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Canções de ninar de Auschwitz
O perturbador relato de uma mãe num dos maiores campos de concentração da Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Baseado em fatos reais.
“Os seres humanos são pequenos suspiros em meio ao furacão de nossas circunstâncias, mas a história de Helene Hannemann nos recorda de que podemos ser donos dos nossos destinos, ainda que o mundo inteiro se oponha.”
Mario Escobar
Neste livro, Mario Escobar conta a trajetória real de uma família que passou 16 meses encarcerada em um campo de concentração nazista. Helene Hannemann era alemã, mas mesmo assim optou por partir para Auschwitz com o marido e os cinco filhos com ascendência cigana quando os policiais da Gestapo bateram à sua porta.
Por ser enfermeira, mas, sobretudo, alemã, Helene foi escolhida pelo médico Josef Mengele, mais tarde conhecido como “O Anjo da Morte”, para ser a diretora do jardim de infância do campo. No final da guerra, entre os papéis de Mengele, foi encontrado o diário que Helene manteve durante todo o seu período no campo de extermínio. Tendo como base a infeliz história daquela família, o autor nos emociona e surpreende ao narrar os medos, privações, torturas e até mesmo histórias de superação que milhares de pessoas vivenciaram sob o jugo dos nazistas.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2016
About the author
Mario Escobar
285 books1,359 followersMario Escobar Golderos has a degree in History, with an advanced studies diploma in Modern History. He has written numerous books and articles about the Inquisition, the Protestant Reformation, and religious sects. He is the executive director of an NGO and directs the magazine Nueva historia para el debate, in addition to being a contributing columnist in various publications. Passionate about history and its mysteries, Escobar has delved into the depths of church history, the different sectarian groups that have struggled therein, and the discovery and colonization of the Americas. He specializes in the lives of unorthodox Spaniards and Americans. Books
Autor Betseller con miles de libros vendidos en todo el mundo. Sus obras han sido traducidas al chino, japonés, inglés, ruso, portugués, danés, francés, italiano, checo, polaco, serbio, entre otros idiomas. Novelista, ensayista y conferenciante. Licenciado en Historia y Diplomado en Estudios Avanzados en la especialidad de Historia Moderna, ha escrito numerosos artículos y libros sobre la Inquisición, la Reforma Protestante y las sectas religiosas.
Publica asiduamente en las revistas Más Allá y National Geographic Historia
Apasionado por la historia y sus enigmas ha estudiado en produndidad la Historia de la Iglesia, los distintos grupos sectarios que han luchado en su seno, el descubrimiento y colonizacíón de América; especializándose en la vida de personajes heterodoxos españoles y americanos.
Su primera obra, Conspiración Maine 2006, fue un éxito. Le siguieron El mesías Ario (2007), El secreto de los Assassini (2008) y la Profecía de Aztlán (2009). Todas ellas parte de la saga protagonizada por Hércules Guzmán Fox, George Lincoln y Alicia Mantorella.
Su libro Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano ha sido traducido a 12 idiomas, entre ellos el chino, inglés, francés, italiano, portugues, japonés, danés, etc.
Sol rojo sobre Hiroshima (2009) y El País de las lágrimas (2010) son sus obras más intimistas. También ha publicado ensayos como Martín Luther King (2006) e Historia de la Masonería en Estados Unidos (2009). Los doce legados de Steve Jobs (2012). La biografía del papa Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano (2013). La Saga Ione (2013) o la Serie Apocalipsis (2012).Saga Misión Verne (2013)
www.marioescobar.es
http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Escobar/e...
http://www.sagamisionverne.es/
Autor Betseller con miles de libros vendidos en todo el mundo. Sus obras han sido traducidas al chino, japonés, inglés, ruso, portugués, danés, francés, italiano, checo, polaco, serbio, entre otros idiomas. Novelista, ensayista y conferenciante. Licenciado en Historia y Diplomado en Estudios Avanzados en la especialidad de Historia Moderna, ha escrito numerosos artículos y libros sobre la Inquisición, la Reforma Protestante y las sectas religiosas.
Publica asiduamente en las revistas Más Allá y National Geographic Historia
Apasionado por la historia y sus enigmas ha estudiado en produndidad la Historia de la Iglesia, los distintos grupos sectarios que han luchado en su seno, el descubrimiento y colonizacíón de América; especializándose en la vida de personajes heterodoxos españoles y americanos.
Su primera obra, Conspiración Maine 2006, fue un éxito. Le siguieron El mesías Ario (2007), El secreto de los Assassini (2008) y la Profecía de Aztlán (2009). Todas ellas parte de la saga protagonizada por Hércules Guzmán Fox, George Lincoln y Alicia Mantorella.
Su libro Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano ha sido traducido a 12 idiomas, entre ellos el chino, inglés, francés, italiano, portugues, japonés, danés, etc.
Sol rojo sobre Hiroshima (2009) y El País de las lágrimas (2010) son sus obras más intimistas. También ha publicado ensayos como Martín Luther King (2006) e Historia de la Masonería en Estados Unidos (2009). Los doce legados de Steve Jobs (2012). La biografía del papa Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano (2013). La Saga Ione (2013) o la Serie Apocalipsis (2012).Saga Misión Verne (2013)
www.marioescobar.es
http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Escobar/e...
http://www.sagamisionverne.es/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,130 reviews
August 16, 2018
4.5 stars .
I’ve read many books about the Holocaust, memoirs, and many novels, some of which were based on real people. Yet, there always seems to be something new to learn. The author’s dedication: “To the more than twenty thousand ethnic Gypsies who were imprisoned and exterminated in Auschwitz and to the quarter million murdered in the forests and ditches of Northern Europe and Russia.” I didn’t know. This is based on a true story, a real family. This novel tells the story of Helene Hannemann, a German woman married to a Roma, a Gypsy, who is taken to Auschwitz with her husband and five children as gypsies were rounded up by the Nazis in 1943. Even though she is German and doesn’t have to go, she refuses to let her family go without her. This is a book about the horrors of the concentration camps, but it is also a book about a mother’s unbridled love for her children.
Helene is a nurse and is called on by Mengele to run a school for the gypsy children at the camp. Of course, knowing who the vile Mengele was and the horrific things he was capable of, my heart sunk. How could this be a good thing? This is not easy to read as are other stories of the concentration camps; it is horrific as we see what Mengele does to children in the name of medicine and how these people suffer the conditions too awful to imagine. But Helene and the women who help her managed to bring smiles to the faces of these children when it seemed impossible. It’s a short book and it reads quickly because it’s hard to stop reading, wondering about the fate of Helene and her family. This is another book that I woke up thinking about, thinking about the many millions of Jews and others such as the Gypsies who were victims of the twisted beliefs that are so contrary to what it means to be human. Escobar’s publisher told him that “the world needed to know” Helene Hannemann’s story. Escobar call on us, the readers and our “love for truth and justice” to help him “tell the world the story of Helene Hannemann and her five children.” As with other Holocaust books, I passionately believe that we cannot forget and so with my short review, I hope that anyone who reads it will know a little of Helene’s story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I’ve read many books about the Holocaust, memoirs, and many novels, some of which were based on real people. Yet, there always seems to be something new to learn. The author’s dedication: “To the more than twenty thousand ethnic Gypsies who were imprisoned and exterminated in Auschwitz and to the quarter million murdered in the forests and ditches of Northern Europe and Russia.” I didn’t know. This is based on a true story, a real family. This novel tells the story of Helene Hannemann, a German woman married to a Roma, a Gypsy, who is taken to Auschwitz with her husband and five children as gypsies were rounded up by the Nazis in 1943. Even though she is German and doesn’t have to go, she refuses to let her family go without her. This is a book about the horrors of the concentration camps, but it is also a book about a mother’s unbridled love for her children.
Helene is a nurse and is called on by Mengele to run a school for the gypsy children at the camp. Of course, knowing who the vile Mengele was and the horrific things he was capable of, my heart sunk. How could this be a good thing? This is not easy to read as are other stories of the concentration camps; it is horrific as we see what Mengele does to children in the name of medicine and how these people suffer the conditions too awful to imagine. But Helene and the women who help her managed to bring smiles to the faces of these children when it seemed impossible. It’s a short book and it reads quickly because it’s hard to stop reading, wondering about the fate of Helene and her family. This is another book that I woke up thinking about, thinking about the many millions of Jews and others such as the Gypsies who were victims of the twisted beliefs that are so contrary to what it means to be human. Escobar’s publisher told him that “the world needed to know” Helene Hannemann’s story. Escobar call on us, the readers and our “love for truth and justice” to help him “tell the world the story of Helene Hannemann and her five children.” As with other Holocaust books, I passionately believe that we cannot forget and so with my short review, I hope that anyone who reads it will know a little of Helene’s story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
August 9, 2019
5 stars!
The most powerful story I have ever read about a mother’s love. I am forever changed by this book.
Helene Hannemann is a loving wife, a nurse and mother of five young children. One morning in 1943, she leaves her apartment to take her four oldest children to school when she is stopped by the German police. She is told she can stay back since she is German, but they have orders from the SS to bring her husband and children into custody immediately, as they are considered “Gypsies”. Devastated, she refuses to leave her family and joins them on the harrowing journey to Auschwitz. There, she is separated from her husband and forced to live in deplorable conditions. While living in Auschwitz, Helene is given the opportunity to create and manage a children’s school. She feels this is an opportunity to give hope and comfort to the young minds living in such dreadful and appalling conditions.
The writing was exquisite. The characters were endearing and unforgettable. The story was heart-wrenching and life changing. I was entranced by every word. I read a lot of WWII novels and this is a definite standout novel in the genre.
This story is shockingly based on real events. When I read the Author’s Note and found out that Helene was a real person, my crying turned to uncontrollable sobbing. I have deep admiration and respect for how she endured her situation. She got to my heart. I fell in love with her and her family from page one. I will never forget her story. It was an honour and inspiration to read about her bravery and strength. I am grateful that the author, Mario Escobar, has written this novel so that Helene will be known and remembered by so many.
This was a Traveling Sisters read that we all felt deeply affected by.
Thank you to Edelweiss for providing me with an ARC to read and review!
The most powerful story I have ever read about a mother’s love. I am forever changed by this book.
Helene Hannemann is a loving wife, a nurse and mother of five young children. One morning in 1943, she leaves her apartment to take her four oldest children to school when she is stopped by the German police. She is told she can stay back since she is German, but they have orders from the SS to bring her husband and children into custody immediately, as they are considered “Gypsies”. Devastated, she refuses to leave her family and joins them on the harrowing journey to Auschwitz. There, she is separated from her husband and forced to live in deplorable conditions. While living in Auschwitz, Helene is given the opportunity to create and manage a children’s school. She feels this is an opportunity to give hope and comfort to the young minds living in such dreadful and appalling conditions.
The writing was exquisite. The characters were endearing and unforgettable. The story was heart-wrenching and life changing. I was entranced by every word. I read a lot of WWII novels and this is a definite standout novel in the genre.
This story is shockingly based on real events. When I read the Author’s Note and found out that Helene was a real person, my crying turned to uncontrollable sobbing. I have deep admiration and respect for how she endured her situation. She got to my heart. I fell in love with her and her family from page one. I will never forget her story. It was an honour and inspiration to read about her bravery and strength. I am grateful that the author, Mario Escobar, has written this novel so that Helene will be known and remembered by so many.
This was a Traveling Sisters read that we all felt deeply affected by.
Thank you to Edelweiss for providing me with an ARC to read and review!
August 4, 2019
I finished this one a couple days ago. It is an emotional read but a true story. I loved the authors note which told what was true and what was not true. I cried and needed tissues. It was a depressing read but it really did happen so its not going to be unicorns and rainbows. The author did so well getting her facts straight. I wish all author notes was like this one because you get to know what was really true. This was such a fast paced read I finished it in 2 sittings. I felt so sorry for the gypsies, they were not treated like humans at all. I hated Dr. Mendell and his wife. The ending was just so dark and heartbreaking. I was so emotional and angry but we need to read books like this because our history need s to be remembered.
This book really showed what it was like for the gypsies in Auschwitz so of course it's going to be a very dark and disturbing read. I felt so naive because I really couldn't believe that most of everything in this book was true. I felt so sorry for the children too. It was so horrific how they were treated. I had to give this one 5 stars because the author really did her research on this era of history. She did a great job and our history needs to be remebered.
I got this book on Overdrive from my library.
This book really showed what it was like for the gypsies in Auschwitz so of course it's going to be a very dark and disturbing read. I felt so naive because I really couldn't believe that most of everything in this book was true. I felt so sorry for the children too. It was so horrific how they were treated. I had to give this one 5 stars because the author really did her research on this era of history. She did a great job and our history needs to be remebered.
I got this book on Overdrive from my library.
July 26, 2019
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
I have to admit that around 12% I was more than ready to call it quits with this book. It was breaking my heart in a way that I just didn’t want to continue. Before clicking the Return Loan button, I went back to Goodreads and again read all the 4- and 5-star reviews written by my trusted reader friends. I also turned to Mr. Escobar’s Author’s Note and read that when the publisher heard Helene’s story, he told the author that the world needed to know it. The author then turns and tells us: “It’s up to you, dear reader, and your love for truth and justice. Help me to tell the world the story of Helene Hannemann and her five children.” By then I realized that yes, I needed to buck up and get back to the book. I am glad I did.
This is historical fiction heavily based on true events. The tale is told entirely from the point of view of Helene. Helene’s husband and father of her children was a Gypsy. In 1943, he and all five of their children were rounded up to be taken to Auschwitz. Helene, being 100% German, was not a target, but she refused to let her children be taken without her. Nearly the entire book is set in the concentration camp. So many parts of the book are brutal. Other parts are highly inspirational. By the end of the novel I had developed incredible respect and admiration for this woman. For many reasons she was a true heroine in every sense of the word. I imagine there were many heroes and heroines during the World Wars that we will never know about. Thanks to Helene’s diaries and the decision of Mr. Escobar to bring her story to light we can know about Helene and her efforts to make things just a bit better for the innocents sent to slaughter.
This is said so often, but I have to say it again. Historical fiction is a treasure trove of knowledge just waiting for the reader to take in. This book not only gives us an excellent interpretation of one of WWII’s little known heroines, but it also portrays details of life in perhaps the most famous of all the concentration camps. It may not be pretty, but as so many say, these people and what they went through must not be forgotten.
The book is short and a quick read—2 days for me, which is really fast. Once I settled in, I was captivated.
Auschwitz Lullaby is highly recommended reading to all historical fiction and WWII fans, not only because it’s a compelling story but because there is much to be taken from it.
Thanks to my local public library and the Libby app for allowing readers such easy digital access to so many fascinating and enriching books.
I have to admit that around 12% I was more than ready to call it quits with this book. It was breaking my heart in a way that I just didn’t want to continue. Before clicking the Return Loan button, I went back to Goodreads and again read all the 4- and 5-star reviews written by my trusted reader friends. I also turned to Mr. Escobar’s Author’s Note and read that when the publisher heard Helene’s story, he told the author that the world needed to know it. The author then turns and tells us: “It’s up to you, dear reader, and your love for truth and justice. Help me to tell the world the story of Helene Hannemann and her five children.” By then I realized that yes, I needed to buck up and get back to the book. I am glad I did.
This is historical fiction heavily based on true events. The tale is told entirely from the point of view of Helene. Helene’s husband and father of her children was a Gypsy. In 1943, he and all five of their children were rounded up to be taken to Auschwitz. Helene, being 100% German, was not a target, but she refused to let her children be taken without her. Nearly the entire book is set in the concentration camp. So many parts of the book are brutal. Other parts are highly inspirational. By the end of the novel I had developed incredible respect and admiration for this woman. For many reasons she was a true heroine in every sense of the word. I imagine there were many heroes and heroines during the World Wars that we will never know about. Thanks to Helene’s diaries and the decision of Mr. Escobar to bring her story to light we can know about Helene and her efforts to make things just a bit better for the innocents sent to slaughter.
This is said so often, but I have to say it again. Historical fiction is a treasure trove of knowledge just waiting for the reader to take in. This book not only gives us an excellent interpretation of one of WWII’s little known heroines, but it also portrays details of life in perhaps the most famous of all the concentration camps. It may not be pretty, but as so many say, these people and what they went through must not be forgotten.
The book is short and a quick read—2 days for me, which is really fast. Once I settled in, I was captivated.
Auschwitz Lullaby is highly recommended reading to all historical fiction and WWII fans, not only because it’s a compelling story but because there is much to be taken from it.
Thanks to my local public library and the Libby app for allowing readers such easy digital access to so many fascinating and enriching books.
September 1, 2018
Whenever I start a book that is based on a real person, a real family, I feel a deeper sense of responsibilty, as if I am a witness to this particular time of their life. Helene Hannemam, was the wife of a gypsy, the mother of five children, a nurse, and though as an Aryan, she could have saved herself, she did not. She refused to allow the SS to take her husband and her children without taking her. They found themselves in Auschwitz, eventually in the gypsy camp. She would go on to be assigned to Dr. Mengele, and ordered by him to start a school for the young children in the camp. Of course, his concern for the children was far from altruistic.
I'll admit I didn't like how this book started, something about the way the author chose to begin Helenes story, bothered me. I made another error, trying to listen to this on audio, with a narrator that I felt didn't relate the gravitas of the situation, but instead made it sound as if she were going to a picnic. I quit listening and grabbed the book, started over, and found what many other readers felt reading this story. Bravery, concern, people struggling to live, mothers struggling to keep their children alive, and yes, so much horror. Dr. Mengele never paid for his crimes and he was a man who was beyond evil.
An emotional read like so many written about the Holocaust, but the first I have read about the Romany. As many I have read, I am surprised by how many stories still need to be told, an evil without end.
I'll admit I didn't like how this book started, something about the way the author chose to begin Helenes story, bothered me. I made another error, trying to listen to this on audio, with a narrator that I felt didn't relate the gravitas of the situation, but instead made it sound as if she were going to a picnic. I quit listening and grabbed the book, started over, and found what many other readers felt reading this story. Bravery, concern, people struggling to live, mothers struggling to keep their children alive, and yes, so much horror. Dr. Mengele never paid for his crimes and he was a man who was beyond evil.
An emotional read like so many written about the Holocaust, but the first I have read about the Romany. As many I have read, I am surprised by how many stories still need to be told, an evil without end.
December 30, 2018
"Auschwitz stands as a tragic reminder of the terrible potential man has for violence and inhumanity." - Billy Graham
The book begins in 1943 when Helene Hannemann is preparing her five children for school. A knock on the door, changes all their lives forever. It is not a friendly neighbor knocking looking to borrow some milk, no it is the Nazi's and they are there for her gypsy husband and children. Being a German, Helene does not have to go with her family, but she insists. She will not leave her husband or children. So, the entire family is taken - deported to Auschwitz. After they survive the horrific conditions on the trains, Helene is permitted to stay with her children while her husband is taken to the men's side.
* As many as 6,000 people were killed each day in the Holocaust.
Once in Auschwitz, she is approached by Dr. Mengele who has learned that she is a nurse. He asks her to direct the camps nursery. A nursery where children play with toys and watch movies while gas chambers are less than 400 feet away is constantly killing. How do you preserve a child's innocence in such a place? How do you keep children safe? How to keep them healthy in such unhealthy conditions? How do you take care of other's children while at the same time struggling to take care of your own?
What makes this book even more powerful is that it is based on a true story. Helene Hannenmann refused to leave her children. She did not have to go to Auschwitz. She refused to let her children go to the camps without her. She stayed with her children and tried to encourage them and keep them from being afraid. Reading this I wondered how many people were put in this situation. How many were told they were being separated from their children. How many choose to go with their family when they could have gone free. What a choice to make. Not only did she care for her children, but she tried to take care of all the children in her care. How do you provide happiness in such a place?
I found this to be a powerful book that once again showed how kindness, empathy and love still shined in a place of such hatred and darkness. That no matter what, a light still burned within and there were those who never lost their humanity no matter what they witnessed, endured or suffered.
"I believe in the sun even when it's not shining. I believe in love even when I don't feel it. I believe in God even when he is silent." poem etched into the wall by a prisoner in Auschwitz.
How many people were aware that nursery's existed at Auschwitz? How many people knew about Helene and her actions? How many people know just how many people were killed there? In the Author's notes he gives a breakdown in how Gypsies were affected by the Holocaust - how many were killed including timelines. It is very educational and informative.
I found this book to be well written and captivating. I found it to be a fast read as it was so engrossing. I think for some this will also provide some education as to just how many people suffered during the holocaust. How many people were targeted for extermination may be shocking to some.
Powerful, moving, sad, hopeful, and tragic, this is another story about the Holocaust that needs to be told.
The book begins in 1943 when Helene Hannemann is preparing her five children for school. A knock on the door, changes all their lives forever. It is not a friendly neighbor knocking looking to borrow some milk, no it is the Nazi's and they are there for her gypsy husband and children. Being a German, Helene does not have to go with her family, but she insists. She will not leave her husband or children. So, the entire family is taken - deported to Auschwitz. After they survive the horrific conditions on the trains, Helene is permitted to stay with her children while her husband is taken to the men's side.
* As many as 6,000 people were killed each day in the Holocaust.
Once in Auschwitz, she is approached by Dr. Mengele who has learned that she is a nurse. He asks her to direct the camps nursery. A nursery where children play with toys and watch movies while gas chambers are less than 400 feet away is constantly killing. How do you preserve a child's innocence in such a place? How do you keep children safe? How to keep them healthy in such unhealthy conditions? How do you take care of other's children while at the same time struggling to take care of your own?
What makes this book even more powerful is that it is based on a true story. Helene Hannenmann refused to leave her children. She did not have to go to Auschwitz. She refused to let her children go to the camps without her. She stayed with her children and tried to encourage them and keep them from being afraid. Reading this I wondered how many people were put in this situation. How many were told they were being separated from their children. How many choose to go with their family when they could have gone free. What a choice to make. Not only did she care for her children, but she tried to take care of all the children in her care. How do you provide happiness in such a place?
I found this to be a powerful book that once again showed how kindness, empathy and love still shined in a place of such hatred and darkness. That no matter what, a light still burned within and there were those who never lost their humanity no matter what they witnessed, endured or suffered.
"I believe in the sun even when it's not shining. I believe in love even when I don't feel it. I believe in God even when he is silent." poem etched into the wall by a prisoner in Auschwitz.
How many people were aware that nursery's existed at Auschwitz? How many people knew about Helene and her actions? How many people know just how many people were killed there? In the Author's notes he gives a breakdown in how Gypsies were affected by the Holocaust - how many were killed including timelines. It is very educational and informative.
I found this book to be well written and captivating. I found it to be a fast read as it was so engrossing. I think for some this will also provide some education as to just how many people suffered during the holocaust. How many people were targeted for extermination may be shocking to some.
Powerful, moving, sad, hopeful, and tragic, this is another story about the Holocaust that needs to be told.
sampled-and-declined
January 23, 2024The writing is terrible, and I say that having sampled the book in Spanish so there's no "bad translation" excuse here. Besides, Escóbar's portrayal of Mengele, who is the narrator here, is highly problematic. Why would you choose the perpetrator to tell the story of the victim, and portray him sympathetically? And why change some facts about Helene Hannemann's tragic story instead of telling it in all its cruelty?
November 7, 2021
Why this story is a solid 3 stars:
1. it's based on an actual German/Aryan woman, Helene Hannemann, who in 1943, willingly went to Auschwitz-Birkenau with her Romani (Gypsy) husband and five children. While there, Dr. Josef Mengele put her in charge of running a nursery and school for the Gypsy children (as a front for his heinous crimes); and,
2. I appreciate how author, Mario Escobar, details in his "Historical Note" Helene's and other prisoners' stories, as well as information about what the Romani people went through during their internment at this death camp.
Why it lost 2 stars from me:
1. Escobar didn't make some of Helene's actions very believable for me. Even though she would stress to her children that they all "must stay under the radar", we hear Helene approaching Mengele on various occasions making various requests/demands, with the thought that "... she had nothing to lose." REALLY? NOTHING AT ALL? What about her husband's life? Her children's lives? Her own life? From past stories, I always got the impression that this man was terrifying! If the author wanted to put some "pepper" into Helene, this didn't work for me;
2. some modern-day lingo was sprinkled into this story which lost some of its authenticity; and,
3. the narrator sounded too chipper/lighthearted for this subject matter.
Overall, I admire how this story focused on Helene Hannemann and her inspiring role while at Birkenau, but I was expecting a deeper look into what the actual Romani/Gypsy people (specifically the children) endured while at Auschwitz.
1. it's based on an actual German/Aryan woman, Helene Hannemann, who in 1943, willingly went to Auschwitz-Birkenau with her Romani (Gypsy) husband and five children. While there, Dr. Josef Mengele put her in charge of running a nursery and school for the Gypsy children (as a front for his heinous crimes); and,
2. I appreciate how author, Mario Escobar, details in his "Historical Note" Helene's and other prisoners' stories, as well as information about what the Romani people went through during their internment at this death camp.
Why it lost 2 stars from me:
1. Escobar didn't make some of Helene's actions very believable for me. Even though she would stress to her children that they all "must stay under the radar", we hear Helene approaching Mengele on various occasions making various requests/demands, with the thought that "... she had nothing to lose." REALLY? NOTHING AT ALL? What about her husband's life? Her children's lives? Her own life? From past stories, I always got the impression that this man was terrifying! If the author wanted to put some "pepper" into Helene, this didn't work for me;
2. some modern-day lingo was sprinkled into this story which lost some of its authenticity; and,
3. the narrator sounded too chipper/lighthearted for this subject matter.
Overall, I admire how this story focused on Helene Hannemann and her inspiring role while at Birkenau, but I was expecting a deeper look into what the actual Romani/Gypsy people (specifically the children) endured while at Auschwitz.
September 8, 2018
4 powerful stars to Auschwitz Lullaby! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Auschwitz Lullaby, now available from Thomas Nelson, came highly recommended by my dear Goodreads’ friend, Angela. When she says a book is four or more stars, I don’t miss it. She gave this one 4.5.
My Thoughts:
I never tire of these World War II stories involving the Holocaust. I must sound like a broken record at this point, but I have to say, because of the insurmountable number of people affected, there will always be new perspectives and stories to tell, and I am here to read them and listen.
It is 1942 in Germany when Helene’s family home is broken into by the police. They are there to take away her husband, deemed a “gypsy,” and their five children. The police say that Helene can stay because she is German, but she chooses to leave with her family. They are all taken to Auschwitz.
After her family is set-up in the crowded barracks, Dr. Mengele arrives to see Helene because she is known to be a nurse. From there, he directs her to run the concentration camp’s nurseries, set across two barracks; one for newborns and one for children older than six.
In these incredibly harsh and dire conditions, Mengele provides child-friendly items like movies and toys, while people are dying in gas chambers close by. Helene works tirelessly to save the children, her own and all those under her care. What will happen to her family?
Auschwitz Lullaby is based on a true story of one woman and her family. It sheds an important light on the prejudice against, and extermination of, the Romani people by the Nazis during WWII. I found the writing to be straight, and with that, my own emotions could fill in the full picture of this living, breathing story.
My favorite aspect of this book was the characterization. It made the story real. Helene was a hero and a risk-taker, and most of all, she was a mother.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Auschwitz Lullaby, now available from Thomas Nelson, came highly recommended by my dear Goodreads’ friend, Angela. When she says a book is four or more stars, I don’t miss it. She gave this one 4.5.
My Thoughts:
I never tire of these World War II stories involving the Holocaust. I must sound like a broken record at this point, but I have to say, because of the insurmountable number of people affected, there will always be new perspectives and stories to tell, and I am here to read them and listen.
It is 1942 in Germany when Helene’s family home is broken into by the police. They are there to take away her husband, deemed a “gypsy,” and their five children. The police say that Helene can stay because she is German, but she chooses to leave with her family. They are all taken to Auschwitz.
After her family is set-up in the crowded barracks, Dr. Mengele arrives to see Helene because she is known to be a nurse. From there, he directs her to run the concentration camp’s nurseries, set across two barracks; one for newborns and one for children older than six.
In these incredibly harsh and dire conditions, Mengele provides child-friendly items like movies and toys, while people are dying in gas chambers close by. Helene works tirelessly to save the children, her own and all those under her care. What will happen to her family?
Auschwitz Lullaby is based on a true story of one woman and her family. It sheds an important light on the prejudice against, and extermination of, the Romani people by the Nazis during WWII. I found the writing to be straight, and with that, my own emotions could fill in the full picture of this living, breathing story.
My favorite aspect of this book was the characterization. It made the story real. Helene was a hero and a risk-taker, and most of all, she was a mother.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
August 26, 2018
Auschwitz Lullaby is yet another heartbreaking and jarring novel depicting the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis. I have trouble with novels based on the Holocaust that use the war as a backdrop for romantic or saccharine stories. But there are some excellent novels based on real events that serve as an important reminder of this dark time in history. Auschwitz Lullaby mostly worked for me. It is based on the true story of Helene who was a German woman married to a Roma man, who at the time was referred to as a Gypsy and was part of one of the groups targeted by Hitler for annihilation. At the beginning of the book, the Nazis come to Helene’s house to apprehend her husband and their five children. Unable to let her children go, Helene makes the decision to go with them. She ends up interned as a prisoner at Auschwitz with her five children and separated from her husband. Because she is German, she is entrusted with running a nursery for her children and other gypsy children under Mengele’s supervision. The novel is an account of how Helene does what she can for her own children and for the other children in the nursery, while surrounded by death and depravity. The writing is straightforward but it works to convey Helene’s story and the story of the horrific treatment of the Roma people by the Nazis.
My one quibble is that the story is presented as Helene’s journal as found and read by Mendele many years after the war. This is apparently not based on fact. It feels hokey and I felt that it diminishes the story of Helene’s courage and the suffering of the people she tried to help. This flaw is only evident at the beginning and end of the book, and wouldn’t deter me from recommending it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
My one quibble is that the story is presented as Helene’s journal as found and read by Mendele many years after the war. This is apparently not based on fact. It feels hokey and I felt that it diminishes the story of Helene’s courage and the suffering of the people she tried to help. This flaw is only evident at the beginning and end of the book, and wouldn’t deter me from recommending it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
August 13, 2018
4.5 heart breaking stars
A mother wakes in the morning, prepares for her day with her five children, and then there is pounding upon her door and life turns to the horrific. The world is on fire and now that fire has come to her door. This is the world of the Auschwitz Lullaby: A Novel
Helene Hannemann is a young German mother of five. She is caught up in the conflict that is raging and is married to a Romani man, a gypsy, a person, a race, the SS and Hitler has determined needs to be caught, confined and eliminated. Helene's children are of mixed blood according to the Nazis and they too must be sent away. She is told she is free but instead, as a loving and caring mother, chooses to go with her family and they are sent to Auschwitz. We have heard all the stories, read the books, listened to survivors so we are well aware of the atrocities, the inhumane conditions, the death that awaits millions at the hands of Hitler and his bunch of devils.
Of course Helene and her husband are separated but she is allowed to remain with her children, dedicating herself to their protection and providing the best of care for them if that is at all possible. Helene was a nurse so she was assigned to nursing duties which brings her into the sphere that is inhabited by Dr Joseph Mengele. He seeks her out and encourages her to head up a nursery for infants and children up to the age of six. Helene agrees to do so in the hopes that she and others can provide a few moments of safety and a bit of care and maybe even happiness to these children. Helene and six others open their nursery/school to the children while less than five hundred feet away the gas chambers are systematically exterminating people. Can she and the others keep the children alive? Can she save her own five children?
This was a sad tale and although I have read and there have been written many stories of the Holocaust, this one seemed to take on a special aura. Perhaps it was because of Helene's being a mother, being a person who cared so much. She was us. For a time she was a person who was able to make a few moments in time happy and safe for some doomed children, a person who took risks, a person who was a hero. I recommend this book to all those who need to always realize that life, all life, is precious and that we are a fortunate people who always have to bear in mind that this horrendous time has occurred and this hate continues to happen throughout the world.
Thank you to Mario Escobar, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this real life heroine.
https://www.thoughtco.com/auschwitz-c...
My reviews can be seen here: https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
A mother wakes in the morning, prepares for her day with her five children, and then there is pounding upon her door and life turns to the horrific. The world is on fire and now that fire has come to her door. This is the world of the Auschwitz Lullaby: A Novel
Helene Hannemann is a young German mother of five. She is caught up in the conflict that is raging and is married to a Romani man, a gypsy, a person, a race, the SS and Hitler has determined needs to be caught, confined and eliminated. Helene's children are of mixed blood according to the Nazis and they too must be sent away. She is told she is free but instead, as a loving and caring mother, chooses to go with her family and they are sent to Auschwitz. We have heard all the stories, read the books, listened to survivors so we are well aware of the atrocities, the inhumane conditions, the death that awaits millions at the hands of Hitler and his bunch of devils.
Of course Helene and her husband are separated but she is allowed to remain with her children, dedicating herself to their protection and providing the best of care for them if that is at all possible. Helene was a nurse so she was assigned to nursing duties which brings her into the sphere that is inhabited by Dr Joseph Mengele. He seeks her out and encourages her to head up a nursery for infants and children up to the age of six. Helene agrees to do so in the hopes that she and others can provide a few moments of safety and a bit of care and maybe even happiness to these children. Helene and six others open their nursery/school to the children while less than five hundred feet away the gas chambers are systematically exterminating people. Can she and the others keep the children alive? Can she save her own five children?
This was a sad tale and although I have read and there have been written many stories of the Holocaust, this one seemed to take on a special aura. Perhaps it was because of Helene's being a mother, being a person who cared so much. She was us. For a time she was a person who was able to make a few moments in time happy and safe for some doomed children, a person who took risks, a person who was a hero. I recommend this book to all those who need to always realize that life, all life, is precious and that we are a fortunate people who always have to bear in mind that this horrendous time has occurred and this hate continues to happen throughout the world.
Thank you to Mario Escobar, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this real life heroine.
https://www.thoughtco.com/auschwitz-c...
My reviews can be seen here: https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
July 31, 2019
Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar is Helene Hannemann story set in one of the most despicable era's in time.
For the kind of book it is it's a fast easy read (that sounds terrible I'm sorry) that once you start you have this need to see the ending and when you do reach the end you realise you've cried or had a large lump in your throat throughout the whole book.(why do we do this to ourselves??)
This book is definitely an emotional rollercoaster anger, sadness , heartache are just a few your going to get when reading this.
I highly recommend this book 📖
(Your going to need tissues)
For the kind of book it is it's a fast easy read (that sounds terrible I'm sorry) that once you start you have this need to see the ending and when you do reach the end you realise you've cried or had a large lump in your throat throughout the whole book.(why do we do this to ourselves??)
This book is definitely an emotional rollercoaster anger, sadness , heartache are just a few your going to get when reading this.
I highly recommend this book 📖
(Your going to need tissues)
January 29, 2020
Some historians estimate that between 220,000 and 500,000 Romani were killed by the Germans and their collaborators in World War II – 25% to over 50% of the estimate of just under one million Roma in Europe at the time. Later research estimates the death toll to be about 1.5 million of about 2 million Roma. As with anything to do with the Holocaust, the figures are staggering whatever the exact numbers. With that background Mario Escobar, in his novel "Auschwitz Lullaby" has focussed on one particular family, the Hannemanns and their plunge from a relatively normal life in Germany in 1943 to a nightmare of Kafkaesque proportions in Auschwitz. Helene is German and, as a member of the Aryan race, protected from the Nazi purge of Jews, Gypsies and others who do not fit the mould of German perfection. However, her husband Johann, an accomplished violinist, is a Romani and because of that, their five children fall into the same ethnic category. On an otherwise normal morning when Helene is preparing the children for the day, German police, acting on instructions from the SS, take Johann and the children into custody. Helene refuses to let them go without her and choses to remain with the rest of the family. After a tortuous train journey, they eventually arrive at Auschwitz, where Johann is separated from the rest of the family. Later, Helene, a nurse, is forced into service with a seemingly moderate Nazi. His name is Dr. Josef Mengele.
"Auschwitz Lullaby" is a work of historical fiction but it is based on fact. The Hannemanns existed and Helene did, in fact, work as a nurse for the infamous Dr. Mengele at Auschwitz. Escobar’s attention to detail is extraordinary, the historical background meticulously researched. Each day of Helene’s harrowing incarceration as she goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her children is described in vivid, heart-wrenching scenes. It is difficult not to feel the emotion filtering through from the pages. "Auschwitz Lullaby" was written in Spanish but has been expertly interpreted into English so that none of the emotion is lost in translation. It is not a light read, but that should not dissuade us from reminding ourselves of the forces evil that lurk in some elements of humanity.
"Auschwitz Lullaby" is a work of historical fiction but it is based on fact. The Hannemanns existed and Helene did, in fact, work as a nurse for the infamous Dr. Mengele at Auschwitz. Escobar’s attention to detail is extraordinary, the historical background meticulously researched. Each day of Helene’s harrowing incarceration as she goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her children is described in vivid, heart-wrenching scenes. It is difficult not to feel the emotion filtering through from the pages. "Auschwitz Lullaby" was written in Spanish but has been expertly interpreted into English so that none of the emotion is lost in translation. It is not a light read, but that should not dissuade us from reminding ourselves of the forces evil that lurk in some elements of humanity.
August 30, 2018
I'm a bit shocked by the overwhelmingly positive reviews for this book. I immediately downloaded it upon reading the summary of Helene's story: married to a gypsy, she chooses a Nazi concentration camp with her five children over freedom. This promised to be an emotive ride....except it wasn't.
I'm not sure if the emotion was lost in translation, but the ingredients are here to leave the reader in tears. Helene receives some privileges in Birkenau due to her status as an Aryan and a nurse, However, nothing makes up for living in squalor and fear under the rule of the infamous Dr Josef Mengele. Unfortunately, the style of writing was what I would expect in a middle school journal. For example, at one point a character refers to life in the camp as 'unpleasant.' This book is a series of understated blandness. It's all tell, no showing. We never feel Helene's despondency, only see her going through the motions. One cannot feel emotion simply because we are told to. Even when the conclusion was more heartbreaking than I had anticipated, it didn't feel real.
In the hands of the right writer, this story could have been one to stay with the reader, an unforgettable strike to the heart, but it never gets there.
Received from NetGalley. Opinions my own.
I'm not sure if the emotion was lost in translation, but the ingredients are here to leave the reader in tears. Helene receives some privileges in Birkenau due to her status as an Aryan and a nurse, However, nothing makes up for living in squalor and fear under the rule of the infamous Dr Josef Mengele. Unfortunately, the style of writing was what I would expect in a middle school journal. For example, at one point a character refers to life in the camp as 'unpleasant.' This book is a series of understated blandness. It's all tell, no showing. We never feel Helene's despondency, only see her going through the motions. One cannot feel emotion simply because we are told to. Even when the conclusion was more heartbreaking than I had anticipated, it didn't feel real.
In the hands of the right writer, this story could have been one to stay with the reader, an unforgettable strike to the heart, but it never gets there.
Received from NetGalley. Opinions my own.
September 6, 2020
I had a hard time trying to decide how to rate this. In the end I decided to give this book five stars as being suitable for Middle School-Age children and three stars for older readers. Auschwitz Lullaby tells the true story of a German Aryan mother married to a Roma (Gypsy) who refuses to be parted from her husband and five children when the Nazis come to her door to arrest them. It was emphasized that because she was an Aryan she was not under arrest, but she was adamant that she would not leave or be separated from her children. Transported to Auschwitz, she and her children managed to survive for one year until shortly before Auschwitz was liberated; because she was an Aryan nurse, Mengele asked her to set up a nursery and a school (for his own nefarious purposes). Horrors of the camp are described but not generally too graphically for a mature young reader.
I believe this is a book appropriate for guided Middle School reading and discussion. Mature Young Adults and Adults should be emotionally capable of reading more visceral accounts of this dark period in History. I nearly wrote “of Hitler…” or “of Nazi…”, but the sorry truth of the matter is that Nazism didn’t rise in a vacuum but rather was finely honed under Hitler by the willing, susceptible, and sometimes enthusiastic populations of Germany, Poland, Croatia, Yugoslavia…..Concentration camps were the most expedient method to rid these countries of 12 Million unwanted, undesirable, inferior, and politically inconvenient members in the population (i.e. 6 Million Jews, 3 Million Soviet Prisoners of War, 250K Gypsies, 250K Handicapped, 2.5 Million Aged, Sick, Criminals, Critics….).
I have read many books on the Holocaust but, to be frank, this is one subject that film does a better job than books (although books play an extremely important role). I think that people need to actually see the horror to fully comprehend it. It is important to watch the films taken by Allied soldiers entering the camps and freeing the skeletal remains of humans barely alive (the ones their captors didn't have time to murder before fleeing), the pirated films of mass murders over pits dug by the victims before being shot or buried alive, of people standing in line at a gas chamber, bodies being piled onto carts to be wheeled to crematoriums, of piles of clothing, hair, shoes, and other personal belongings. And it is important to watch the documented stories as told by the dwindling number of survivors and partisans still alive who can actually attest and bear witness to the atrocities. See also, the Spielberg Project, a Visual History Archive of more than 53,000 stories from Holocaust survivors in more than 50 countries and more than 30 languages. And see also......
I believe this is a book appropriate for guided Middle School reading and discussion. Mature Young Adults and Adults should be emotionally capable of reading more visceral accounts of this dark period in History. I nearly wrote “of Hitler…” or “of Nazi…”, but the sorry truth of the matter is that Nazism didn’t rise in a vacuum but rather was finely honed under Hitler by the willing, susceptible, and sometimes enthusiastic populations of Germany, Poland, Croatia, Yugoslavia…..Concentration camps were the most expedient method to rid these countries of 12 Million unwanted, undesirable, inferior, and politically inconvenient members in the population (i.e. 6 Million Jews, 3 Million Soviet Prisoners of War, 250K Gypsies, 250K Handicapped, 2.5 Million Aged, Sick, Criminals, Critics….).
I have read many books on the Holocaust but, to be frank, this is one subject that film does a better job than books (although books play an extremely important role). I think that people need to actually see the horror to fully comprehend it. It is important to watch the films taken by Allied soldiers entering the camps and freeing the skeletal remains of humans barely alive (the ones their captors didn't have time to murder before fleeing), the pirated films of mass murders over pits dug by the victims before being shot or buried alive, of people standing in line at a gas chamber, bodies being piled onto carts to be wheeled to crematoriums, of piles of clothing, hair, shoes, and other personal belongings. And it is important to watch the documented stories as told by the dwindling number of survivors and partisans still alive who can actually attest and bear witness to the atrocities. See also, the Spielberg Project, a Visual History Archive of more than 53,000 stories from Holocaust survivors in more than 50 countries and more than 30 languages. And see also......
Hitler told Himmler that it was not enough for the Jews simply to die; they must die in agony. What was the best way to prolong their agony? Himmler turned the problem over to his advisers, who concluded that a slow, agonizing death could be brought about by placing Jewish prisoners in freight cars in which the floors were coated with...quicklime...which produced excruciating burns. The advisers estimated that it would take four days for the prisoners to die, and for that whole time the freight cars could be left standing on some forgotten siding.... Finally it was decided that the freight cars should be used in addition to the extermination camps.--Robert Payne, The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler
August 23, 2018
Stephen King is quoted as categorising three types of terror. The gross-out. The horror. The terror. Personally, I'm not into any of these things but Mario Escobar's novel of historical fiction plonked me firmly into a place where all three were daily facts of life. This was real horror on a level fiction doesn't go close to.
The place? Auschwitz.
The novel? Auschwitz Lullaby.
Helene Hannemann was a German woman, married to the love of her life, and mother of five children. It just so happened her husband was Romani and it was 1943 Germany, so when the SS came to round up her family she insisted she was going wherever they were going. Thus, all seven of them found themselves on a cattlecar bound for the deplorable conditions of the Gypsy camp at Auschwitz. Whilst there Dr Josef Mengele entrusted Helene to set up a Kindergarten and school for the children of Auschwitz. To her surprise they were provided with extra rations and supplies for the Kindergarten and Dr Mengele showed a particular interest in the children. With the benefit of hindsight and history books readers can guess at Mengeles interest but there was no such luck for Helene and the children. This is their story - two protagonists, both real - told according to the heartbreaking and distressing facts.
Auschwitz Lullaby is not an easy read but it is an important one. As WWII and the Nazi crimes against humanity slip further into the past it is easy for us to lose sight of the impact of the events that shaped the world and for the lives lost to become reduced to a series of numbers. Reading closes this distance and brings the horrors of Auschwitz and the lives of at least one family up close and personal. There's no way I will forget this story any time soon. And though I don't gravitate to horror stories, this is one I'm glad to have read because it's so important we remember.
Despite the difficult content the writing was beautiful, the story sad, and I found myself highlighting great chunks of text. Being an historian, Escobar included a Chronology of the Gypsy Camp at Auschwitz and Historical Clarifications in which he points out the few places his fiction veered from the facts.
I know some people have tired of, or avoid, reading these kinds of stories. This is one I strongly recommend. I give my thanks to Mario Escobar for sharing Helene's story and would like to reassure him that his fear of "... not being able to capture the greatness of Helene Hannemann’s soul within the lines of these pages" was completely unfounded.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The place? Auschwitz.
The novel? Auschwitz Lullaby.
Helene Hannemann was a German woman, married to the love of her life, and mother of five children. It just so happened her husband was Romani and it was 1943 Germany, so when the SS came to round up her family she insisted she was going wherever they were going. Thus, all seven of them found themselves on a cattlecar bound for the deplorable conditions of the Gypsy camp at Auschwitz. Whilst there Dr Josef Mengele entrusted Helene to set up a Kindergarten and school for the children of Auschwitz. To her surprise they were provided with extra rations and supplies for the Kindergarten and Dr Mengele showed a particular interest in the children. With the benefit of hindsight and history books readers can guess at Mengeles interest but there was no such luck for Helene and the children. This is their story - two protagonists, both real - told according to the heartbreaking and distressing facts.
Auschwitz Lullaby is not an easy read but it is an important one. As WWII and the Nazi crimes against humanity slip further into the past it is easy for us to lose sight of the impact of the events that shaped the world and for the lives lost to become reduced to a series of numbers. Reading closes this distance and brings the horrors of Auschwitz and the lives of at least one family up close and personal. There's no way I will forget this story any time soon. And though I don't gravitate to horror stories, this is one I'm glad to have read because it's so important we remember.
Despite the difficult content the writing was beautiful, the story sad, and I found myself highlighting great chunks of text. Being an historian, Escobar included a Chronology of the Gypsy Camp at Auschwitz and Historical Clarifications in which he points out the few places his fiction veered from the facts.
I know some people have tired of, or avoid, reading these kinds of stories. This is one I strongly recommend. I give my thanks to Mario Escobar for sharing Helene's story and would like to reassure him that his fear of "... not being able to capture the greatness of Helene Hannemann’s soul within the lines of these pages" was completely unfounded.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
October 6, 2018
5 ☆ Auschwitz Lullaby is a heart-wrenching treasure based on the TRUE story of Helene Hannemann, an Aryan German mother of 5 who was married to a Roma. When the Germans who were rounding up gypsies came knocking on her door in 1943 to collect her husband and children she follows them into the trains cattle car immediately giving herself a death sentence just to be with her family.
After days in the stench filled cattle car thirsty, hungry and watching people die along their journey they finally arrive at Auschwitz. Once inside the concentration camp due to her being a nurse she’s told to run the camps Romani nursery and school of sorts overseen by Mengele himself. My heart sank while reading Helene’s story. I felt overwhelming sadness for the camps prisoners, some even throwing themselves on the electric fences to end their agony. I’m especially heartbroken over the children as we all know of the horrifying evil things Mengele did. Helene was a courageous determined woman that did whatever it took to help the children in her care at Auschwitz. Helene’s story is incredibly sad and one that needed to be told. Grab the Kleenex as this is a very descriptive story based on fact from her diary. I highly recommend to anyone that reads historical fiction, especially of the Holocaust.
Recommending: The Tattooist of Auschwitz which is exceptional also. Both true stories and prisoners at Auschwitz during the same time period.
After days in the stench filled cattle car thirsty, hungry and watching people die along their journey they finally arrive at Auschwitz. Once inside the concentration camp due to her being a nurse she’s told to run the camps Romani nursery and school of sorts overseen by Mengele himself. My heart sank while reading Helene’s story. I felt overwhelming sadness for the camps prisoners, some even throwing themselves on the electric fences to end their agony. I’m especially heartbroken over the children as we all know of the horrifying evil things Mengele did. Helene was a courageous determined woman that did whatever it took to help the children in her care at Auschwitz. Helene’s story is incredibly sad and one that needed to be told. Grab the Kleenex as this is a very descriptive story based on fact from her diary. I highly recommend to anyone that reads historical fiction, especially of the Holocaust.
Recommending: The Tattooist of Auschwitz which is exceptional also. Both true stories and prisoners at Auschwitz during the same time period.
August 15, 2018
Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar portrayed a mother's unconditional and encompassing love for her children above all else. This was a story based on a German woman, Helene Hannemann's life. Helene Hannemann was married to Johann, a talented violinist of Roma gypsy descent. Together they had five children including a pair of twins. Helene was a nurse. One morning Helene and her older children were just about to leave their apartment for school and work when they were stopped by some German soldiers. The soldiers demanded to know where her husband was. When Helene and her children re-entered their apartment with the German soldiers Helene was about to hear the worst and most dreaded commands she could have ever imagined. The German soldiers were taking her husband and children away from her. She was free to stay because she was Aryan or pure German. However, Helene knew that her choice was to go with her children before she even said them out loud. She was her children's mother. No matter what, she would be with her five mixed-blood Gypsy children and try and protect them.
Helene Hannemann and her five children arrived at Auschwitz/Birkenau in May 1943 and were immediately separated from her husband. They were brought to the Gypsy camp at Birkenau. It was soon discovered that Helene Hannemann had been a nurse so she was assigned to the hospital to work. Shortly after her arrival, Josef Mengele arrived at the Gypsy camp at Birkenau. Mengele wanted to open a children's nursery and school in Birkenau. He chose Helene to create and direct it. She was chosen by Mengele mostly because she was an Aryan. He trusted her. The school was the only constant and positive thing in Helene's stay. She was determined to do whatever she had to do to keep her children, herself and the children in the camp alive. In the beginning, she was able to provide a safe, warm place for the children to stay during the day. Food rations for the children became more plentiful and she was also able to provide milk for a while. It took away the horrors of the camp for a few hours for those children that attended. She forged friendships with some of the other prisoners and for the most part was regarded favorably by those prisoners.
Although Helene Hannemann's story was real, certain aspects from the book were fictionalized. Supposedly, she left a journal behind in the camp and that is where a lot of the information for the story was found and in other research done by Mario Escobar. The horrors of the day-to-day living at the camp were graphic at times and made you want to cry. Descriptions of Mengele's experiments with twin children were horrific and chilling. Auschwitz Lullaby was hard to read at times but I am glad that I read it. Many of the characters in Helene Hannemann's story were real She was a courageous woman who always presented herself as a mother first. Her children needed her to be strong and she would not let them down. I highly recommend this book. No one should ever forget this terrifying time in our history.
I received a complimentary copy of Auschwitz Lullaby from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Helene Hannemann and her five children arrived at Auschwitz/Birkenau in May 1943 and were immediately separated from her husband. They were brought to the Gypsy camp at Birkenau. It was soon discovered that Helene Hannemann had been a nurse so she was assigned to the hospital to work. Shortly after her arrival, Josef Mengele arrived at the Gypsy camp at Birkenau. Mengele wanted to open a children's nursery and school in Birkenau. He chose Helene to create and direct it. She was chosen by Mengele mostly because she was an Aryan. He trusted her. The school was the only constant and positive thing in Helene's stay. She was determined to do whatever she had to do to keep her children, herself and the children in the camp alive. In the beginning, she was able to provide a safe, warm place for the children to stay during the day. Food rations for the children became more plentiful and she was also able to provide milk for a while. It took away the horrors of the camp for a few hours for those children that attended. She forged friendships with some of the other prisoners and for the most part was regarded favorably by those prisoners.
Although Helene Hannemann's story was real, certain aspects from the book were fictionalized. Supposedly, she left a journal behind in the camp and that is where a lot of the information for the story was found and in other research done by Mario Escobar. The horrors of the day-to-day living at the camp were graphic at times and made you want to cry. Descriptions of Mengele's experiments with twin children were horrific and chilling. Auschwitz Lullaby was hard to read at times but I am glad that I read it. Many of the characters in Helene Hannemann's story were real She was a courageous woman who always presented herself as a mother first. Her children needed her to be strong and she would not let them down. I highly recommend this book. No one should ever forget this terrifying time in our history.
I received a complimentary copy of Auschwitz Lullaby from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
March 4, 2020
Beautifully Written and Intensely Heartbreaking..
My soul is forever altered.
More to Come.
My soul is forever altered.
More to Come.
January 29, 2026
A minha opinião em vídeo:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOHEe...
Este livro foi uma leitura extremamente dura e emocional. Não é bonito, não é confortável, não é leve. O impacto vem precisamente daí. Ao longo da leitura senti revolta, tristeza e impotência, e houve momentos em que tive mesmo de parar.
A escrita é muito descritiva, por vezes quase sufocante, e isso torna tudo mais real. Há passagens que ficam na cabeça muito depois de fechar o livro, sobretudo quando envolve crianças. É um livro que não tenta proteger o leitor, nem suavizar o horror, e isso torna a experiência ainda mais intensa.
Foi um dos livros que mais me abalou emocionalmente. Não chorei apenas no fim, chorei durante a leitura. É duro, é pesado, mas é importante.
Este livro foi uma leitura extremamente dura e emocional. Não é bonito, não é confortável, não é leve. O impacto vem precisamente daí. Ao longo da leitura senti revolta, tristeza e impotência, e houve momentos em que tive mesmo de parar.
A escrita é muito descritiva, por vezes quase sufocante, e isso torna tudo mais real. Há passagens que ficam na cabeça muito depois de fechar o livro, sobretudo quando envolve crianças. É um livro que não tenta proteger o leitor, nem suavizar o horror, e isso torna a experiência ainda mais intensa.
Foi um dos livros que mais me abalou emocionalmente. Não chorei apenas no fim, chorei durante a leitura. É duro, é pesado, mas é importante.
September 2, 2018
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.
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.
September 10, 2018
Removed from her home in Germany, it was 1943 and the police were taking all gypsies to rehouse them. Although Helene Hannemann was German, her husband and therefore her five children were gypsies. Helene would not leave them – as a mother, her determination to look after her children was paramount.
The long, arduous, filthy and traumatic train journey eventually stopped at Auschwitz, which was to be Helene’s home for the next sixteen months. The horrors would be revealed in an instant to the shocked family – the immediate separation of the men from the women and children meant Johann was taken from them, while Helene and the children were allocated a barracks in the Gypsy Camp.
With the arrival of a new doctor, Dr Mengele, Helene’s life became worse and, in some ways, better as well. Helene was a nurse, and he needed her to assist. The guarded hope which came with the new nursery school that Helene would run meant the camp children would have a little more food and care, for a few hours during the day. But they were surrounded by monsters; Nazis who were unfeeling, uncaring, hard and evil. Helene did her best under the circumstances, while missing Johann desperately.
Could she save her innocent children in a place that knew no compassion? Would she ever see Johann again?
Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar is based on the true story of Helene Hannemann and her five children who were sent to Auschwitz in May 1943 to the Gypsy Camp at Birkenau. Dr Josef Mengele and many of the other characters were real people. It’s important that readers don’t read the “Historical Clarifications” at the end until after the story is over, as there are spoilers there. It’s also extremely interesting – albeit horrifying – reading. Auschwitz Lullaby is an uplifting story of a mother’s strength and determination; of hope and desperation; and of the horrors one human being can inflict on another. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. With many thanks.
The long, arduous, filthy and traumatic train journey eventually stopped at Auschwitz, which was to be Helene’s home for the next sixteen months. The horrors would be revealed in an instant to the shocked family – the immediate separation of the men from the women and children meant Johann was taken from them, while Helene and the children were allocated a barracks in the Gypsy Camp.
With the arrival of a new doctor, Dr Mengele, Helene’s life became worse and, in some ways, better as well. Helene was a nurse, and he needed her to assist. The guarded hope which came with the new nursery school that Helene would run meant the camp children would have a little more food and care, for a few hours during the day. But they were surrounded by monsters; Nazis who were unfeeling, uncaring, hard and evil. Helene did her best under the circumstances, while missing Johann desperately.
Could she save her innocent children in a place that knew no compassion? Would she ever see Johann again?
Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar is based on the true story of Helene Hannemann and her five children who were sent to Auschwitz in May 1943 to the Gypsy Camp at Birkenau. Dr Josef Mengele and many of the other characters were real people. It’s important that readers don’t read the “Historical Clarifications” at the end until after the story is over, as there are spoilers there. It’s also extremely interesting – albeit horrifying – reading. Auschwitz Lullaby is an uplifting story of a mother’s strength and determination; of hope and desperation; and of the horrors one human being can inflict on another. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. With many thanks.
December 18, 2019
Thanks Christine Terrell for recommending this book. It was a memorable read. I shall never forget the emotions this book brought to me.
I felt sad and depressed about the happenings at Auschwitz. As I reached the final chapters, I dreaded about what I might encounter. I consoled myself stating that the characters were fictious. But the afterword just broke my soul. To realise that this was a true story and the characters Helene Hannemann and her children and poor husband Johann were all real (as well as all the unfortunate and unlucky innocents), just wrecked me. I might be cruel in stating this, but she had one of the best lives in the camp. The state of other prisoners were so pathetic, death was not a punishment but a soothing relief.
On further search on Google, I read about Dr. Josef Mengele, and his infamous experiments on children. I saw his smiling picture. Can human beings evolve into such heartless creatures? The truth will kill your hope in humanity.
I rarely quote lines from books in my reviews. But this book though small, had several heart wrenching lines.
"Love did not exist in Auschwitz, and if it ever managed to grow up among the putrid waste of the streets, it quickly withered under the camp's scorching hatred"
The only reason I didn't grant this book 5 stars is because I didn't like the narration of the story. Somewhere it lacked life. I guess it's probably because this book is translated to English.
This is a must read for fans of historical fiction.
I felt sad and depressed about the happenings at Auschwitz. As I reached the final chapters, I dreaded about what I might encounter. I consoled myself stating that the characters were fictious. But the afterword just broke my soul. To realise that this was a true story and the characters Helene Hannemann and her children and poor husband Johann were all real (as well as all the unfortunate and unlucky innocents), just wrecked me. I might be cruel in stating this, but she had one of the best lives in the camp. The state of other prisoners were so pathetic, death was not a punishment but a soothing relief.
On further search on Google, I read about Dr. Josef Mengele, and his infamous experiments on children. I saw his smiling picture. Can human beings evolve into such heartless creatures? The truth will kill your hope in humanity.
I rarely quote lines from books in my reviews. But this book though small, had several heart wrenching lines.
"Love did not exist in Auschwitz, and if it ever managed to grow up among the putrid waste of the streets, it quickly withered under the camp's scorching hatred"
The only reason I didn't grant this book 5 stars is because I didn't like the narration of the story. Somewhere it lacked life. I guess it's probably because this book is translated to English.
This is a must read for fans of historical fiction.
January 20, 2019
Based on the true story of Helene Hannemann. Helene was German, but had married a Romani man, Johann. Together they had five children.
What began as an ordinary day quickly became a nightmare when the SS come to their apartment, demanding Johann and the children come with them. As a German, Helene is safe from arrest, but she refuses to leave her children. They are transported to Auschwitz and placed in the Gypsy camp. Helene proves that a mother's love is stronger than hate and terror as exemplified in this quote: "Mothers have no ideologies. Our children are our only cause, our fatherland. For men, killing and dying for ideas may come naturally. For us bearers of life, to murder for ideals is the worst aberration created by humankind. Mothers capable of generating life could never become accomplices to so much death."
Helene, a trained nurse, draws the attention of Dr. Mengele, who puts her in charge of the Nursery school at the camp. Hesitant at first, Helene agrees so that the camp's children have an opportunity for extra food, warmth and medical care. She does her best, but life at Auschwitz is hell on earth, and Dr. Mengele is a monster. But Auschwitz could not destroy Helene's humanity as shown in this quote: "Sometimes we have to lose everything to find what is most important. When life robs us of what we thought we could not live without and leaves us standing naked before reality, the essential things that had always been invisible take on their true value."
A compelling, heartbreaking story of the plight of the Romani during WWII, and the strength of a mother.
What began as an ordinary day quickly became a nightmare when the SS come to their apartment, demanding Johann and the children come with them. As a German, Helene is safe from arrest, but she refuses to leave her children. They are transported to Auschwitz and placed in the Gypsy camp. Helene proves that a mother's love is stronger than hate and terror as exemplified in this quote: "Mothers have no ideologies. Our children are our only cause, our fatherland. For men, killing and dying for ideas may come naturally. For us bearers of life, to murder for ideals is the worst aberration created by humankind. Mothers capable of generating life could never become accomplices to so much death."
Helene, a trained nurse, draws the attention of Dr. Mengele, who puts her in charge of the Nursery school at the camp. Hesitant at first, Helene agrees so that the camp's children have an opportunity for extra food, warmth and medical care. She does her best, but life at Auschwitz is hell on earth, and Dr. Mengele is a monster. But Auschwitz could not destroy Helene's humanity as shown in this quote: "Sometimes we have to lose everything to find what is most important. When life robs us of what we thought we could not live without and leaves us standing naked before reality, the essential things that had always been invisible take on their true value."
A compelling, heartbreaking story of the plight of the Romani during WWII, and the strength of a mother.
Read
January 28, 2024DNF at 50%. I was holding out to see if it would improve.
I was interested to learn about the gypsy experience of the holocaust so I thought I’d try one out.
Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to take the subject seriously.
It is narrated in a sing song voice as if telling a fairytale to children. Even during some horrific events. The writing itself is childish as well. I’ll skip this author in the future.
I was interested to learn about the gypsy experience of the holocaust so I thought I’d try one out.
Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to take the subject seriously.
It is narrated in a sing song voice as if telling a fairytale to children. Even during some horrific events. The writing itself is childish as well. I’ll skip this author in the future.
May 11, 2021
Niciodata nu am citit ceva mai sfasietor! Nu-mi amintesc sa fi plans vreodata la vreo carte, dar asta m-a facut sa bocesc fara sa ma pot opri! A dat cu mine de toti peretii superficialitatii in care traim zilele astea. E incredibil cat de snobi am ajuns, cat de nerecunoscatori suntem in fiecare secunda din viata noastra.. Ba e casa prea mica, ba e masina prea veche, ba nu e bluza din casmir...suntem jalnici! Mi rusine de ce am ajuns fiecare dintre noi! Nimic numai are valoare, nimeni numai reprezinta nimic pt nimeni.
Si sunt doar 80 de ani diferenta...ma ingrozeste gandul la viitor...
Si sunt doar 80 de ani diferenta...ma ingrozeste gandul la viitor...
January 4, 2019
Nem tenho palavras para descrever o quanto amei este livro, o quanto vivi este livro. Este livro despertou-me todo o tipo de sentimentos. Chorei, ri. Um livro que sei que me irei recordar para sempre pois marcou-me o coração.
May 29, 2019
Opinião em https://youtu.be/XPs52yzIkO0
São 4 estrelas dentro da saga "livros sobre Auschwitz" (3,5*, talvez)... que já são tantos que o tema acaba por se tornar banal, infelizmente.
É um livro que carece de mais desenvolvimento e que, apesar de ter alguns momentos avassaladores, são apenas isso, momentos. Se o tema fosse outro, provavelmente dar-lhe-ia uma classificação menor.
Isto vai até parecer insensível da minha parte, mas é um livro que fica aquém do que estes romani mereciam. Não é que seja mau, mas podia ser muito bom e não chega lá. Literariamente falando, prefiro 'Os Bebés de Auschwitz'.
Livro pequeno, letras enormes e escrita muito fluída. Ficção e realidade bem misturados.
São 4 estrelas dentro da saga "livros sobre Auschwitz" (3,5*, talvez)... que já são tantos que o tema acaba por se tornar banal, infelizmente.
É um livro que carece de mais desenvolvimento e que, apesar de ter alguns momentos avassaladores, são apenas isso, momentos. Se o tema fosse outro, provavelmente dar-lhe-ia uma classificação menor.
Isto vai até parecer insensível da minha parte, mas é um livro que fica aquém do que estes romani mereciam. Não é que seja mau, mas podia ser muito bom e não chega lá. Literariamente falando, prefiro 'Os Bebés de Auschwitz'.
Livro pequeno, letras enormes e escrita muito fluída. Ficção e realidade bem misturados.
April 14, 2019
Auschwitz Lullaby
. The title sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? The world cannot, must not, forget what happened at Auschwitz and other Nazi extermination camps during World War II. But “Lullaby”? A gentle, quiet song to send children to sleep. I learned, however, what an appropriate title this is for a beautifully written fictional diary of a real woman who was arrested with her husband and five children and spent a year in Auschwitz II, Birkenau, in southern Poland. Mario Escobar portrays as many facts as he could glean from records. The rest is painfully, wondrously recreated from a deep sense of Helene Hannemann’s soul.
Helene Hannemann was a blonde, blue-eyed German woman whose only offense was that she married a Gypsy. Her husband Johann was a gifted violin virtuoso. Señor Escobar has changed the name of Helene’s husband and children, but he has kept their spirits alive. By virtue of their mixed heritage, Johann and Helene’s children were considered undesirables by the Nazis. Only Helene was exempt from arrest; however, she protested, saying that as a mother, she must be allowed to accompany her children. This was only the first of many, many acts of love and courage.
Like many Baby Boomers, I have seen movies and read books detailing the horrors of the Holocaust. Numbers alone do not do justice to the evil thrust upon innocent men, women, and children from Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and other parts of Europe. We know about the more than six million Jewish souls who died at the hands of Nazi criminals. We know that others – homosexuals, “mentally deficient”, physically disabled, and those who tried to assist members of these groups – were also put into the camps. Auschwitz had a Gypsy Camp. That’s where Helene Hannemann and her children were sent. They were separated from Johann; the children never saw their father while they were imprisoned.
The conditions described are horrendous. My heart ached as I read of the filth, the cold, and the hunger. What pained me the most, however, was the cruelty of the other prisoners to one another. It was survival of the fittest. Fortunately, Helene was a nurse, and that changed everything for her and her children. Key to the story is Frau Hannemann’s working relationship with Dr. Josef Mengele, often called “the Angel of Death.” For quite a while, she was able to maintain some level of protection for the camp’s children, even though she was aware that he was using all of them for his own purposes. As I read, I recalled that Mengele was infamous for his medical experiments, including experiments on twins, and my heart gripped with fear because two of Helene’s children were twins.
Helene Hannemann’s strength came from her children, knowing that their survival depended upon her. As time went on, she made friends and knew that if she died, others would look after them. She also held on to her happy memories of Johann and dreamed of what they would do when they were free again – if that day came. She was determined not to hate her enemies, for she knew that hatred would destroy her from within. As she observed the female guards, she marveled at their brutality and could not fathom how they could be so cruel, especially to children. “Evil is much bigger than antisocial behavior or psychological deficiency. Above all, it is a lack of love for one’s self and for others.”
Ultimately, Helene Hannemann shows us what love is. When I reached the final pages, I could not stop the tears from flowing. When prisoners showed fear, Helene showed strength. When captors displayed inhumanity, she responded with compassion. When the terrified howled unrelentingly, Helene responded with a lullaby.
5 bright shining stars
Helene Hannemann was a blonde, blue-eyed German woman whose only offense was that she married a Gypsy. Her husband Johann was a gifted violin virtuoso. Señor Escobar has changed the name of Helene’s husband and children, but he has kept their spirits alive. By virtue of their mixed heritage, Johann and Helene’s children were considered undesirables by the Nazis. Only Helene was exempt from arrest; however, she protested, saying that as a mother, she must be allowed to accompany her children. This was only the first of many, many acts of love and courage.
Like many Baby Boomers, I have seen movies and read books detailing the horrors of the Holocaust. Numbers alone do not do justice to the evil thrust upon innocent men, women, and children from Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and other parts of Europe. We know about the more than six million Jewish souls who died at the hands of Nazi criminals. We know that others – homosexuals, “mentally deficient”, physically disabled, and those who tried to assist members of these groups – were also put into the camps. Auschwitz had a Gypsy Camp. That’s where Helene Hannemann and her children were sent. They were separated from Johann; the children never saw their father while they were imprisoned.
The conditions described are horrendous. My heart ached as I read of the filth, the cold, and the hunger. What pained me the most, however, was the cruelty of the other prisoners to one another. It was survival of the fittest. Fortunately, Helene was a nurse, and that changed everything for her and her children. Key to the story is Frau Hannemann’s working relationship with Dr. Josef Mengele, often called “the Angel of Death.” For quite a while, she was able to maintain some level of protection for the camp’s children, even though she was aware that he was using all of them for his own purposes. As I read, I recalled that Mengele was infamous for his medical experiments, including experiments on twins, and my heart gripped with fear because two of Helene’s children were twins.
Helene Hannemann’s strength came from her children, knowing that their survival depended upon her. As time went on, she made friends and knew that if she died, others would look after them. She also held on to her happy memories of Johann and dreamed of what they would do when they were free again – if that day came. She was determined not to hate her enemies, for she knew that hatred would destroy her from within. As she observed the female guards, she marveled at their brutality and could not fathom how they could be so cruel, especially to children. “Evil is much bigger than antisocial behavior or psychological deficiency. Above all, it is a lack of love for one’s self and for others.”
Ultimately, Helene Hannemann shows us what love is. When I reached the final pages, I could not stop the tears from flowing. When prisoners showed fear, Helene showed strength. When captors displayed inhumanity, she responded with compassion. When the terrified howled unrelentingly, Helene responded with a lullaby.
5 bright shining stars
September 27, 2018
*****4 stars.*****
Review in my account bookstagram
Este libro lo leí hace algunas semanas y fueron tantos los sentimientos encontrados y lo que me enganchó que me lo leí muy rápido, apenas un día me tomó.
"Los seres humanos somos pequeños suspiros en medio del huracán de nuestras circunstancias, pero la historia de Helene nos recuerda que podemos ser dueños de nuestro propio destino, aunque el mundo entero se nos oponga."
Basado en hechos reales, cuenta la historia de Helene Hannemann, una efermera alemana que se casó con un hombre gitano y tuvieron 5 hijos. Cuando por orden del líder de las SS todos los gitanos encontrados en territorio nazi deben ser encerrados en campos de concentración, Helene se niega a separarse de su familia y decide acompañarlos al Campo Gitano de Auschwitz Birkenau II. En un diario relata su estancia por dieciséis meses en el mayor de los campos de exterminio nazi.
Este libro nos relata los episodios más trágicos desde la perspectiva de una madre que amó tanto a su marido y sus hijos, dejándolo todo por ellos, aún siendo alemana y de raza pura. Un historia durísima y al mismo tiempo conmovedora basada en hechos reales. He leído mucho sobre el holocausto, de hecho me encanta leer sobre este tipo de historias, siempre hay algo que contar sobre este episodio oscuro de la historia desde diversos puntos de vista. En este caso, el de los gitanos recluidos en Birkenau y los ya conocidos experimentos del doctor Joseph Mengele.
Debo decir que este libro pasó a formar parte de mis favoritos, aunque tiene algunas cositas que no me gustaron tanto, pienso que es muy bueno y lo recomiendo.
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