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    Auschwitz Lullaby: A Novel
    Auschwitz Lullaby: A Novel
    Auschwitz Lullaby: A Novel
    Audiobook6 hours

    Auschwitz Lullaby: A Novel

    Written by Mario Escobar

    Narrated by Hayley Cresswell

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Based on the true story of a brave German nurse tasked with caring for Auschwitz’s youngest prisoners, Auschwitz Lullaby brings to life the story of Helene Hannemann—a woman who sacrificed everything for family and fought furiously for the children she hoped to save.  

    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.  

    Praise for Auschwitz Lullaby:

    "Auschwitz Lullaby grabbed my heart and drew me in. A great choice for readers of historical fiction."—Irma Joubert, author of The Girl from the Train

    • An international bestseller
    • Full-length World War II historical novel
    • A finalist for 2019’s Empik Award for Literature
    • Includes discussion questions for book clubs, research notes from the author, and a historical timeline
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateAug 7, 2018
    ISBN9780785219910
    Author

    Mario Escobar

    Mario Escobar, novelista, historiador y colaborador habitual de National Geographic Historia, ha dedicado su vida a la investigación de los grandes conflictos humanos. Sus libros han sido traducidos a más de doce idiomas, convirtiéndose en bestsellers en países como los Estados Unidos, Brasil, China, Rusia, Italia, México, Argentina y Japón. Es el autor más vendido en formato digital en español en Amazon.

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    Reviews for Auschwitz Lullaby

    4.5/5

    147 ratings16 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be an amazing and heart-wrenching story that pulls at the heartstrings. It is well-written and conveys the true compassion of a remarkable woman. The book highlights the struggles and love of a mother, reminding readers of the inhumane treatment of humans during the Holocaust. While some reviewers felt that the narrator's tone was inappropriate for the subject matter, overall, this book is highly recommended for its historical significance and emotional impact.

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This is a true story based on a German woman named Hellene Hannemann. A German woman who was married to a gypsy. She was taken to gypsy camp in Auschwitz with her five children and chosen to run the children’s school there. She would choose to die with her five children rather than go free and leave them
    • 5/5
      This is a sad, very sad, true recollection of events done to the gypsies. The believable, interesting, and likable characters pull at your ❤️ heart. The struggles the love of a mother keep you reading. We can not let these events ever happen again. We must always remember the inhumane treatment of humans. I recommend this book
    • 5/5
      An amazing story of Helene Hannemann. It is well written and definitely pulls on a mother's heartstrings. She was a remarkable woman who seems to have had a true compassion for children and the author conveys that beautifully.
    • 5/5
      What a great book. I would have to recommend it to all my friends and family
    • 3/5
      The story was good but I feel it seemed to downplay the horrors of Auschwitz, or rather, did not give it significant attention. And, as others have said, the narrator was entirely too bubbly for the subject matter.
    • 4/5
      Never forget the cruelty of men…
      And the goodness and love that transcend through the ashes .
    • 5/5
      Well done, we don’t often think of the gypsy race during the holocaust. Great piece of history
    • 4/5
      After getting over the narrator sounding a bit too cheery for the subject, I did like it. Different perspective on that horrific moment in history.
    • 1/5
      The reader does not convey the mood or seriousness of the content. Her tone seems impudent and childish. I’m extremely disappointed and cannot listen beyond chapter 7.
    • 5/5
      Such an amazing and heart wrenching story! I could not stop listening!! Highly recommend!
    • 5/5
      Her sin? Marrying a gypsy and having his children. Helene was a blonde blue-eyed Aryan German.....When the Nazis came for her family, she could have stayed home and waved good-bye....instead she opted to go to Auschwitz with her loved ones.
      Based on the actual nurse who ran the camp nursery and school, this book is heart-rending. Have a tissue handy at the end...
    • 5/5
      When Helene's husband and five children are arrested by the SS for being Romani, she decides to accompany them to Auschwitz. Her husband is immediately separated, but Helene and her children are housed in the gypsy family camp. Helene, a trained nurse, works in the hospital overseen by Dr. Mengele. When Helene convinces Dr. Mengele to create a school/nursery for the children, she is chosen to oversee it.

      This book is based on a true story. I found Helene to be a courageous and extraordinary woman. The book was well written, engaging and held my attention. Overall, highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      I have a few suggestions before reading this book. You should find a quiet place, grab a blanket and something to drink. Get a pillow so you can use it to scream in. For me these were must necessities to get through this harrowing account of history that was deplorable.

      Helene Hannemann was a special woman who loved her family deeply. She was of Aryan German descent while her husband was a Gypsy. The story seems relatively tame until one day when everything seemed normal, walking up the stairs to their place were SS guards. Helene's worse fear was coming true. They were there to take her husband and children away. Oh how I cried as I pictured Helene clutching her children with all the strength she had. There was no way she was staying behind while her family were going to face an unbearable future.

      The author pulls no punches as the camp is described in deplorable condition. Men were separated from their family and the story focuses on Helene and her children. I have read many books about the concentration camps were Jews were sent. The book has now made me aware that other nationalities were targeted as well. The book is based on a true story and the author has done an admirable job of showing us what a mother will do to protect her children.

      I was sickened when Dr. Mengele was introduced into the story. He was such a heartless and ruthless person. This is where my pillow came into play. I stopped reading half way through the book, and screamed into the pillow as long as I could. The senselessness of this man's actions made anger take me over. How can anyone send innocent women, men and children to death while smiling the whole time? The author goes into vivid details of the torture, mistreatment and inhumane actions taken on these people. I will never understand how a person can declare himself king of the world and dismiss human life with a wave of a hand.

      This book is a hard one to read, but important because it gives us a glimpse inside a world where death was an odor that lingered in the air twenty-four hours a day. You could screams of agony from children who were starving and shivering from the cold. The women there with the children grew weary as one by one a life was taken . Helene was a mother who was willing to stand up for what was right, did not worry about her safety and never gave up hope.

      I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild. The review is my own opinion.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      How much suffering had come from this war and, above all, from the evil of those who believed they were superior because of the color of their skin, their background, or their language.

      The Nazis think Helene Hannemann is crazy for choosing to go with her family when they're sent to Auschwitz. Helene is the Aryan ideal, while her husband and children are Romani. Her journey becomes a constant endeavor to maintain her human dignity in Auschwitz Lullaby by author Mario Escobar.

      Every so often, I have to read something heavy like this novel, which is based on a true story.

      No, it's not at all a feel-good read. It's an account of unjust imprisonment. Deprivation. Sickness. Violence. Murder. It illustrates just how depraved, degenerate, and twisted people can become when they sell their souls for ideals based on hatred and fear.

      Yet, it also illustrates how people can choose not to give into others' depravity, how they can choose internal dignity and compassion. And the hope in a story like this finds its landing place in the reader: remember the past, learn from it, and don't let anything steal your humanity and humaneness.

      "They can only keep our bodies locked up, this mess of bones and flesh that slowly turns to dust, but never our souls."
      _________
      BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      I have just finished Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar and would like to thank Net Galley for the advance copy of this book. This book tells the story of Helene Hannemann a German married to a gypsy and her family while imprisoned in Auschwitz. The story is very moving telling the hardships of how the gypsies were treated going to Auschwitz and while in the camp itself. What would a mother would do to keep her family save at any cost during this terrible time is the basis of this book. A true story dealing with Dr. Mengele, known for his savage death experiments on children and the barbaric camp guards Helene finds ways to help her family. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes books dealing with Auschwitz.