The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris 📚 BOOK REVIEW

Heather Morris

I read a hardback version of The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

Genre: Historical fiction, based on a true story

Publisher: Zaffre Publishing

Originally published: January 11th, 2018

Pages: 288 (Hardback)

 

Blurb by the publisher:

For readers of Schindler’s List, The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas comes a heart-breaking story of the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.

I tattooed a number on her arm. She tattooed her name on my heart.

In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival – scratching numbers into his fellow victims’ arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.

Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale – a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer – it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself but to ensure this woman, Gita, did, too.

So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the tattooist of Auschwitz.

My thoughts:

Ever since I read The Diary of Anne Frank as a young girl, I’ve had a soft spot for historical fiction and non-fiction about World War Two. Some of it is because of the fact that Jewish blood runs in our family, but mostly I find it fascinating and equally tragic.

Heather Morris spent three years listening to Mr. Sokolov’s memories of his time at Auschwitz, and what that resulted in was a beautiful, yet heartbreaking love story. And not only that but also a fascinating story of surviving through a war, in the hope of a better future.

I devoured this book! It was intriguing from beginning till end, and just knowing that it was based on a true story made it even more interesting.

I smiled when they fell in love, I gasped and fell physically ill by some of the treatment they had to endure, and I cried and cried for what they experienced and for the beauty of this true kind of love that was shared between two people, and also their friends.

To read the stories of love through war and hardship is a bittersweet experience. I am so moved by how much they would sacrifice for love, for the dedication and the beauty of something so true. And my heart also breaks when I compare that to how easily love often is thrown away in our modern society.

Lale and Gita’s story is one that will touch your heart and stay there for a long time. Heather Morris made their story come to life in the most beautiful way that felt very real and honest.

We need these stories. We need to be reminded of what happened so that we can be sure that it will not happen on that scale ever again!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a wonderful love story, but it is also so much more than that!

Highly, highly recommend!

Do you want to make up your own opinion about the book?

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Brought a Moth Back From Bucharest

I’ve been fascinated with moths for as long as I can remember. There’s something very mystical, dark and yet fragile over them. As a little girl, I used to just sit and watch them whenever they had ventured into our home, and I always thought of them as shy night butterflies.

When I went to Bucharest, I had so many tattoo ideas running through my mind, but for some reason, I always came back to the moth. And then I got curious!

As one does, I got on Google and searched for what the moth symbolizes, and no wonder I was so drawn to it.

There were two symbolisms that were very fitting for my personality and my journey.

Positivity

The way that moths always seek out the light in the dark is a symbol of positivity, but also a sense of naive positivity because the brighter side that they are drawn to often hurts or kill them. 

Growth and Transformation

The development into a full-grown moth is easily likened to personal growth as we look to shed our hindrances and strive towards a better state of living.

☼

The more I looked into it, the more I fell in love with moths all over again. And suddenly I found myself with only one option for a tattoo that felt right.

And that’s the story of how I brought a moth home from Bucharest❤️

Thank you to Radical Ink for the beautiful souvenir!

The Perfect Souvenir

Some people get postcards, others get fridge magnets. I get ink!

I’ve talked about my tattoos a while back, but I wanted to touch upon it once again now that I’m sharing a picture of my most recent ink; the one I got in Amsterdam!

I actually got my very first tattoo (at age 17) when I was on holiday in Denmark, so it all kind of started like that. It took about 3 years before I got the next one which is the only ink I’ve gotten in Norway. About 6 years later I was in Las Vegas with my family and my sister and I got tattoos together. That’s the moment when I fell in love with colorful, traditional style tattoos. A year later I got one in Texas. Then about 18 months after that I got one in Madrid. And now, Amsterdam.

I probably won’t be able to get one EVERY time I travel, but I do love the traveling ink! They are the perfect symbol of how every adventure changes me in a way. Every time I travel, I learn something new about the world, and about myself.

Every tattoo that I’ve gotten has a certain meaning to them. Nothing is random, and it’s all very much thought through. For me, it is more than just art. It’s a sort of map of who I’ve been, where I’ve been and where I want to go.

I got my most recent ink at Hanky Panky Tattooing in Amsterdam. It’s right in the middle of Red Light District, hence the name. They were fantastic, and I’m so happy with the result! Highly recommend this studio if you’re looking for a place in Amsterdam to get some ink.

The story of this one has a lot to do with my heritage. My last name is Dutch, so there is some Dutch blood running through these veins. I used to travel a bit to Holland with my dad when I was younger, but for some reason, I didn’t go back for 18 years. I have no idea why, but I do know that my love for adventure was what made me spread my wings and brought Amsterdam and me back together. And when we were reunited, I fell in love once again. I am learning Dutch, as you guys know, and I knew that I wanted a piece that had a connection to my heritage.

So that’s the story behind the swallow and the word “AVONTUUR”.

As you may know, I am now in Bucharest. Will I get a new piece here? I’m not sure yet, but I have looked up some studios. So I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

Can’t wait to share my Bucharest experience with you guys! And if you don’t want to wait for the posts and the videos, then add me on Instagram! I will be posting Instastories throughout the whole trip. I even did a live tour of the Airbnb loft that I’m staying in! Go check it out! Click on the picture below:

Amsterdam Vlog – March 2018

Tattoo and Poetry – A Different Evening

Today I experienced something a bit different. I went to a community building in Oslo called Stampen. They had a relaunch evening for the cultural center in Brugata 12, Oslo. I had no idea what to expect, but went in there with good company, and met some strangers, and some old friends.

I got to see a pirate walk around ringing a bell, a fire dancer that asked me if I wanted to play while she twirled me around on the dance floor, a four story building filled with art and artists, and a man that told poetry while he got his lower back tattooed.

It was a night to remember, that’s for sure!

But the thing that made it the most special, that was being around so many people that shamelessly shares their passion! They do the things they love, zero fucks given! I wish more people were like that. I wish more people would dare to just thrive and grow together with their passion, instead of fearing it.

It’s something I’m constantly being mindful about myself. Reminding myself daily that what other people feel about my passion, ambitions and dreams, doesn’t matter! All that matters is that I continue to do what I love, because I love it!

I guess that’s the beauty of watching a poet’s bare ass, while he reads and gets inked; It is that there might be something so profoundly poetic in it or it might just be poetry, bare ass and a tattoo.

Be openminded! Be different! Live your dream! Live a great story!

Thank you to Stampen, the wonderful people who colored the night, and to everyone that was a part of a truly different evening in Oslo ❤️

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The Story of My New Tattoo

In my last post I published a video where I had a timelapse of me getting my new tattoo in Madrid. And now I want to share the thoughts and the story behind this very new ink that I’ve added to my body.

But first I want to shout out to Tattoo Magic Calle Colon for making such an amazing piece! I love it to bits and it’s just what I wanted. If you’re ever in Madrid, looking for a place to get inked, I would highly recommend that you check them out!

http://www.tattoomagiccallecolon.es/

Now let me tell you how the idea came to life. Well firstly, my relationship to traditional style tattoos and the colors that I’m going for these days, started with the tattoo that my sister and I got in Las Vegas. We got a set of matching birds that says “big sis” and “lil sis” on them. I love that tattoo so much. Every time I look down and see it, I’m reminded of how much I love my sister and how much fun we had on that trip. The colors and the style just felt very me, instantly! And the idea of getting tattoos as souvenirs was born.

Almost two years would pass before I got a new inked souvenir. This one I got when I went to Texas. I wanted an anchor with flowers, and these are both symbols that represent my dad. He’s a sailor at heart, and him and I used to live on a boat when I was a kid. He has that hard shell of a sailor, but he’s also the softest, most creative and romantic person I know.

Now my latest addition to the collection represents the journey I’ve been on for the last two years or so, and is also a reminder for me to strive to do the things that I love.

When I became single again about two years ago, I really discovered myself anew. It was an interesting process, and one that I needed to go through. I learned to love myself in a whole new way. I started to take care of my body in new ways. I made lists and plans for what I wanted to do, just for me. And I started to truly put my focus into my creative work. I wrote more, made more videos, and then I started to travel more. Not long trips (because I don’t have the money for that just yet), but new adventures none the less.

I realised that if I wanted to be the kind of writer that I aspire to be, I have to tell great stories. I can’t write great stories unless I live a great story.

I’m not sure how that sentence came to me, but I ended up writing it on the wall in my living room, just so that I would be reminded of it every single day. And then when the opportunity to travel to Madrid with work came along, the idea of getting my next souvenir was pretty clear. I knew I wanted the text because of what it has meant to me so far. How it defines the life that I want to lead. I also wanted the globe, because one of the things that I’ve discovered the last two years is my love for traveling alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel with people as well, but there’s something very special about going on adventures by yourself. Part of wanting to Live a Great Story, is to expand my own mind. One of the best ways for me to do that is to travel to new places, get new impulses and see new faces. Get to know people along the way. I love it so much that sometimes I struggle to find the words to say how important it has become for my wellbeing.

So I got the tattoo, and it is now a wonderful reminder of where I’m headed as well as where I’ve been. And then my tattoo ended up sending me on a new journey. There’s a wonderful community of people that aspire to Live a Great Story! And through Instagram they discovered my tattoo and my story. And now I can proudly say that I’m a season 3 LIVE Ambassador for Live a Great Story! I will share more about this in another post soon!

https://liveagreatstory.com/

I’m very excited about 2018, and I have to say that it has come off to a great start already!

I hope all of you had a good start to 2018 too!

Talk to you soon lovelies!

 

 

 

Snippets of December 2017 – Madrid, New Tattoo and Christmas