The author mentions in the introduction that this book reads like a novel - and it does! Reading this book reminded me of the how "Unbroken" read - easy to read and it was actually telling a story instead of just stating facts. A beautifully written book about a horrific time in our history.

An amazing story from one the worst periods of time in history. The courage and strength of the Kleinmann family is extraordinary. To read how this family was torn apart and to never be that family again. The insight of what happened at some of the most notorious concentration camps of World War II. The strength of Gustav and Fritz is amazing, the love between them is the unbreakable bond that was the foundation of their survival. The horrendous treatment of the Jewish people in the camps and those that tried to help them is documented by the father and son. This story is just one of many that has not been told. Everyone should read this to truly understand and to see another perspective of this era. This book shows that not this was one of the most inhumane, ruthless, and tremendous suppression of a culture and its people.

This book is a must-read for everyone, which I know is a tall and impossible order, but I stand by my statement.

I almost did not read this one at all. My family is very German. My last name is basically the US equivalent of 'Smith' or 'Johnson', though we dropped the umlauts quickly. As a result of this ancestry, I have long been a receptacle for any and all WWII and Holocaust knowledge I could get my hands on. Most of our family left Germany in the early 1900s, but some stayed behind. I wanted so desperately to know their experiences, and to understand on a broader scale how such horrific crimes against humanity could happen. Every project in school that could possibly relate to the Holocaust or WWII, that was my topic.

But then I became a mother in 2013 and could no longer stomach reading of these terrible atrocities, especially when children were involved. I would sob uncontrollably and not be able to finish the book.

I approached this one with some trepidation; seven years on and I still struggle reading anything having to do with crimes against children, but I am so, so glad that I read this book and I can not stop recommending it to others.

The story centers on the Kleinmann family from Vienna and reads like a novel, though it is a true story. Gustav Kleinmann, the family patriarch, and the oldest son Fritz, are arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Buchenwald. They learn to survive, relying on one another as best they can through terrible conditions. They develop a keen sense of survival, what other choice do they have?

Then the day comes when Gustav finds he is being sent to Auschwitz. They know what this means; everyone knows about Auschwitz. In that moment, Fritz knows he can not let his father go and makes the decision to go too. Fritz insists he must go with his father and the Nazis allow it, which honestly kind of surprised me. You'd think that would have been some kind of red flag, or that they would have refused in order to inflict more cruelty on their prisoners. But I guess to them one death camp is the same as another - no one was ever expected to survive Auschwitz or any of the dozens of camps and sub-camps throughout Germany and Poland.

Despite enduring such terrible treatment and atrocious living conditions, theirs is a story of love, hope, and faith in one another. The youngest child of the Kleinmann family, Kurt, had been sent to the US to escape the war. Gustav and Fritz had no idea what had become of the rest of their family; for all they knew, they were the only two left besides Kurt. They kept one another going even when giving up would have been the easiest and even expected thing to do. We find out that Tini, Gustav's wife and Fritz's mother and Herta, one daughter/sister, did not survive. Edith, the oldest daughter, was able to get to England on a work visa.

Throughout six years of absolute horror and trauma, Gustav and Fritz weather it all. They become invaluable workers in helping construct Buchenwald - Fritz learns quickly on the job, knowing that being a skilled worker at least ensures he be kept around longer than others. Gustav had been an upholsterer before their lives were completely upended and used his skills as well to become valuable to those in charge of the camp.

It is throughout this time that Gustav manages to conceal one of the small comforts that keeps him sane - scraps of paper squirreled away that become his secret journal. Had it ever been discovered, he would have been killed on the spot. Most of what we know comes from that secret journal, as well as interviews with family members - including Kurt, and thorough research by the author.

This is a truly stunning work of art, and a testament to the love and bond of a father and son. There can never be 'too many' memoirs of this horrific time in our world's history. Each person and experience was unique. All are worthy of being known.

Highly, highly recommended.

I received a copy of The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The tale of Gustav and Fritz Kleinmann was harrowing. Gustav and Fritz were arrested and sent to Buchenwald. In the midst of facing the harshest conditions known to man, they were made to build the camp around them. After a time there, Gustav was told he would be sent to Auschwitz. All the prisoners had heard horrible things about the camp so Fritz made arrangements for him to be sent with his father, knowing it would probably mean certain death.

You could tell that the author completed painstaking research. While telling of the horrific things being done, the story lacked the personal feeling that you would have expected to read in a story of this nature. It didn't leave the reader feeling the angst and emotion like other novels in the same genre. The account was a slow read. I completed the book but not with the same speed and intensity that I usually do,

All in all, it wasn't a bad book. It just lacked some of the emotion that should have been portrayed.

Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerful story of the bond between a father and son that keeps both of them going for the duration of the Second World War. Fritz and Gustav manage to survive concentration camps and their horrors for the six years it takes to be "liberated." During that time, they do whatever it takes to stay together, even endangering their own lives in the process.

This book doesn't really cover any new ground, but it is another valuable history to remind today's world of the existence of the Holocaust and its lasting legacy.

War War 2 books, especially Holocaust stories are read by me only on those days when I feel nostalgia.
This book made me feel pain, made me reflect and me me wonder how noble and courageous people were doing those times.
What families were made of.
What survival was created there.
Sad story, yet triumphant.
It brought me to tears, and made me weep for the people and for what they went through.
This book showed all that and more.

Fritz and his father, Gustav, are sent to Buchenwald and treated inhumanely. They get word that Gustav will be transferred to Auschwitz, where they heard no one survives. Fritz makes the heartbreaking decision to go with his father. This is a true story and you will need tissues when you read.

This book brought tears to my eyes.. and I"m not a crier. I was so taken with this story - a true story - of father and son in Auschwitz. I read a lot of War II historical fiction, but I don't read as much non-fiction. This book explores the human condition and the resilience of the spirit. I was so touched by the relationship between the father and son. It was heartbreaking, but I am so happy I read it. I'd highly recommend this to people who want to learn more about what life was like for a victim of the Nazis. While it's extremely sad at times, it is necessary to always remember what happened.