Wow, this is a really outstanding and heartbreaking true story about a man called Henry Oster, who as a young boy, ended up being deported from Cologne and sent to the concentration camps in Poland, due to being a jew. He was separated from his family, and sent to work in the Auschwitz stables, where he helped to look after and breed horses. He was starved and abused, but his horses got him through the dark times.

The audiobook narrator of this book did a fantastic job and telling this sad, but inspirational story.

I highly recommend this book, even though it made me cry a lot.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This was a really moving memoir. It was definitely a little more graphic in ways I didn’t anticipate, with several mentions of the horse’s genitals as well as the boys who were liberated. But in all, it was a well written story and a well read audiobook.

Was a very well written and informative book. I enjoyed listening 🎧 to it. Some parts made you want to cry 😭 and then you had some parts that just made you laugh 😂. It is a must read

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A hard-to-read/listen-to story about a boy who survives the Holocaust due to working in the stables. This was really hard to read but well worth it.

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz is a WW2 memoir, but it is different from the many others I have read. Heinz/Henry Oster and his family were Jews living in Cologne. The story begins in 1933, when he is only five years old and Hitler has just come to power. When his father dies from starvation, he is forced to take care of his mother and he proves to be a smart and resourceful young man. Henry and his mother were relocated to a Ghetto in Łódź, Poland, but they were still together. By 1943, the ghettos were being cleared out and they were moved Auschwitz. Separated upon arrival, Henry was alone and had to do whatever he could to survive. Henry, at 15, was able to get a job working in the stables with two mares who took their commands in German and of course, Henry was fluent. From the 2,011 Jewish people that had resided in Cologne before World War II only 23 survived, including Henry.

This is a very emotional story. Henry shared all his innermost thoughts and feelings about this time in this book. It was sad to see how this young boy did all he could to keep his family alive, yet he was the only one to survive. The story isn't just about his time in Auschwitz, but also before and after. He was lucky to have relatives in California that brought him to the US, but he still had to deal with racism against Jewish people when he tried to get into educational programs. Although Henry has a lot to deal with in his life, this was a story of resilience, hope and desire to survive and become the best you can be under any circumstances. Written with Dexter Ford, it is well written with organized, narrative non-fiction at its best. The book is describes as adult, but I definitely recommend it for YA. Because of the age of Henry/Heinz, it is a great read for teens and young adults. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Dexter Ford and William Hope, with Susan Oster. It was well done with feeling and expression making it seem like I was right there with them and Henry was telling me his story. I highly recommend this book.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩-𝙬𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙪𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙯—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.

📍 Read if you like:
• Nonfiction
• Beautiful Memoirs
• Courageous Survivors
• Stories Of Survival

I decided to not rate nonfiction books this year as it doesn’t feel right to rate someone’s story. I’m so glad I ended up enjoying this memoir though.

It was moving, inspiring, emotional, and gut-wrenching. I listened to the audiobook and I think it was so beautifully told.

This is a story about survival and the struggles of making it through the Holocaust. It’s always emotionally draining reading about the harsh realities people had to go through to survive.

This story follows a young boy, Henry, who loses everything and goes through the worst possible scenarios a human can go through. Against all odds, he still fights and survives to tell his story.

This is truly going to be an unforgettable and mesmerizing story. It’s emotional and moving at the same time. I definitely would recommend checking out the audio - it’s a story that needs to be shared more.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the review ALC in exchange for my honest review!

My favorite genre of books is historical fiction. And I specifically enjoy those based in WWII. Henry’s story of surviving the horrors of prison camps during Hitler’s reign of terror is heartbreaking. Henry’s story is unique in that he was a German Jew. So not only was he judged unworthy by the Nazis, he was ostracized by those with whom he lived in the concentration camps. An emotionally moving story of not only Henry’s time in the camps but also his adjustment to life once he was freed. One comment is that it took a while to get into the meaty and heartwrenching part of the story. But it was worth it to learn of Henry’s life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I love when I can read the same historical period and genre of books and yet it can be a totally new and valuable experience. That is how I felt reading through this novel. What an incredible, harrowing journey and told so emotionally and thoroughly. I loved this.
If you love WWII novels, this is for you. The afterward from his wife was incredibly moving as well.

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz adds an important first-hand account of WWII from the perspective of a child having lived through rehousing in a Polish ghetto, surviving two concentration camps, and experiencing continued anti-Semitic sentiment after the war. So many books end when the war ends but the author, Henry Oster, shares about the challenges of adulthood having lived through such a harrowing childhood. My husband (an avid reader of WWII books) listened along with me and he said this particular book was one of the most exceptional accounts he had ever encountered.

I will caution readers that there is a very explicit chapter about the author's duties in assisting with equine mating. There is also some male anatomical humor sprinkled throughout the memoir. Oster holds nothing back and speaks candidly about puberty, his delayed development and also his first intimate experience. Listening to the audiobook, it was difficult to skim past those sections (had I been reading a print version, I would definitely have skipped those portions). I would say the content is definitely adult-oriented for those reasons as well as the very graphic depiction of conditions in the concentration camps.

One disappointment was early on in the book when the author digressed into disparaging comments about a political party--likening them to Hitler. I felt that unnecessarily alienates a number of readers. Other than that, the book is very well written and helps shed light on the unfortunate prejudice that followed Jewish immigrants after the war. Mr. Oster serves as a remarkable example of courage and perseverance through unimaginable suffering.

Disclaimer: I received a digital audiobook of The Stable Boy of Auschwitz from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received. The views expressed are entirely my own.

This book was excellent and the audio was also excellent. I immediately found myself immersed in the story of Henry Oster, just a young boy of barely 5 years old when Hitler first took control of Germany in 1933. I have read my share of WWII historical fiction books, as well as memoirs from that time, but I don't think I've ever read such a well detailed account of one's personal hell during the Holocaust.
When Henry describes how he personally felt when he first started to experience hatred against Jews brought me to tears. His description of that day walking home from his first ever day at school, to only be bullied by the Hitler youth and how his life would never be the same from that point on, still gives me the chills to think about.

What I also really liked about Henry's memoir is that it covers several years leading up to Hitler's reign and how he became so popular so quickly, and why so many Jews would have chosen to remain in Germany instead of fleeing before the borders closed. It also follows the events that took place once the war ended and prisoners of the concentration camps were finally "free". So many stories and movies end there, but it wasn't as simple as the war ending and prisoners being liberated. The months following the end of the war were extremely difficult and assimilation back into society does not happen overnight. Just when I thought Henry was going to end his story, he continues on, sharing how he physically and mentally recovered from living the last several years in a constant state of fear and starvation. Even though you know he survives, there were times when I could not believe he would.

But Henry not only survived against all odds, (there are some seriously some heart-stopping moments in which he managed to remain alive by some miracle), he persevered after liberation, determined to take back his life lost. Henry ended up moving to America, when an aunt and uncle of his in California just happened to see his name in a newspaper and recognized it. Again, another miracle in and of itself! But Henry's struggles didn't end here. Antisemitism was still rampant in America and Henry also needed to learn English. But with nothing but pure grit and determination, Henry mastered English and against many obstacles, went on to become a very successful optometrist.

There is so much I could say about this book, so many little bits I want to share, moments that I'm so humbled to have read and so grateful to Henry for sharing. He doesn't sugarcoat anything, sharing his most intimate thoughts and memories from his years as a prisoner, some he's never told anyone before. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I have read many many books about the Holocaust and the events of the Second World War. I consider it vitally important to educate myself about this horrific period of history. The Stable Boy of Auschwitz is an excellent addition to the accounts of the brutality of this period and ensures that the events will never be forgotten. I am grateful to Henry Oster for sharing his story and I also thought that the narrator did an excellent job. The story was shared with compassion and sensitivity. It feels wrong to give this story anything other than 5 stars.

I loved this story. From the beginning it was clear that it was a story of survival, while it was also clear that there were going to be some real hard times for the boy. The author portrays these hardship realistically but also, shows the boys compassion, love and his determination to survive even against all the odds. From a historical point of view it is accurate and has really integrity. At a human level, what this boy went through during this part of his life, no human being should have to face at any time in their life. It is really important for these stories to be told so that future generations can understand the past and all can work towards making the future better. Thank you Henry zoster and Dexter Ford for writing this story so well. Thank you to Thread Publishers and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This is the memoir of the year.

This changed my entire life.

This story will make the toughest person cry, laugh, lose faith in humanity and see it start to come back.

This story is about one of the 2,011 jewish people named Heinz Oster who was arrested and moved by the Gestapo from Cologne. What I think people might not realize is he survived 2 Jewish Ghettos that were essentially meant to starve these people and different concentration camps to include Auschwitz/Birkenau and Buchenwald. He survived air rades agasints train cars, death marches, 12 hour shifts, he escaped mass firing squads, starvation and he lived on a wooden pallet for 10 years total! By the time the American forces liberated him he was now only 1 out of 30 of the originally captured Jewish people from Cologne.

This review is making me remember the book and its atrocities which is should. This memoir should shake the very foundation many of us stand on. While he is no longer called Heinz (for fear of beign called tomato sauce) he is now Henry Oster and he still puts on lecturs and courses of his life and how he fought every single odd against him and became a very well revered Dr of Optometry after learning his third language of English and getting the funds to move to America.

I loved everything about this book. These types of memoirs are some of my favourites. Such amazing, brave people. I laughed, I cried, and anything to do with horses is totally my jam!

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford. This is the true story of Henry Oster his heartbreaking experience of being a German Jew living in Cologne Germany in 1935 when Adolf Hitler took power. Henry Oster was 5 yrs old in 1935 the story starts there of how he didn't think he was any different then any other 5 yr old boy. He was one of the 2,011 German Jews rounded up in Cologne. Once the war was over when he was a teenager he was told he was one of 18 people out of the 2,011 that made it out alive. He lost everything including his mother and father. Henry tells you the details of his horrific childhood and then his life after he was freed. His perseverance and determination led him to be a longtime practicing optometrist in America.
After hearing Henry Oster's story it will make you feel like maybe your bad days or hardships are nothing compared to what Henry Oster went through, and he still came out to be an amazing person.
Thank You Bookoture and netgalley for letting me listen to the Audiobook for a honest review.

This was a really interesting account and the story was well told. The writing was really good and the book flowed well.

The book tugs at your heart strings and is really inspirational.

Great read.

A little bit longer.

A great reminder or how much words can hurt or help us.
I’m so thankful that Henry Oster was able to hang on a little bit longer and share his story with the rest of the world.
This is a heart wrenching story of what women and children had to endure under Hitler’s rule.
Many of us have heard many accounts, but I have never heard of story like Henry’s. The atrocities women and children had to endure under such conditions is heartbreaking. The audiobook is narrated by William Hope, and his performance is very well done. I felt like he captured Henry’s voice very well and was able to use a variety of tones and inflections. The situation that they were in came across very well.
This is a must read/listen for everyone. It’s one that will stay with be forever.

A very special thanks to Bookouture Audio, and Netgalley for the ALC.

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford Narrated by William Hope, is a personal memoirs and a heartbreaking true story of Courage and Survival by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford.
Henry Oster was just five years old when Adolf Hitler took power in 1933. He was the last survivor of the 2,011 Jews who were rounded up by the Gestapo and deported from Cologne. Assigned to back-breaking labor in the Auschwitz horse-breeding stables.
Henry, clung to the belief that if he made himself hard to replace, he might stay alive, Henry, found the strength to survive and was one of only 23 to emerge alive from the concentration camps after the WW11.

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz is the heart-breaking, mesmerising, and unforgettable true story that will destroy your faith in humanity . . . and then build it back up again.....

I highly recommend this book Story's like this should never to be forgotten and always told, as it's all our history.

The narrator William Hope was excellent for this book.

This book was originally published under the title of The Kindness of the Hangman by Dexter Ford

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, and Bookouture for allowing me to listen to the audiobook/book of The Stable Boy of Auschwitz by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this story.

I love reading stories of the holocaust. Well, love is the wrong word, but I think it is important for people to keep reading these stories because I do believe "Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it." This book is the true story of a holocaust survivor. This book is named for one of the "jobs" he held while in Auschwitz, helping to care for the horses of the Nazi's. This story of survival and also of his ability to come to America after and go on to live a long life, it did soothe my heart a little. Henry went on in his life to speak out regularly about his time during the holocaust, his story. It really is an amazing tale of survival.

I received this audiobook and it was superb. You were there in the thick of it with him and hoping for the best in some moments! It is a must to listen to and it helps you remember what happened at Auschwitz from a 15 year old boy perspective.