Auschwitz Lullaby
Paperback, 281 pages
Published August 7th 2018 by Thomas Nelson (first published January 1st 2016)
Genre: Historical Fiction,War,WWII and Holocaust fiction
Book Summary
In 1943 Germany, Helene is just about to wake up her children to go to school when a group of policemen break into her house. The policemen want to haul away her gypsy husband and their five children. The police tell Helene that as a German she does not have to go with them, but she decides to share the fate of her family. After convincing her children that they are going off to a vacation place, so as to calm them, the entire family is deported to Auschwitz. For being German, they are settled in the first barracks of the Gypsy Camp. The living conditions are extremely harsh, but at least she is with her five children. A few days after their arrival, Doctor Mengele comes to pay her a visit, having noticed on her entry card that she is a nurse. He proposes that she direct the camp’s nursery. The facilities would be set up in Barrack 29 and Barrack 31, one of which would be the nursery for newborn infants and the other for children over six years old. Helene, with the help of two Polish Jewish prisoners and four gypsy mothers, organizes the buildings. Though Mengele provides them with swings, Disney movies, school supplies, and food, the people are living in crowded conditions under extreme conditions. And less than 400 yards away, two gas chambers are exterminating thousands of people daily. For sixteen months, Helene lives with this reality, desperately trying to find a way to save her children. Auschwitz Lullaby is a story of perseverance, of hope, and of strength in one of the most horrific times in history.
My Review
This is an incredibly hard review to write because of the emotion invested in reading this. I just finished reading an incredibly heart-wrenching book that is based upon the life and story of Helene Hannemann and her 5 children. She was a German woman married to a Gypsy man. Her husband and her 5 children being gypsies are sent to Auschwitz and held in the Gypsy camp at Birkenau. Now she was German and not required to go with them but being a mother you don't just let you children go off on their own unprotected so she went with them voluntarily. Immediately separated from her husband and the children their father she sees him once while there and it took quite a lot for that few minutes meeting to happen. Fearing for their lives the whole time they are at Auschwitz,cold,neglected,starved...... The lucky ones are the ones who have thrown themselves against the electrical fence. As a nurse Helene and her children do get slightly better treatment and privileges than the commoners and she is asked to run a school of sorts for the other children. Such a dark,sad and disgraceful time in history my heart just clenched,it brought out such emotion in me. Seeing the other children around dying from neglect it gives you a sense of hope that Helene's children somehow manage to survive despite the horrendous circumstances. Towards the end the bottom falls out though as true to the historical events the end comes for them as well. Why,why,why I keep asking myself as I was so invested in this family. I wanted to scream,cry,bang my head and change what happens. How could this happen? How,why? Where is human decency, there is not a shred of it here! But like a mama tiger even though she wasn't required to go with her children to their death and it meant her own death as well she went. That is a protective mama for you. On the way she sang a Auschwitz lullaby and calmed them all down. I have read other books about Auschwitz but none have gripped my heart the way this one has. Excellent book! I look forward to reading more books by this author! Pub Date 07 Aug 2018 I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Thomas Nelson--FICTION through Netgalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.