In the summer of 2024, I took a solo hiking trip to Aspen. It was a short escape to breathe, reset, and find some stillness. One quiet morning, I sat at an empty patio table with a view of the Colorado mountains. The horizon stretched in soft blue layers, and the sunlight touched every peak. That is where I opened The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.

The difference between what I saw and what I read was hard to take in. The view was bright and alive, but the book told a story of captivity, cruelty, and deep sorrow. Somehow, that made reading it even more powerful.

Lale’s story stayed with me. His strength, his love for Gita, and his will to survive felt heavy in the best way. The peace around me didn’t make the story lighter. It made it echo more. Sitting there, free and surrounded by open land, I felt every word even more deeply.

This book is about more than what happened. It is about choosing to hold on to love when the world tries to take it away. It is about surviving without losing your humanity.

Reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz in such a quiet place reminded me that beauty is not always soft or easy. Sometimes, it asks us to see and carry the hard things too.

This was not just a good book. It was a moving one, and it stayed with me long after I closed it.

Buy The Tattooist of Auschwitz on Bookshop.org. I love supporting indie bookstores!