Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook before it was released in exchange for my honest review.

I've read and listened to quite a few stories of the people who survived the Holocaust and I found every story more unique & painful than another one, and this was the same unique and very painful. I never read a book or listened to a story about a proper German being Jew and going through what Henry and his family went through, but I found this even more braking of just the thought that your own country is doing this to you.

I have to apologise for my ignorance of the history of WWII, but I was shocked to find out that everything started to go bad for the German Jews a lot earlier than for the ones from Eastern Europe.

It was a truly moving story and a very hard life he had to endure. However, it was good it had a better ending and he finally managed to go to live with his uncle in the US where he had a better chance to live his life.

I was also inspired by his bravery in visiting again Germany when he said he will never step back ever.

Henry Oster was born a German Jew. As a boy he was shuffled from the Łódź Ghetto to Birkenau, Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He was persecuted, starved and suffered tremendous loss, but through it all he persevered and went on to lead a remarkable life. This book is an extremely well written, powerful and moving story of survival. A book filled with so many horrific and insightful details that must never be forgotten. Voiced perfectly by William Hope, this is a story that should be required reading in every high school History class.

“The sins of the fathers, though unforgivable and incomprehensible to us today, should not be visited on their sons and daughters. Hate only begets hate.”

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

I wish I would have had the opportunity to sit down with Mr Oster and listened to him tel the story. It would have been amazing to get to ask questions and get answers. It really humbles me to think that he and his family could go through this tragic time is history and he was able and willing and wanted to leave his wonderful mark on so many people.

I have read other reviews and different remarks stand out as a turning point for them in the book. For me - it was when his father died and he knows that he could his way back to that spot. - the images he will never forget.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC to this audiobook.
This memoir is one of several books that I’ve read this year about the Holocaust and World War II. It was an honest, detailed, and heartbreaking description of everything Henry Oster went through at the hands of the Nazis, starting from when his family was forced to abandon their own home in Cologne, Germany when he was a child to the horrific years he spent at the concentration camps, and then his process of starting his life and getting over his PTSD after being liberated from Auschwitz. Some of the scenes described were very hard to get through, however, I still really appreciated his honesty and commitment to portraying his experience as accurately as possible. I also liked some of the insights he gave about the war and the rule of the Nazis, after having had years to get to terms with the experience and to look at it with a calm and informed perspective.

"The Stable Boy of Auschwitz" is a moving book about Holocaust and WWII.
The book tells the life story of Henry Oster, born in Cologne, Germany in "pre-Hitler" days. He faced Nazis regime already at the age of six. Later he was shipped to the Lódz ghetto, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and in the end to Auschwitz I, where he was forced to work in a stable.
Everyone can imagine the situations that Henry Oster tells about. But for me was important also that the book didn't stoped as he was he was liberated in 1945. He also tells his life afterwards as he moved to France and USA, where he studied.
The later years of his life he went to schools and told his story so everyone can hear at least a little part of what happend hoping that the history won't repeat ever again.
The narrater William Hope has a worm and pleasant voice, which I enjoed to listen and made the story very personal.
"The Stable Boy of Auschwitz" is a great book wich tell a real story and deserves to be readed/listened. Thank you Bookouture audio and to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen this book.

A sincere thank you for providing me a copy of "The Stable Boy of Auschwitz" in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily

I have read a few books about the Holocaust during World War II but I have never listened to one before and, let me tell you, I found this audiobook just as powerful and heart-wrenching listening to William Hope's excellent narration.

Each book I have read about the Holocaust and World War II has provided another piece of history I was not fully aware of and The Stable Boy of Auschwitz is no different. It charts the remarkable life of Henry Oster before, during and after the war.

It is, as you can imagine, a very difficult book to read/listen to but it is also very powerful and inspirational and shows one boy's exceptional journey of survival from freedom, to the ghetto, to Auschwitz, on the forced marches, to Buchenwald and, finally, freedom again and is a story that should be shared as all survivors accounts should be.

I must thank Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of The Stable Boy of Auschwitz and for continuing to ensure that these stories continue to be published so they are not forgotten.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an early edition of The Stable Boy of Auschwitz by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by William Hope. This was a quick memoir of a child who survived the Lodz Ghetto and then Auschwitz. I read a lot of WWII books and each one gives me another piece of interesting history. This one did not disappoint. The history of how Hitler mirrored his superior race laws from the Eugenics laws in the U.S. was new to me. Which means that the world was filled with monsters in the mid-1900s, not just Hitler.

This is a true story, so reads a little like a history book, but it is well done and I did not lose interest like I do with most true stories. The author starts the story in Germany when he is 5 years old, living well with his family when Hitler gained power in 1933. He was one of he 2,011 Jewish citizens of Cologne who were rounded up and sent to the Lodz Ghetto. In the Ghetto Henry loses his father to starvation. After many successful attempts to hide from the Gestapo, his mother and he were sent to Auschwitz in 1943. In Auschwitz, he assumes his mother was sent left and he eventually was put in the stables to take care of the horses. Henry was part of the marches from Auschwitz to Buchwald camp in Germany, where he was liberated in 1945.

I loved this book, such a great account of the wartime experience and kept me hooked from the first chapter!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this story.

This is a heart breaking story of one man who spent his childhood by living through the terrors of being a Jew in German during the Holocaust. Henry details what his life was like prior to the start of the holocaust and just how much his life changed.

This story is absolutely heartbreaking but also so inspiring. When Henry spoke about how after everything he experienced, he still tried to find beauty out of life. He was truly an inspiration to everyone and I hope his story is never forgotten.

I listened to this audiobook ARC and thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found the narration to be fitting for the story and wouldn’t change anything about it.

This book was extremely difficult to listen to with heartbreaking and emotional themes. It was devastating but inspiring hearing Henry’s story of survival, suffering and friendship. Henry was 5 years old when Hitler took power and this book follows years of his life through those horrific times and how, against all odds, he survived. It is a story of resilience. It also tells us what he went on to do when he was eventually safe.

At the end of this book, Henry’s wife explains the importance of keeping this history alive to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. To this day I still simply cannot comprehend how those events ever occurred, how it was that Hitler had followers and some people in Germany in that day followed. I can’t imagine any human being doing such things and truly hope it never ever could happen again. I think it is important that everyone is aware of international history and not preferring an ‘ignorance is bliss’ approach to these atrocities, I have a lot more to learn myself and I think we can all play a role in keeping the memories alive of the innocent lives lost and being aware of how radical political or racial views can lead to very dangerous people.

This is such an eye-opening book. It is so important to read these books that way we do not repeat our history. I love how this book was written and how it explained his situation. Overall a great book and reminder to always have tolerance in your heart.

Was looking forward to listening to this but could not stand the boring tone of the narrator. It was very monotone and sleep inducing.

Even in Hell, There is Hope.

Wow! This is an incredible survival story of one young boy named Henry Oster. Henry (his name in English) is a German Jew. His story told is heartbreaking, sad and incredible. When HItler came to power in 1933 Henry was only 5 years old.

His story, although very sad, is a test of courage and survival. It is the story of a young man that did not give up no matter what. He survived the transport of 2,011 German Jews from Cologne Germany to the ghetto in Poland and then on to the concentration camps. He is one of only 23 that survived.

Henry tells his story of the loss of his parents, the time in the concentration camps, and after the camps when these survivors of the camps were afloat without a country or a home.

When he made it to America to live with relatives in Las Angles, he vowed never to step foot in Germany again. He did make another trip to honor his parents and to speak to the German people about his life. Also to let them know that although their forefathers did unspeakable deeds they were not to blame. That must have taken a whole lot of courage, but we already know how courageous Henry was.

I really liked the historical parts and the descriptions of the country. I thought it was very good that he talked of their feelings, how they reacted to situations and how they felt at different times. Especially when they were liberated from the camp.

I listened to the audio book which was provided by NetGalley. The narrator did a wonderful job telling Henry's story. He has a pleasant voice which was easily understood.

Henry said that History should never be destroyed or forgotten. We need the reminders of what happened so it can never ever happen again. The memorials and the writings about the holocaust and the camps are there to make sure everyone can see what happened and take steps to stop it from being repeated by future generations.

This was an excellent story of a very courageous person. It was a very historical rich read, a bit sad, and inspirational in the courage it represented. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Henry Oster for sharing his story, to Dexter Ford for the great narration, to Bookouture audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the audio book to listen to and review.

This book reads like historical fiction, but is a well written true story. This book is a chance to read a non fiction book about a German Jew in Auschwitz.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre and horses are my passion, so this seemed like a really good book for me. At first I was offended by the author talking about what was going on in American and how it impacted Hitler. Then I did the research and there was some bad stuff going on in our country that the author brought to my attention. The first chapters of the book are setting the tone before the war started.

Then Hilter takes over Germany and the mistreatment of the Jews starts slowly and continues to get worse as time goes on. Henry Oster was a very young boy when the part about his family starts. He grows up as his family is mistreated and finally ends up in the ghetto in Poland then on to Auschwitz.

The horses play a part in supporting Henry while he worked in the stables. He was in charge of taking care of two mares and a stallion. He was chosen to take care of the stallion because it was trained in German and he was the only stable boy that could speak German. The horses gave him a place to work, the chance to be outdoors and a number of ways to get extra food. This story is so sad, but Henry does live to tell us his story. There is a happy ending.

Oster's story, as with any Holocaust survivor, is such an important experience for the rest of humanity to listen to. Humans need to do better, history cannot continue to repeat itself. This should be required reading.

THE STABLE BOY OF AUSCHWITZ exceeds at walking that line of proving readers with the truth of what survival was really like at places like Auschwitz, but also with not overburdening the reader with the harsh realities of concentration camps and the genocide that the Nazi party conducted. Yes, this is a tough read, but it's not a hopeless one. Oster and Ford provide readers with enough details to have a full picture, they don't hold any punches, but they also do not linger in the awful details.

It is truly remarkable that people, especially someone as young as Oster was when he was taken by the Nazis, could not only find ways to survive, but were able to make a life for themselves after the atrocities of WWII and the holocaust.

William Hope does a great job with the audiobook narration and I appreciated that the note at the end is read by Henry Oster's wife Susan.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and, Thread in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is the memior of Henry Oster, a German Jew that survived the Holocaust. Everything he went through was horrific and yet he survived. Barely. I loved that the story was sprinkled with history, although sometimes it distracted from his story, it was a lot of really great information. I also loved that he said is opinion on events with the lens of not knowing what was happening then, but since learning has changed some things in his mind. I really liked what he said in the end when visiting Germany again after decades. Because I listened to the audio version, I don't have the direct quote. Something like, "Don't forgive. Don't forget. But know that this generation should not be persecuted for the sins of their fathers. They did horrible things. The people alive now have not. Hate begets hate." It was just such a moving and inspirational story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Henry Oster and Dexter Ford for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a truly heartbreaking recount of Henry’s days in the Holocaust. However, it was inspiring to hear that after surviving his time in Auschwitz, he moved in with his uncle in America, and then got into optometry school.

Thank you for sharing your story with us

‘The Stable Boy of Auschwitz’ is a heart wrenching true story about Henry Oster, the last survivor of the 2,011 Jewish people who resided in Cologne, Germany that were relocated by the Gestapo to concentration camps during the Holocaust. The story starts when Henry is a young boy living in Cologne and takes us through the many heartbreaking experiences he endures, witnesses and will never forget. From losing both parents to surviving artillery fire and extreme hunger & abuse, he eventually finds himself as a stable boy in the Auschwitz camp, where he finds a small bit of happiness with the horses he is charged to care for. Each time he thinks life could not get worse for himself and his fellow people, the Nazis find a new way to torture and abuse them.
This memoir explains in detail everything this man endured as a young boy during one of the most horrendous acts in human history. I have recently become educationally motivated to learn as much as I can about the awful events that transpired from 1933-1945 and this story was a very helpful look into what those poor souls went through. I have no complaints about the story itself, aside from being vehemently opposed to the events and committed to spreading awareness and change. I would have liked to hear a bit more about the events in the stables themselves and also how he met his wife & found that level of happiness, but that is just personal preference for my romantic heart. This was very well written, well narrated and I would recommend this to all persons that are interested in history, especially the events surrounding WW2. I also believe stories like this one should be shared inside classrooms and around the world for what I believe are obvious educational reasons. I rate this 5 stars.

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz
Written By: Henry Oster & Dexter Ford
Media: AudioBook by Netgalley
Read by: William Hope
Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical
Published: April 4th, 2023
Publisher: Bookouture Audio; Thread Books
Rating: 5 Star

WW2, holocaust, nonfiction, memoir, memories, death-camps, family, survivors, genocide, historical-figures, historical-places-events, history-and-culture, PTSD, jews, coping, mass-murder, NEVER FORGET, never-again, biography, debasement, persecution, children, juvenile, starvation*****

He was only a small Jewish child when the terrors began, but he lost his homeland, his father, then his mother, and by slow torture he lost his childhood until rescued by the US Army at the end of the war. He eventually was able to come to the US, learn English, and did graduate to become a practicing optometrist and university professor for many years. It is his story of hope and perseverance no matter the circumstances.
This is a very moving book that is needed now and in the future.
Not as long as Night, Anne Frank, Schindler's list, or The Book Thief, but also very moving.
NEVER FORGET.
William Hope has the voice and cadencing to enhance it all and to remind us that this is no work of fiction.
I requested and received a free temporary audio from Bookouture Audio/Thread via NetGalley. Thank you