85 pages • 2 hours read
Heather MorrisThe Tattooist of Auschwitz
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of genocide and wartime atrocities.
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. Have you read other works of fiction set during the Holocaust? Compare and contrast The Tattooist of Auschwitz with one or more of these novels (e.g., The Boy in the Striped Pajamas or The Librarian of Auschwitz).
2. To what extent is The Tattooist of Auschwitz a love story? Is the romance between Lale and Gita more or less prominent than you expected it to be?
3. Heather Morris initially intended to tell the story as a screenplay rather than a novel. What aspects of the novel felt cinematic? Would you have preferred a film version of the story?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. Lale volunteers to go to a “work camp” in the place of his brother. Why do you think that people sometimes sacrifice themselves for others? How can one gauge whether it is right to do so?
2. When Lale is hesitant to take on the role of tattooist, Pepan tells him, “If you don’t take the job, someone will who has less soul than you do, and he will hurt these people more” (31).
