Description: On an otherwise ordinary morning in 1943, Helene Hannemann is preparing her five children for the day when the German police arrive at her home. Helene’s worst fears come true when the police, under strict orders from the SS, demand that her children and husband, all of Romani heritage, be taken into custody. Though Helene is German and safe from the forces invading her home, she refuses to leave her family—sealing her fate in a way she never could have imagined.
After a terrifying trek across the continent, Helene and her family arrive at Auschwitz and are thrown into the chaos of the camp. Her husband, Johann, is separated from them, but Helene remains fiercely protective of her children and those around her. When the powers-that-be discover that Helene is not only a German but also a trained nurse, she is forced into service at the camp hospital, which is overseen by the notorious Dr. Mengele himself.
Helene is under no illusions in terms of Dr. Mengele’s intentions, but she agrees to cooperate when he asks her to organize a day care and school for the Romani children in the camp. Though physically and emotionally brutalized by the conditions at Auschwitz, Helene musters the strength to protect the children in her care at any cost. Through sheer force of will, Helene provides a haven for the children of Auschwitz—an act of kindness and selflessness so great that it illuminates the darkest night of human history.
Based on a true story, Mario Escobar’s Auschwitz Lullaby demonstrates the power of sacrifice and the strength of human dignity—even when all hope seems lost.
My Thoughts: Dr. Mengele's horrifying experiments on children in Auschwitz are well known. Yet the lives of those who suffered under his oversight are largely forgotten. Helene's life is one of these which is overshadowed by Dr. Mengele's story, that of a woman who chose to live and die with her family when she was repeatedly offered the chance to escape their fate.
The history of what happened within the gypsy portion of Auschwitz is both fascinating and horrendously upsetting. Those who lived there showed both great courage as well as extreme cruelty to their fellow prisoners in the hopes of survival. As someone with a background in anthropology, it interests me to learn about the ways people behave when society is broken. And so that made this story one that I devoured fairly quickly.
However, I do not feel that the writing or the translation held up as well as I would have liked. The book is written some what as though it were a diary, with the narrative told to the reader rather than shown. Unlike most diary style books, the narrative mentioned past events as they become important instead of following an absolute chronological order. Yet this is easily adapted to as a reader.
For the writing, there is a level of repetition to conversations where certain details are re-mentioned, which I am sure is the same throughout any language this book has been printed it. As for the English version, there are a few grammar mistakes as well as what I felt were poor word choices. These choices seemed to have been made as the most literal translation, but perhaps not the most effective. At times they were synonyms to words that would have fit well, but the word used was not exactly right.
This issue with the translation did bother me more toward the start of the novel, whether because it occurred fewer time later or because I had grown used to it, I am unsure. I still believe that this book is a good read for those who are interested in Auschwitz and what transpired there. Yet I would not recommend it to those who do not normally read from this time period. For such readers, I would say that there are many other books with just as interesting story lines but perhaps better writing or translation.
I have provided an honest review after having received a copy of the book through the Fiction Guild.
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