This is a heartbreaking story. It drags you into the concentration camp where so many children suffered. It’s beautifully written, you feel as if you’re there.

I hate giving a less than stellar review for a story, especially a true one filled with so much grief and struggle, but there was not anything stand out about this book vs one of the millions of others about this atrocious time in history.

First, the pros: If you're interested in World War II and the Holocaust, but not terribly familiar with the events and locations, there are some really detailed descriptions of the events and places that are prominent during this period of history.

It was also interesting to hear how such small, seemingly mundane daily life choices can make a life or death difference. Speaking German is/was Henry's saving grace, if you can call something so horrific grace.

Lastly, I honestly had not even thought about the treatment of animals vs humans throughout the Holocaust. Hearing or reading survivor experiences is very different from seeing how the same evil person can be the lowest form of scum to other humans, but expect nothing but the best for their literal work horses.

I was drawn in by this book because I find survivor stories fascinating, am a fan of history and non-fiction. I also absolutely love animals. Having worked with horses myself for years, I thought it would be an engaging spin on an otherwise brutal tale.

That being said - yes, it is an awful, tragic, and terrible time in history. Survivors should be able to have therapeutic relase by sharing it. That alone does not make it publishing worthy, to me at least.

I'll confess that this is the first time I've chosen to listen to an audiobook about the Holocaust instead of reading about it on a Kindle or traditional book. I do think that hearing a narrated version of the story made it harder to connect to. While the narrator has an excellent voice, the lack of emotion made it very difficult to connect or have an emotional tie to Henry.

I do not want to attempt to imagine what experiencing this was like, so I can understand why it comes across the way it does; much of this reads like a disconnected list of atrocities tied to a history lesson, rather than the heart wrenching emotions you feel when reading other stories about WWII and the Holocaust.

It seems like the authors took great effort to explain what the events were that occurred. I would imagine most readers in this genre are familiar with Kristillnacht and Auschwitz as historical points of reference, but maybe I'm wrong. There is an off-putting combination that makes it read like a report instead of a story.

I can only imagine what having to recount these experiences was like, but I really missed having a real connection to the main character.

Henry was only five when he and his family were rounded up by the Nazis and sent to the Lodz Gehtto, where his father died of starvation, Shortly after, Henry and his mother are sent to a concentration camp, where they are separated and Henry is sent to work in the stables. He finds a way to survive through his love for the horses, secreting them food he will be killed for if he’s discovered. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful story of hope and courage in the face of al consuming hate

Stories from WWII are so chilling. It’s so unbelievable to think about someone living through all of these things. This first-hand account of the horrors of Auschwitz but also the times leading up to it and what happened after it…heart wrenching.

🌀Synopsis
Henry tells his story of Hilter’s rise to power and what happened to the Jews during that time. It starts at the beginning and walks through how the Jews went to the ghetto- where he lost his father. Then to the concentration camps- where he lost his mother.
There were so many situations where he should have been killed but he managed to live. I also thought it was interesting to hear about their liberation and how it wasn’t just a straight shot to freedom. It essentially described how their life from before was gone and they were without a place to call home.

This book details the amazing journey growing up during WWII for Heinz Adolf Oster. He was born in Cologne, Germany. All of his family were German citizens and had been for generations. When things started to change for Jews in Germany it was easy to think that it wasn't the same for them as citizens. They were wrong. This book is the painful but inspiring account from Heinz, who later goes by Henry. It is so much more detailed than anything I've encountered before. His story shows us the real horrors that he had to endure. I'm ashamed that some things I learned for the first time while reading this. I think the title is slightly misleading only because he was so much more than a stable boy!!

This book is phenomenal. I'm blown away by the rawness I can feel nearly 80 years later. I loved the detail in the retelling. Mr. Oster truly had a brilliant mind and to have enough courage to tell and relive the horrific experiences he went through is absolute bravery. I learned some darker details of things that happened in the camps that I'd never heard before. I've read many books about WWII as well. I think this book is important beyond measure. Knowing the brutality enacted on these humans for their race and religion is vital to ensuring it never happens again. I will be recommending this to everyone I know!!

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Stable Boy of Auschwitz. I have read many books in the camps and each one is different. This man's story was written very well. I would recommend this book to everyone.