Auschwitz Lullaby

by Anchor
SKU: 161595
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In the tradition of novels such as The Women in the Castle that illuminate the strong women who fought for their families and others during WWII comes the story of Helene Hannemann, a German nurse married to a Gypsy man who lived for months in Auschwitz under the eye of the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.
In 1943 Germany, Helene is just about to leave for work when a group of policemen bombard her house, hoping to haul away her Gypsy husband, Johann, and their five children. The police tell Helene that as a German she does not have to go with them, but she decides to share their fate. After convincing her children that they are going off to a summer camp, Helene and her entire family are deported to Auschwitz.

Helene and the children are settled in the barracks of the Gypsy camp after being separated from Johann. The living conditions are extremely harsh, but at least she is with her children. A few days after their arrival, Helene is recruited as a camp nurse and begins reporting to Doctor Mengele, who soon proposes that she direct the camp\'s nursery. The facilities are to be set up in two barracks, one of which will be the nursery for newborn infants and the other for children over six years old.

Helene, with the help of Polish Jewish prisoners and Gypsy mothers, organizes the buildings and orchestrates the daycare and school. Though Mengele provides them with swings, Disney movies, school supplies, and food, Helene hopes and prays that she is not enabling one of his horrific schemes. Working against a current of despair, she also knows that less than four hundred yards away, two gas chambers are exterminating thousands of people each day.

For sixteen months, Helene lives with this reality, desperately trying to find a way to save her children and protect the others under her care. Auschwitz Lullaby is a story of perseverance, hope, and strength amid one of the most horrific times and places in history.