Based on the secret concentration camp diary of Gustav Kleinmann, a Viennese Jew who, with his son, was forced to help to build Buchenwald before being transferred to Auschwitz, this is a visceral, painful and astonishingly human story. Sensitively retold and meticulously researched by Jeremy Dronfield, it presents a personal perspective on the horrors of the Holocaust and the humbling resilience of hope, bravery and compassion.
The inspiring true story of a father and son's fight to stay together and survive the Holocaust, for anyone captivated by The Choice and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Where there is family, there is hope...
Vienna, 1939.
Nazi police seize Gustav Kleinmann, a Jewish upholsterer and his son, Fritz, and send the pair to Buchenwald in Germany. There began an unimaginable ordeal that saw the pair beaten, starved and forced to build the very concentration camp they were held in.
When Gustav was set to be transferred to Auschwitz, a certain death sentence, his son refused to leave his side. Throughout the horrors they witnessed and the suffering they endured, there was one constant that kept them alive: the love between father and son.
Based on Gustav's secret diary and meticulous archive research, this book tells their incredible story for the first time - a story of courage and survival unparalleled in the history of the Holocaust.
The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz is a reminder of both the best and the worst of humanity, the strength of family ties, and the power of the human spirit.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241359174
Number of pages: 432
Weight: 298 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 26 mm
An emotionally devastating story of courage - and survival - i
An extraordinary tale - The Times (Best Books of 2019)
The almost unbelievable true story of Fritz Kleinman, who volunteered to follow his father, Gustav, into Auschwitz. It's a terrible and dramatic account of the humiliations and evils suffered by Jews in concentration camps and a moving testimony to the bond between fathers and sons - The Times
The inspiring true story of Gustav and Fritz Kleinmann, an Austrian father and son who managed to survive internments in concentration camps from Buchenwald to Auschwitz. Dronfield draws extensively on Gustav's diary, allowing us inside the incredible bond between father and son that kept them together through harrowing experiences, and, like all the best narrative nonfiction, the story is both immersive and extraordinary. Deeply moving and brimming with humanity. - Guardian
A deeply humane account. This book could not be more timely and deserves the widest possible readership - Daily Express
An absolutely extraordinary story. It is the greatest father and son story I've ever come across in my life - Dan Snow
Extraordinary - Observer
We should all read this shattering book about the Holocaust. An astonishing story of the unbreakable bond between a father and a son. Brilliantly researched and written with searing clarity - Daily Mail
An extraordinary tale of endurance and filial love. It is a miraculous story with many twists and Dronfield tells it well in an energetic and lively style - The Times
A unique story of defiance and hope amid the genocide - Daily Mail
Extraordinary . . . an affecting father-and-son tale - The Times
A defiant record of a horrific experience - Blouin Artinfo
A devastating yet extraordinary account - Eastern Daily Press
Through the horrors, there was one constant that kept them alive; the love between father and son. Gustav's secret diary and meticulous archive research, tell this story for the first time - Sunday Express
Based upon meticulous research, this book tells of the Kleinmann familly and the love and courage of a son for his father - Clare Champion
This book tells their extraordinary tale of surviving five and a half years in Nazi prison camps - The Times, 100 Best Books for Summer
Brilliantly written, vivid, a powerful and often uncomfortable true story that deserves to be read and remembered. It beautifully captures the strength of the bond between a father and son - Heather Morris, author of The New York Times bestselling The Tattooist of Auschwitz
This book is both heartbreaking and inspiring ,the cruelty and sadism of the Nazis and the love between Father and Son with their indomitable spirits and refusal to give up despite horrific punishments .This true... More
Astonishing, breathtaking, soul touching book. The masterpiece of our times, there are absolutely no words to describe, to name.. what these people went through.
My heart goes out to all of these people, souls, and...
More
A wonderfully readable book covering this sorry piece of history from beginning to end. Despite the harrowing accounts there are also redeeming examples of the human spirit and persistent hope. Excellent.
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