primo Levi · 1947 · ★ 4.9

Memoir

Night Elie Wiesel · 1960 · ★ 4.9

Memoir

The Librarian of Auschwitz Antonio Iturbe · 2017 · ★ 4.2

Historical Fiction

Where to Buy

ISBN: 978-0062797155

Read This Against

The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.

Ordinary Men Christopher Browning · 1992 · German

Academic

Hitler Ian Kershaw · 2008 · German

Into That Darkness Gitta Sereny · 1974 · Multi-Perspective

Academic

Other Books About the Same Events

The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank · 1947

Memoir

If This Is a Man Primo Levi · 1947

Memoir

Night Elie Wiesel · 1960

Memoir

Man's Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl · 1946

Memoir

The Pianist Władysław Szpilman · 1946

Memoir

Maus Art Spiegelman · 1991

Memoir

More by Heather Morris

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Tattooist of Auschwitz accurate?

As a portrait of Auschwitz it has been widely criticised for factual errors; it is based on a real man but is best read as fiction, not history.

Was Lale Sokolov a real person?

Yes — he really was a prisoner tasked with tattooing numbers at Auschwitz, and Morris interviewed him; the novel dramatises his account.