Wendy Holden

Gebundenes Buch

The Teacher of Auschwitz

Beschreibung

"From the bestselling author of Born Survivors, a novel inspired by the powerful true story of a man who risked everything to protect children in Auschwitz. Fredy built a wall against suffering in their hearts ... Amid the brutality of the Holocaust, one bright spot shone inside the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. In the shadows of the smokestacks was a wooden hut where children sang, staged plays, wrote poetry, and learned about the world. Within those four walls, brightly adorned with hand-painted cartoons, the youngest prisoners were kept vermin-free, received better food, and were even taught to imagine having full stomachs and a day without fear. Their guiding light was a twenty-seven-year-old gay, Jewish athlete: Fredy Hirsch. Being a teacher in a brutal concentration camp was no mean feat. Forced to beg senior SS officers for better provisions, Fredy risked his life every day to protect his beloved children from mortal danger. But time was running out for Fredy and the hundreds in his care. Could this kind, compassionate, and brave man find a way to teach them the one lesson they really needed to know: how to survive? The Teacher of Auschwitz shines a light on a truly remarkable individual and tells the inspiring story of how he fought to protect innocence and hope amid depravity and despair"--

Autor

Wendy Holden was a journalist for eighteen years, including a decade at the Daily Telegraph. She is the author and coauthor of more than thirty books, among them several internationally acclaimed wartime biographies, including Born Survivors, as well as the New York Times bestsellers A Lotus Grows in the Mud (with Goldie Hawn) and Lady Blue Eyes (with Frank Sinatra's widow, Barbara). She lives in Suffolk, England, with her husband and two dogs, and divides her time between the UK and the US.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: HarperCollins
• Seitenzahl: 368
• Erscheinungstermin: 17. Juni 2025
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 226mm x 152mm x 33mm
• Gewicht: 476g
• ISBN-13: 9780063398252
• ISBN-10: 0063398257
• Artikelnr.: 72608360

Rezensionen

This is the closest possible narrative a person who did not experience those times herself, could have written... This novel is a most important work, which will do justice to Fredy and all those victims. Dita Kraus, the real-life inspiration for The Librarian of Auschwitz

"Extraordinarily wonderful, moving and superbly researched . . . . A new and remarkably valuable window into that terrible place." - Stephen Fry

"[A] remarkable novel . . . . Wendy Holden lives up to her fine reputation, deftly handling the research she has amassed since she began to immerse herself in this harrowing subject. If you can only bear to read one novel about the Holocaust, let it be this one." - Historical Novel Society

"This novel is the closest possible narrative a person who didn't experience those times could have written . . . . a most important work, which will do justice to Fredy and all those victims." - Dita Kraus, The Librarian of

Auschwitz

"Rich with detail, The Teacher of Auschwitz shines the light on an unlikely source of inspiration within a concentration camp known for brutality." - Novels Alive (5 star review)

"Haunting and beautiful. Excruciatingly vivid, The Teacher of Auschwitz is rigorously researched and true to the history, powerfully conveying what a smart, loving and energetic man Fredy was." - Dr. Elizabeth Baer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

"Wendy Holden delivers a hauntingly powerful tribute to a man whose quiet resistance was built on love, dignity, and courage. The Teacher of Auschwitz is not an easy read, but it is a necessary one. Holden captures the weight of history without sensationalism, honoring Fredy Hirsch's humanity in a setting meant to erase it. This book left me both heavy and heartened. It is a reminder that even in the darkest corners of history, light can exist when someone chooses to be it." - Book Referees

"Even though it occurred more than 70 years ago, the story's truth is so chillingly portrayed that it seems as if it could have happened recently. . . . An engrossing, intense, and highly descriptive narrative chronicling the ghastly conditions three pregnant women suffered through at the hands of the Nazis." - Kirkus Reviews on Born Survivors

"Holden deftly weaves together the stories of three women-Priska, Rachel, and Anka-whose children were born in Nazi concentration camps during the last chaotic weeks of World War II. The author's analysis of each woman's experiences. . . provide[s] valuable insight into the stark choices faced by Jews during the Holocaust. This book is recommended for a wide audience and all libraries." - Library Journal on Born Survivors

"An astonishing and deeply moving work. . . . With remarkable detail gleaned from a wealth of research." - Booklist (starred review) on Born Survivors