Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

By Heather Morris

(Tansley Reads Rating: 68%)

Icebreaker

If you were going away, the  destination and purpose of trip not fully known or understood, what books would you take with you for a sense of home/comfort/normalcy?

Questions

1.  What was your perception of Lale as he arrived in Auschwitz?  How did your understanding of him change throughout the novel and then after reading the notes in the back?

2.  When Gita met Lale she refused to tell him where she came from or her last name. Why?

                     

3.  The phrase “To save the one is to save the world” is repeated throughout this novel.  Discuss some of the small acts of humanity carried out by individuals in The Tattooist of Auschwitz. How did these small acts of kindness have greater implications?

4.  Neither Lale nor Jakub wanted to hurt people, but both had a strong desire to live. How can we label their actions?  Were they actions of kindness, guilt, humanity, apology or ...?

5. Lale tattoos numbers on the prisoner’s arms. Gita files prisoners’ names in the administrative office. How does this impact the way they perceive the prisoners?

6.  What qualities did Lale and Gita have that allowed them to survive when so many others died?         

7.  Why did the girls take the risk of smuggling valuables out of Canada House to give to Lale?

8. Cilka is forced to become Schwarzhuber’s mistress, Lale was the Tätowierer and Gita worked in an office for the Germans.  All of them received privileges for this.  After the war, Cilka was punished as a collaborator, should all of them have been?

9.  Although we know Lale, Gita, Jakub, Cilka and Baretski were real, the book is called a novel. Which incidents, interactions or dialogues in the book, while likely fictitious, gave you a sense that you better understood conditions at Auschwitz because of reading this book?

10.  Why did Lale only record his account of his romance in Auschwitz once his wife died?

           

11.  Why do you think Lale wanted to tell his story to someone who wasn’t Jewish?

12.  How do you think Heather Morris’s experience as a screenplay writer has influenced her writing of this book?

 14:  Quick round: What did you think of the book? Is there anything you want to discuss that we missed?