Eric Brouwer’s The Fighter of Auschwitz is a little bit slow and hard to follow.

At the same time, due to the subject matter it’s a difficult read. The pacing of the book makes it a little bit of a slog. Each chapter at the beginning of the book covers a major boxing bout in Leen’s career. Of course, establishing his fame is important, but the details of his boxing career seem unimportant to the rest of the story. When you know what’s coming, I think it makes it feel unimportant.

It’s not an easy book to read for the subject matter alone, but that’s expected going in. It’s a powerful story, but I feel like we spend far too much time in the unimportant bits.

In this fascinating work of historical biography, Brouwer explores the life of Dutch boxing champion Leen Sanders, who was sent to Auschwitz in 1943 following the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. While at Auschwitz, Sanders worked in the kitchens, a “privileged” job at the death camp which he could hold if he continued to give boxing matches for the officers’ entertainment. Sanders, recognizing the relative safety of his position, used his kitchen job and greater access to the camp to support other inmates with food and clothing and protect them from the officers when they could. Brouwer uses a narrative biographical style to explore Sanders’ forgotten life story and his bravery in the face of Nazi extermination programs in Auschwitz, and he really brings Sanders and the risks he took to life in this powerful biography. Brouwer highlights the power of human compassion and empathy in the face of true horror and does an incredibly powerful job bringing Sanders and the camps alike to life in this moving biography. This powerful, moving biography and Brouwer’s narrative and linguistic skills add another story to the genre, making Sanders lifelike and bringing his powerful story to readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

I have been reading many WWII books of late and this one is in a completely different direction than the others. I enjoyed it very much

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

The author did a nice job of telling Leen’s story and this book is written well with much detail.

I did find it to be a bit slow and hard to follow at times.

I enjoyed learning about Leen and his experiences.

The Fighter of Auschwitz is about the boxer Leen Sanders who risked his own life during the war by providing other Dutch people with food, clothing, better work, and other necessary items.
Although I have read quite a few books about the Second World War, I had never heard of the Rotterdam Leen Sanders, so that made The Fighter of Auschwitz a different kind of book for me. A new kind of book.
Books about the war often score well with me, they intrigue me. This was no different with The Fighter of Auschwitz. The events, how Leen does his best to survive by boxing and thus helps his fellow countrymen. The only thing I didn't like is that the part about Leen's life before the war was quite long; almost 40% of the entire book. That part felt long.

Nevertheless it was an impressive story about an awful time in history.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is such a raw, emotional yet uplifting true story of such a horrific and shocking time. I highly recommend reading this book.

Leendert Josua Sanders was a middleweight European boxing champion from the Netherlands in the 1930’s. Even avid boxing fans and historians may have trouble remembering much about his boxing career as he wasn’t one to avidly promote his fights. He was also a Jewish boxer in Rotterdam and this was the time when the Nazis were gaining power in Europe.

Sanders, who would often fight under the name “Lee” or “Leen” to try to mask his Jewish identity, would eventually be captured with his family and sent to Auschwitz. This excellent book by Erik Brouwer covers both of these segments of Sanders’ life.

Sanders wasn’t keen to pursue the sport at first but with some encouragement from his family, including his brother who became his trainer and manger, Leen did work his way up in weight and prestige, with his biggest boxing accomplishment winning the above mentioned title.

But once Sanders and his family were arrested in Rotterdam as the Netherlands fell to Nazi occupation, this book gets even better. There are many books that describe the brutal conditions Jewish prisoners faced at these concentration camps and this one is just as graphic. Sanders is spared the worst treatment, conditions and work detail when it is learned he was a professional boxer.

Boxers and other prisoners who had special talents that could be used by the SS guards in the camps would receive privileges that other prisoners could have, such as better food and clothing ans special detail such as the kitchen or laundry. Because Leen beat a well-known fighter in one of the Sunday boxing matches held for the “entertainment”of the guards, Leen became one of these privileged prisoners and as such, received this type of detail.

However, as Brouwer tells in vivid matter-of-fact detail, the other prisoners had much harsher conditions and more brutal work. Leen would help out many less privileged, especially new arrivals to Auschwitz, by providing extra food, clothing or blankets. This was done at great risk to his own safety as if he were caught, he would certainly have faced swift execution. This went on for nearly two years, until Leen and other survivors of the evacuation of Aucwitz were rescued by advancing Allied troops. For a final touch, to make this book complete, Brouwer informs the reader that Sanders had some good and bad experiences in his life after surviving Auschwitz. Even there , Sanders had struggles as he was wrongfully denied the Extraordinary War Pension he deserved until close to his death.

What I really liked about this book is that while the majority of it talks about his heroic feats at Auschwitz, it also gives the reader an inside look at his boxing success as well as his life in the concentration camp. It’s the complete story of a man whose story needed to be told.

I wish to thank Octopus Publishing US for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely heart wrenching and heart breaking. I still cannot fathom how people can say it never happened. And to read this one in the midst of everything happening now in Israel, like it's happening all over again. BRB crying again!

A strong and comprehensive history of the life and horrors experienced by one exceptional individual. Though Leen's story was compelling, I found myself getting lost in the details and the many characters. The book also ended up being more about WWII than Leen's boxing experience, though this is a neutral fact that I just hadn't expected.

"The Fighter of Auschwitz" is a heart wrenching tale of one man's determination to survive after the unthinkable. The entire book my heart ached for the horrific conditions, treatment, and experiences of those who were tortured during the Holocaust. I wanted to scream, rant, rave, and fight back for all of them. This is a book that forces you to feel the things you don't want to and provides a glimpse into the enduring humanity that, during the one of the darkest times in human history, Leen Sanders and so many others offered the world.

The Fighter of Auschwitz
by Erik Brouwer
2.5 stars

Firstly I want to thank you for the opportunity to read this book early. The Holocaust is a very painful, brutal moment in history and each individual story bears the scars of this time. A powerful story, however maybe a tad to long! Thank you again for the chance to read this ARC!

The Fighter of Auschwitz by Erik Brouwer is an extraordinary true story about the life of Dutch boxer Leendert Josua Sanders. Along with millions of others during the Holocaust, Leen was forced into extreme physical (and mental) labour at a killing camp. Some celebrities such as himself were revered by the SS to a degree so Leen earned extras not afforded to most prisoners. Not only was he generous with those even worse off than he (including Dr. Mengele's horrendous female experiments), he smuggled food other ways, too. Auschwitz reeked with despair and desperation every second of every day, especially when prisoners discovered "up the chimney" actually happened. I am always astonished to realize some people continued to will themselves to survive when surrounded by death at their heels.

Leen's boxing story is also told in detail. Though not interested in boxing, I was riveted to (and disgusted by) the stories of Auschwitz and subcamp Gross-Rosen (which was incredibly even more hideous than the former). I have read a LOT about this deplorable time in history and each book has something different to add, perhaps in the details, perspectives, geographic locations...and the difference here is the boxing slant and how "sport" was viewed in murder camps. Polish boxer Pietrzykowski was also at Aushwitz and endured a brutal attempted murder. Boxing was entertainment for the evil SS.

Survival at such camps over 90 days was rare. Illnesses, meagre "food" rations, endless roll calls in subzero temperatures, humiliation, beatings and jobs are detailed. Such explanations are difficult to read in more than short bits but survivor stories are crucial to know about. Leen returned to Rotterdam, married again and had another child, moved to the Caribbean and finally to the US but was shamefully only awarded Extraordinary War Pension shortly before his death. His daughter worked tirelessly for the recognition he deserved.

As all Holocaust books involving true personal stories, details are difficult to read. But if you choose this one, you will be rewarded.

My sincere thank you to Octopus Publishing US and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this heartbreaking yet inspiring book, one which I will not forget.

This well written story of Dutch boxer Leen Sanders and his enslavement in the death camp of Auschwitz is a touching tribute to a life he had never imagined for himself. As entertainment for Nazi beasts, he boxed and also helped to smuggle food and other goods to prisoners in the camp. A true hero of a despicable time in history.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

An unusual take on captivity in Auschwitz. There is a good deal of introduction boxing detail which initially seemed relevant but went on a bit too long. The hero's passage through the notorious death camp seemed almost comfortable compared with the majority of the other unfortunate inmates and his luck if it can be called that, seemed a bit too good to be true. It was readable but not outstanding!

It's amazing that, eight decades later, we are still getting these Holocaust stories about notable yet unknown survivors. Just goes to show there's still a lot to tell, and makes you wonder how much is being left untold because nobody has taken up the task of writing it.

History buffs will remember that, in the Auschwitz concentration camp, there existed collectives of "privileged" prisoners that, by nature of their occupation and usefulness to the Nazi administration & guards, were treated and fed better and had more responsibilities and privileges than the rest of the inmates. One of these collectives was boxers. Yes, actual professional boxers, not just unfortunate inmates forced into boxing by the SS maniacs.

History buffs will also recognise some of these boxers' stories from films and books, such as Teddy Pietrzykowski and Salamo Arouch, who got their tragic experience as KL boxers made into films, and Harry Haft, who has a graphic novel about him and an upcoming film too. These names are very famous in the annals of the Holocaust, as these men were able to survive by the strength of their fists. Their feats are worthy of blockbusters, too, like Pietrzykowski's, a Polish political prisoner that became the first All-weight Champion of Auschwitz.

But there's one name that isn't as famous: Dutch boxer Leendert Josua Sanders, Leen for short, who defeated Pietrzykowski to become the second (and last) Auschwitz boxing champion. For some reason, his story hasn't been told in a book until now, and I can tell you his story is just as worthy of a film and blockbuster as the other famous boxers. In fact, some enterprising historian or writer should collect all these boxers' stories and write a dedicated book about them, because this is better than "Rocky," with the bonus that it was all real, tragically and heartwrenchingly real.

You'll wonder how come there was boxing in Hell? Well, the answer lies in the SS being bored. On Sunday afternoons, the camp had a day off, and guards and prisoners were all bored and wanted some entertainment. One day, a German Kapo with an inveterate love of boxing threw a challenge at the Polish and Jewish inmates that he'd box their man, offering attractive rewards to anyone ballsy enough to step forward and risk being turned into a pulp by the enormous and well-fed German. Teddy Pietrzykowski, smaller and famished, stepped forward and the one that got beaten was the Kapo (I'd have cheered!).

Leen Sanders was Jewish, and at first didn't want to box because if he won the risk of retaliation was too high, and he'd already suffered the loss of his wife and two children to the gas chambers. Just to give you an idea, Pietrzykowski was injected with some foul solution by the camp doctor after he won a match where the doctor had bet on his opponent and he didn't die by miracle. So, whilst the losers of a match weren't always punished, all it took was an SS officer or SS doctor having a bad hair day to end a boxer's life, and thus Leen at first only acted as a coach to another celebrity camp boxer. But eventually, he was matched against Pietrzykowski and, shockingly, won by points.

Thus he became a camp celebrity himself, a status that allowed him to get better food and more privileges, that he used to help others whenever he could. This way, he endured Auschwitz till the end, surviving the long march out of the camp when the Nazis decided to evacuate it, and eventually was able to return to his native Rotterdam, marry again, father another child, and immigrate to the Caribbean, where he opened a gym and a restaurant, and finally settled in the US.

Leen Sanders' life might not be as riveting as the life of other celebrity boxers, but it's still an interesting one. Author Erik Brouwer did it justice for the most part, by presenting his story so matter-of-factly, avoiding speculations and gossip, and avoiding sensationalism, too. His style, in present tense, can read very dry indeed, but not boring. Personally, I'd have liked this book to have more pictures, because I had to Google Leen Sanders to see some pictures, and I also would've liked the Auschwitz portion to be longer, because it reads too short to me. But of course, that's the part I found more interesting, and so naturally I'd love more about it. It's a very complete biography, covering his early life and his life post-Auschwitz, so you do get a full picture of the man and his tormented life.

3.5 stars rounded up!

First let me say that I read ALOT of historical fiction and each story is heartbreaking and differently told. With that said this story was written poorly. Half the book was on boxing and tons of different characters than the other half was where it picked up with the concentration camps and how he helped alot of people but the writing was terrible! Would not recommend.

A fascinating account which gives great insights into boxing as a sport and social phenomenon prior to the Second World War, as well as devastatingly moving insights into Leen Sanders’ experiences in Auschwitz and beyond. It’s very well written, being clear and well structured. It is also an important historical record. Another excellent addition to the very important biographical accounts of the Holocaust.