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The Auschwitz Photograph: A WWII Historical Fiction Novel
A snapshot in time holds secrets waiting to be revealed.
Berlin, 1938. Samuel Weiss and Max von Hofmannsthal were best friends until the cruel antisemitism of Nazi Germany seeped into Berlin and tore their friendship apart. As Max rises in the ranks of the Nazi SS, Sam and his Jewish family find themselves simply struggling to survive.
And when Max and Sam’s paths cross once again among the bleak barracks of Auschwitz-Birkenau, their fates will intertwine in ways neither of them could ever have expected.
Pittsburgh, present day. Becky’s father, Sam, has never liked to talk about his time in the Holocaust. A sad and withdrawn man, all she knows is that her brave father survived the hell on earth that was Auschwitz.
But when Becky stumbles upon an old notebook of her mother’s, she starts to realize that there may be far more to her father’s story than she’d thought. And when an old photograph from 1944 Auschwitz surfaces suddenly, she is drawn into a shattering discovery that will tear apart everything she’s ever believed to be true.
The Auschwitz Photograph is a captivating story of friendship, hope, survival, and betrayal in World War II.
Previously published as The Dead Are Resting.
Berlin, 1938. Samuel Weiss and Max von Hofmannsthal were best friends until the cruel antisemitism of Nazi Germany seeped into Berlin and tore their friendship apart. As Max rises in the ranks of the Nazi SS, Sam and his Jewish family find themselves simply struggling to survive.
And when Max and Sam’s paths cross once again among the bleak barracks of Auschwitz-Birkenau, their fates will intertwine in ways neither of them could ever have expected.
Pittsburgh, present day. Becky’s father, Sam, has never liked to talk about his time in the Holocaust. A sad and withdrawn man, all she knows is that her brave father survived the hell on earth that was Auschwitz.
But when Becky stumbles upon an old notebook of her mother’s, she starts to realize that there may be far more to her father’s story than she’d thought. And when an old photograph from 1944 Auschwitz surfaces suddenly, she is drawn into a shattering discovery that will tear apart everything she’s ever believed to be true.
The Auschwitz Photograph is a captivating story of friendship, hope, survival, and betrayal in World War II.
Previously published as The Dead Are Resting.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2023
About the author
Julie Tulba
6 books27 followersIt was series like Dear America, Little House on the Prairie, and American Girl books that instilled in Julie at a young age her lifelong love and fascination with history. And a childhood spent growing up in Philadelphia, colonial America's foremost metropolis, further cemented this love affair.
An ardent bibliophile (she can remember as a teenager carrying around a copy of young adult historical fiction author Ann Rinaldi's gripping Civil War tale, The Last Silk Dress, and reading it between rides at Disney World because she didn't want to wait until she got back to her hotel room to finish it) it came as a surprise to no one when she became a librarian. Julie currently works as an academic librarian in the Pittsburgh area.
Besides history, travel is Julie's other great love in life, especially when there's a food tour (or two) involved; she's taken more than 20 in 13 countries around the world. Nothing brings the past more alive than being, in the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, right in "The Room Where it Happened."
Julie published her first book, The Tears of Yesteryear, in 2019, followed by The Dead Are Resting in 2021, and Red Clay Ashes in 2022. Her newest book- Last Call, Cairo- comes out this fall. She lives in the Pittsburgh area, passport always at the ready for her next international adventure, but also brainstorming ideas for her next novel.
An ardent bibliophile (she can remember as a teenager carrying around a copy of young adult historical fiction author Ann Rinaldi's gripping Civil War tale, The Last Silk Dress, and reading it between rides at Disney World because she didn't want to wait until she got back to her hotel room to finish it) it came as a surprise to no one when she became a librarian. Julie currently works as an academic librarian in the Pittsburgh area.
Besides history, travel is Julie's other great love in life, especially when there's a food tour (or two) involved; she's taken more than 20 in 13 countries around the world. Nothing brings the past more alive than being, in the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, right in "The Room Where it Happened."
Julie published her first book, The Tears of Yesteryear, in 2019, followed by The Dead Are Resting in 2021, and Red Clay Ashes in 2022. Her newest book- Last Call, Cairo- comes out this fall. She lives in the Pittsburgh area, passport always at the ready for her next international adventure, but also brainstorming ideas for her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
December 27, 2023
**One of the very best historical fiction novels that I have ever read.**
Two boys have grown up together in neighboring apartments, from birth. Their mothers are the best of friends. At age 12, one of the young men declares to the other friend that he will someday marry the younger sister, and then they will “truly be brothers”. The fact that Max is a Gentile and Sam’s family is Jewish has never been a problem; they’re both just good German boys.
But in 1933, Adolph Hitler rises to power, and everything begins to change…
Fast-forward to 2006:
Becky has gone to Berlin to find out about her father Sam’s
past. All he has ever said was that he was in Auschwitz in WW2, alone; his parents and sister had perished. When Becky was 13, she had asked him to tell of his experiences at her school. Her father became enraged and refused to ever talk about the subject again. Becky’s mom always explained that there were two kinds of Holocaust survivors; those who talked and wrote about their experiences, and those who chose to shut it all away, like her dad. Now, as an adult, Becky wants to learn her family’s history in the places where it happened, Germany and Poland. Her father is of course adamantly opposed to her going on this quest; Becky wants to find out, once and for all, if something about her family history has been kept secret…
So much information about WW2 and the Holocaust can be learned from this book. The author does a marvelous job of weaving together events of past and present, seamlessly, and producing a gasp-worthy ending.I think this book would be excellent to have in young adult classrooms, because graphic descriptions and gore do not overwhelm the plot, a feat difficult to achieve in a book about the Holocaust. The author’s notes at the end are also a fascinating addition.
Books this wonderful are difficult to give justice to in a review. I hope other historical fiction readers will see this review and want to snatch this book up for themselves.
Two boys have grown up together in neighboring apartments, from birth. Their mothers are the best of friends. At age 12, one of the young men declares to the other friend that he will someday marry the younger sister, and then they will “truly be brothers”. The fact that Max is a Gentile and Sam’s family is Jewish has never been a problem; they’re both just good German boys.
But in 1933, Adolph Hitler rises to power, and everything begins to change…
Fast-forward to 2006:
Becky has gone to Berlin to find out about her father Sam’s
past. All he has ever said was that he was in Auschwitz in WW2, alone; his parents and sister had perished. When Becky was 13, she had asked him to tell of his experiences at her school. Her father became enraged and refused to ever talk about the subject again. Becky’s mom always explained that there were two kinds of Holocaust survivors; those who talked and wrote about their experiences, and those who chose to shut it all away, like her dad. Now, as an adult, Becky wants to learn her family’s history in the places where it happened, Germany and Poland. Her father is of course adamantly opposed to her going on this quest; Becky wants to find out, once and for all, if something about her family history has been kept secret…
So much information about WW2 and the Holocaust can be learned from this book. The author does a marvelous job of weaving together events of past and present, seamlessly, and producing a gasp-worthy ending.I think this book would be excellent to have in young adult classrooms, because graphic descriptions and gore do not overwhelm the plot, a feat difficult to achieve in a book about the Holocaust. The author’s notes at the end are also a fascinating addition.
Books this wonderful are difficult to give justice to in a review. I hope other historical fiction readers will see this review and want to snatch this book up for themselves.
April 2, 2022
Never Forget
What a chilling photograph on the cover. It's hard to even look at these camp guards laughing it up just a few miles from Auschwitz. I would have picked up this book based on the powerful cover alone. This story is in two parts. Becky, the daughter of a Jewish-Lithuanian immigrant mother and an Auschwitz survivor father, tells the first part. Clues drop in the first half of the book that something is seriously amiss in her father's background. The second half of the book is about Max's life in Berlin and the war. To say it's gut-wrenching is putting it mildly. As a reader, you can't help asking yourself, what would you do in Becky's place? Books like this remind us that we can never forget, especially with neo-Naziism on the rise. I highly recommend it.
What a chilling photograph on the cover. It's hard to even look at these camp guards laughing it up just a few miles from Auschwitz. I would have picked up this book based on the powerful cover alone. This story is in two parts. Becky, the daughter of a Jewish-Lithuanian immigrant mother and an Auschwitz survivor father, tells the first part. Clues drop in the first half of the book that something is seriously amiss in her father's background. The second half of the book is about Max's life in Berlin and the war. To say it's gut-wrenching is putting it mildly. As a reader, you can't help asking yourself, what would you do in Becky's place? Books like this remind us that we can never forget, especially with neo-Naziism on the rise. I highly recommend it.
May 22, 2025
Good realist telling.
Page turner .
Page turner .
March 30, 2025
I enjoyed this book! Loved how it was written and a good story!
March 4, 2025
wow
I didn’t see this coming… wow… max was a monster… wow. I couldn’t put this down.. amazing. This kept my heart racing…
I didn’t see this coming… wow… max was a monster… wow. I couldn’t put this down.. amazing. This kept my heart racing…
November 16, 2025
Sunt foarte atrasă de poveștile care surprind evenimentele de la Auschwitz, iar când am văzut că la Corint a apărut Fotografia de la Auschwitz, nu am stat pe gânduri și am adăugat-o imediat în biblioteca mea.
Becky nu știe nimic despre trecutul tatălui ei. Ori de câte ori încearcă să afle ceva, el devine distant și refuză să vorbească despre acea perioadă. Hotărâtă să descopere adevărul pe cont propriu, Becky pornește într-o călătorie care îi va schimba viața. Ceea ce află despre tatăl ei o face să nu-l mai poată privi la fel și scoate la iveală un adevăr dureros.
Cartea este împărțită în două părți: în prima o urmărim pe Becky în căutarea adevărului, iar în a doua descoperim trecutul lui Sam, tatăl ei, și secretele pe care le ascunde.
Mi-a plăcut mult faptul că povestea alternează între prezent și trecut, oferind o perspectivă complexă. Am înțeles-o pe Becky și dorința ei de a afla cine este cu adevărat tatăl ei. Descoperirea fotografiei de la Auschwitz m-a făcut să citesc cu sufletul la gură, curioasă să aflu ce ascunde Sam și ce l-a făcut să fie atât de tăcut.
Nu m-am așteptat însă la ceea ce s-a dezvăluit. Am empatizat cu Becky, dar nu și cu Sam. Deși la început mi s-a părut un om interesant, trecutul lui m-a dezamăgit profund. L-am perceput ca pe un personaj lipsit de onestitate, iar mărturisirile lui m-au revoltat.
Mi-a plăcut mult felul în care autoarea a construit totul pornind de la un detaliu aparent mic, o simplă fotografie, și a creat în jurul ei o poveste emoționantă și plină de semnificație. Cu siguranță voi mai citi și alte cărți scrise de ea.
March 10, 2024
An intriguing story that is not too far off the mark in all likelihood. I found myself having to flip back to chapter pages in the first half in an effort to keep track of the years that did not flow chronologically. Including the place/year with each chapter in the index would have been a big help but this was just a small annoyance. The only part of the story that felt off to me was 1961 trip to New York City; it was completely out of character for Sam on all fronts. To have made the trip at all but to then buy theatre tickets, to be “happily conversing away in rapid German” and enjoying his German meal with “gusto” all with no explanation except that the experience enabled Judy to further question his background. It was incongruous to his decades of careful behaviour and to the rest of the book. Becky and Sam’s final chapter felt too anti-climatic while Max and Sam’s final chapter was inevitable.
While this is a work of fiction not based on any real people or real events it rang true and felt believable. The author mixed in some interesting facts throughout, even a couple that I had never heard of. The first being the stolpersteine or “stumbling blocks” located around Berlin to commemorate where murdered Jews once lived or worked. No one can ever accuse Germany of not acknowledging their past! “U-Boat” was also something I had never heard of in the context here; those Jews living in the open by day and hiding by night. I can’t imagine the mental stress of living like that for months, sometimes years at a time. A great Author’s Note finishes off the book.
My biggest complaint has I’m sure nothing to do with the author and everything to do with the publishing industry. This book’s original title was THE DEAD ARE RESTING a term that is explained within the book and is original and thought-provoking. But noooo, the publishers needed to saddle it with their overly gratuitous use of the word Auschwitz… I’m surprised they didn’t call it THE GIRL WITH THE AUSCHWITZ PHOTOGRAPH! I would take points off for this but that wouldn’t be fair to the author who overall did an excellent job with this book.
While this is a work of fiction not based on any real people or real events it rang true and felt believable. The author mixed in some interesting facts throughout, even a couple that I had never heard of. The first being the stolpersteine or “stumbling blocks” located around Berlin to commemorate where murdered Jews once lived or worked. No one can ever accuse Germany of not acknowledging their past! “U-Boat” was also something I had never heard of in the context here; those Jews living in the open by day and hiding by night. I can’t imagine the mental stress of living like that for months, sometimes years at a time. A great Author’s Note finishes off the book.
My biggest complaint has I’m sure nothing to do with the author and everything to do with the publishing industry. This book’s original title was THE DEAD ARE RESTING a term that is explained within the book and is original and thought-provoking. But noooo, the publishers needed to saddle it with their overly gratuitous use of the word Auschwitz… I’m surprised they didn’t call it THE GIRL WITH THE AUSCHWITZ PHOTOGRAPH! I would take points off for this but that wouldn’t be fair to the author who overall did an excellent job with this book.
November 25, 2023
This was a riveting book and look at the WW2 survivors. This is a fictional story with a challenge for the reader. What would you do if you were Becky? Her relationship with her dad had never been easy. As a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust he was cold and closed off to both his wife and daughter, and Becky's mom always felt like his story of being Jewish in Berlin wasn't the whole storey! He never would talk about his life during WW2, however Becky's mom kept a notebook of inconsistencies she noticed in her husband. After her mothers death, Becky joined a group of children of Nazi victim's, and, although her mother was an American Jew, her father was from Germany. A chance encounter with someone from this group, who told her a story about a German who after the war claimed to be Jewish rather than German to avoid the hatred of the Nazis outside Germany and a photo Becky saw of a German soldier who very mush resembled her father, started her on a search in Germany of the story behind her father! What would she do when she got some answers?
January 4, 2024
very original view
This is a story that has aspects I’ve never read in a book before about the holocaust. There’s never a joyous book about the holocaust, but this one is especially horrifying.
This is a story that has aspects I’ve never read in a book before about the holocaust. There’s never a joyous book about the holocaust, but this one is especially horrifying.
April 24, 2024
Two boyhood friends in Germany before WWII, one German Gentile, one German Jew.
The story is about a German Jew immigrating to America from the war and finding a life for himself as he marries and has a child. It is as his daughter Becky tells the story of growing up with a father as a Holocaust Survivor which is not easy. Her father doesn’t permit her to do much but as she makes her own life, she does. She eventually in the story joins a group called Second Generation as a child of a Holocaust Survivor. It is a story you do not understand things that could have been or see how it can twist. Great story. A great read to something I wouldn’t think could happen. Read and see.
The story is about a German Jew immigrating to America from the war and finding a life for himself as he marries and has a child. It is as his daughter Becky tells the story of growing up with a father as a Holocaust Survivor which is not easy. Her father doesn’t permit her to do much but as she makes her own life, she does. She eventually in the story joins a group called Second Generation as a child of a Holocaust Survivor. It is a story you do not understand things that could have been or see how it can twist. Great story. A great read to something I wouldn’t think could happen. Read and see.
November 26, 2023
Interesting Subject
Nicely written and interesting. A slightly different twist on many other Holocaust writings. Though, Historical Fiction, it contains a great number of facts. It, also, keeps you thinking about how you would feel, finding this out in your life.
Nicely written and interesting. A slightly different twist on many other Holocaust writings. Though, Historical Fiction, it contains a great number of facts. It, also, keeps you thinking about how you would feel, finding this out in your life.
May 28, 2024
This book was slow to start, but once it gets going, buckle up because you’re in for a bumpy ride. This book was amazing once it got going. I did not expect what I got, and honestly, I’m glad.
January 14, 2022
Great read! I will definitely look for other books by this author.
April 22, 2024
A very good story about the holocaust and the people who were there and there lives.
July 4, 2024
I couldn’t put this book down!
Excellent weaving of fictional people who suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazis. Sprinkled with historical information made this a gripping book and reminder of what Hitler led an entire country to murder 6 million people who happened to be Jews, God’s people!
Excellent weaving of fictional people who suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazis. Sprinkled with historical information made this a gripping book and reminder of what Hitler led an entire country to murder 6 million people who happened to be Jews, God’s people!
October 14, 2021
One of the most interesting books that I have read in a long time,,,,,,, Absolutely riveting in its plot and a story line that is unique in that it gives pause to all the other possibilities and realities at the doomed Third Reich,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,wow,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I can't wait to read another by Julie,,,,,,,,,,,,,
FANTASTIC!!!
I can't wait to read another by Julie,,,,,,,,,,,,,
FANTASTIC!!!
July 17, 2024
So much better than five stars
February 27, 2025
This was a great read! Not only was it a devastating read about the events that took place during the holocaust, but the author’s ability to take you through a story combining two different worlds made it hard to put down! Then, combine it with a twist at the end…It’s a story that will stay with you for days!
December 11, 2023
sensational
The fact that I am from Pittsburgh and new all the places has nothing to do with the fact that this book is sensational
The fact that I am from Pittsburgh and new all the places has nothing to do with the fact that this book is sensational
November 4, 2023
Very much fiction, and not really historical. But it could have been and maybe was. That is a very scary thought. Lots of food for thought, and tons of feelings. Highly recommend.
Read
February 23, 20254.7
January 27, 2022
EXCELLENT!
March 28, 2024
My review of the Auschwitz photographer
This ending was very unexpected. I enjoyed the story and felt. sorry for Becky in finding out what or who her father was
This ending was very unexpected. I enjoyed the story and felt. sorry for Becky in finding out what or who her father was
March 24, 2024
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be a completely different story so was surprised by the story. Raised a lot of questions I’d not thought of before when reading books about WW2.
January 28, 2025
An important topic to be addressed and never forgotten! Another excellent read from Ms. Tulba! Her treatment of the topic is respectful and addresses an aspect of the Holocaust rarely attempted. As always, she has an intriguing cast of characters including a strong female main character facing an incredible moral dilemma.
I love that I learned some history without being overwhelmed by facts. Wonderfully written!
I love that I learned some history without being overwhelmed by facts. Wonderfully written!
February 11, 2024
A Must Read
Anyone who wonders about the Holocaust should read this book. The story of Sam and Max is a truly sad one and the fact that it is based on stories of how so many people were able to justify the Nazi era and claim “I did not know!!”. Kind of reminds me of the sounds of politicians throughout the world.
Anyone who wonders about the Holocaust should read this book. The story of Sam and Max is a truly sad one and the fact that it is based on stories of how so many people were able to justify the Nazi era and claim “I did not know!!”. Kind of reminds me of the sounds of politicians throughout the world.
December 16, 2023
If you like historical fiction, this book is excellent. Based on the atrocities of the Holocaust with a great fictional story. One of the best historical fiction books I've read in a while - right up there with "Nightingale"
Which is my favorite.
Which is my favorite.
January 31, 2024
Sobering story of life in Berlin during WWII, how the lives of two former friends are intertwined.
"Berlin, 1938. Samuel Weiss and Max von Hofmannsthal were best friends until the cruel antisemitism of Nazi Germany seeped into Berlin and tore their friendship apart. As Max rises in the ranks of the Nazi SS, Sam and his Jewish family find themselves simply struggling to survive.
And when Max and Sam’s paths cross once again among the bleak barracks of Auschwitz-Birkenau, their fates will intertwine in ways neither of them could ever have expected.
Pittsburgh, present day. Becky’s father, Sam, has never liked to talk about his time in the Holocaust. A sad and withdrawn man, all she knows is that her brave father survived the hell on earth that was Auschwitz.
But when Becky stumbles upon an old notebook of her mother’s, she starts to realize that there may be far more to her father’s story than she’d thought. And when an old photograph from 1944 Auschwitz surfaces suddenly, she is drawn into a shattering discovery that will tear apart everything she’s ever believed to be true." synopsis copied
"Berlin, 1938. Samuel Weiss and Max von Hofmannsthal were best friends until the cruel antisemitism of Nazi Germany seeped into Berlin and tore their friendship apart. As Max rises in the ranks of the Nazi SS, Sam and his Jewish family find themselves simply struggling to survive.
And when Max and Sam’s paths cross once again among the bleak barracks of Auschwitz-Birkenau, their fates will intertwine in ways neither of them could ever have expected.
Pittsburgh, present day. Becky’s father, Sam, has never liked to talk about his time in the Holocaust. A sad and withdrawn man, all she knows is that her brave father survived the hell on earth that was Auschwitz.
But when Becky stumbles upon an old notebook of her mother’s, she starts to realize that there may be far more to her father’s story than she’d thought. And when an old photograph from 1944 Auschwitz surfaces suddenly, she is drawn into a shattering discovery that will tear apart everything she’s ever believed to be true." synopsis copied
July 21, 2021
DISCLAIMER:Thank you so much to Julia Tubla for this gifted copy of THE DEAD ARE RESTING.
I adore historical fiction, especially anything that has to with WWII. And this book was no exception. In fact, I think this was a nice change of POV when it comes to WWII and Post-WWII novels. I really enjoyed Becky’s character and found her very strong, determined, and a force to be reckoned with. The decisions she had to make made me feel for her on numerous levels, and really redefined what it means to be family. I also really enjoyed the pre- WWII and WWII chapters, and I really wish there were more. In honesty, I really wished the book was longer, as I found it very fast paced, but I was pleased with what was presented! So definitely give this book a try! It is available right now for purchase!
I adore historical fiction, especially anything that has to with WWII. And this book was no exception. In fact, I think this was a nice change of POV when it comes to WWII and Post-WWII novels. I really enjoyed Becky’s character and found her very strong, determined, and a force to be reckoned with. The decisions she had to make made me feel for her on numerous levels, and really redefined what it means to be family. I also really enjoyed the pre- WWII and WWII chapters, and I really wish there were more. In honesty, I really wished the book was longer, as I found it very fast paced, but I was pleased with what was presented! So definitely give this book a try! It is available right now for purchase!
August 11, 2021
I chose this book because the author is local. She wrote another book, The Tears of Yesteryear. Both books take place in the Pittsburgh area. The Dead are Resting, takes place in Pittsburgh, but also Germany. All of the places in Pittsburgh I know, and she was able to join Pittsburgh with the horrors of WW2 Germany. I would highly recommend this book for any Junior/Senior Literature class to read. I can't wait to see what her next book will be!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews