A fascinating account of survival during the holocaust.

NetGalley, Sian Powell-Preece

4 star read informative and interesting and a great read highly recommend

NetGalley, Shannon Wadlan

'A Tailor in Auschwitz' is a poignant account of survival amidst the horrors of the Holocaust, focusing on the experiences of Ide Leib Kartuz. This deeply moving narrative sheds light on the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity, and is a compelling read.

NetGalley, Laura Gill

As featured on World War II Today

WW2 Today

It is not a secret, if you read my past reviews and see my shelf here, you will realize that historical fiction/non fiction from the Holocaust and WW2 are where my heart is at. Among those, any that have Auschwitz are a must read for me. For us to learn from the past is the hope.
As with all these books, I cannot fathom the strength of the Jews and others. Their stories deserve to never be forgotten.

NetGalley, Jennifer DiCenzo

Obviously the authors granddad survived but like many he never said what had happened to him so it’s an interesting read finding out almost in real time with the author.

NetGalley, Charley Munro

Along with many other books like this, this book can tell a story that should never be forgotten. It is though heart-warming to know that Ide Leib Kartuz would go on to live to a good age.

Read the Full Review Here

The History Fella

Ide Leib Kartuz owed his life to being an excellent tailor. He was a Jew and Hitler and his Nazi party had vowed to kill off all Jews.

But, although confined in terrible conditions in various concentration camps, Kartuz was spared because the SS officers appreciated the clothes he was able to tailor for their wives and mistresses. This is the nub of the yarn in a new book about the life of Kartuz,, born in 1905 yet able to live on until 1995.

A Tailor in Auschwitz is a translation of a book first published in Antwerp, co-authored by one of Kartuz descendants. It's not an easy read but the chapters bring home the terrible plight of the Jewish and other prisoners in concentration camps and the cruelty suffered by them-if they lived.

The two authors of the book have followed the trail of Kartuz from the days he migrated from Poland in the wake of progroms there, to his pre-war days in Antwerp where he did well as an excellent tailor, through the German occupation, his arrest along with thousands of fellow Jews and their arrivals at various death camps.
The authors, David and Dirk, describe the year-long quest and collection of information from various sources about Kartuz terrible life including visits to some of the Polish villages where their hero was born. Much of the information is gained from Nazi war crime trials.

After the war, and back in Antwerp, Kartuz, suffering from his inhuman treatment, was able to continue his tailoring until he eventually went into a retirement home near Brussels where he died with a brain tumour in 1995.,

Terry Sutton

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The human spirit really knows no bounds and the survivors of the holocaust and their families really are a example of this.

The book is really well written and the preface explaining the lack of prior knowledge the author and his new found family knew of his grandfather was heart wrenching and fascinating.

The details included from his research were at times confusing with all the details, but quickly wove together to make the story stronger.

NetGalley, Lisa Berard

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A heart-wrenching book that does what so many contemporary non-Jewish authors writing true holocaust stories fail to do: demonstrate the horrors of antisemitism. This book, however, shows what the reader needs to see, and that is the harsh depths of terror Jews experienced both during the Holocaust and pre-Holocaust eras.

NetGalley, Nat Anne-Marie

There have been several stories written in the last couple of years about Auschwitz, the people that were imprisoned there, and of course the Germans that caused so much pain and terror. This book is no different. The emotions you go through each time you read about the horrors of Auschwitz and the lives lost there, you feel heartbreak, anger and even hatred. It’s interesting the people the Nazi’s kept alive in the camp and their reasoning. This time it’s a tailor. The Nazi’s exterminated his wife and two children but kept Ide alive because of his skills as a tailor. The Nazi’s if anything were extremely concerned about appearances and used those captive to help them maintain those appearances.

I ran through so many emotions with this book. I believe you will too.

NetGalley, Vicki Quammen

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A Tailor In Auschwitz by David van Turnhout and Dirk Verhofstadt (translated by Kristien De Wulf and Jane Camerea) is a powerful and horrifying account of the plight of the Jewish people during World War II.
The book came about after researching David van Turnhout’s paternal grandfather’s experiences during WWII. Whilst alive, his grandfather spoke very little about his war years.
As we hear the story of his grandfather, this microcosm is part of a much bigger story.
The authors have thoroughly researched the Holocaust and intersperse the author’s grandfather’s story with the wider picture.
It was a time of great evil and the book makes shocking reading but it must be read to keep alive the memory of the six million who perished and no longer have a voice.

NetGalley, Julia Wilson