I thought this book was fabulous. The fact that this man and his son managed to stay together throughout their years spent in the war camps of Nazi Germany, is in itself totally mind boggling. The ordeals they endured are even more so. How human beings could have treated other human beings in the ways the Nazi's treated the Jews is just beyond me. Yes, this book is hard hitting, but as with all books about Auschwitz and all the other death camps, it is a must read.

Harrowing, sad, thoroughly researched account of hell on earth. To say I 'enjoyed' this book would be the wrong description but it is definitely one to read

Mixing historical facts with a style of storytelling, The Boy Who Followed his Father into Auschwitz is an emotional and harrowing tale of life inside hell on earth.   Meticulously researched with no stone left unturned, Jeremy Dronfield brings the stories of Gustav and Fritz to life in a vivid and compelling manner.   Against all odds, Gustav managed to keep a written diary of his time in the camps, which was used in conjunction with other survivor testimonials and written records to make The Boy who Followed his Father into Auschwitz into a substantial account of survival and hope.   I can't even begin to imagine the amount of time and research that was put into this book, and I applaud Jeremy Dronfield for his dedication in ensuring Gustav and Fritz's stories were treated with the respect and sensitivity they deserve.

This is a very powerful and sad true story. The events described are so horrific to even think about. I hope as many people, especially younger people, can read this so that such atrocities can never be allowed to happen again. I will never forget this book.

I have ready many many accounts of the horrors of WWII, both fictional and non. The boy who followed his Father into Auschwitz is up there with the best.

Gustav and Fritz Kleinmann are Father and Son living in Vienna prior to WWII with their other family members, Gustav's wife and Fritz's Mother; Tini and Gustav's other children and Fritz's siblings; Edith, Herta and Kurt.

The book opens with the Anschuluss; the annexation of Austria in to Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938 and the horrors that followed for so many.

The Kleinmann family are torn apart as a result, and Gustav and Fritz find themselves mercifully together in Buchenwald as the rest of the family struggle on under Nazi occupation.

Much has been written of those who have survived the Buchenwald, Mauthasen and Auschwitz concentration camps, but I believe this is the only account that I have read to date which covers two remarkable survival stories of the whole period of WWII.

The courage and determination that both Gustav and Fritz show is nothing short of amazing. I believe that this book should be on every school's reading list, to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.

This book as an account of that horrific period in history is really powerful, and will stay with me for a long time.

This book moved me to tears on many occasions. We hear about the holocaust in history lessons and from documentaries but somehow, this story seemed even more painful to take in. Perhaps, because seeing someone’s story in the written word, rather than acted out on tv or delivered as a history lesson made it all the more real.
I found myself over and over reeling at the evil cruelty carried out by human beings to each other. How could that be?!
The book is very powerful and very well written and it was good to read of what happened with the main subjects wider family.
It isn’t a book I will forget or put away easily. It has left its own indelible mark.

I have read several books about the Holocaust but this one will stay with me for a long while. It has been the most graphic book that I have read about the atrocities that happened in the hands of the Nazi’s and the concentration camps.
It’s 1939 Gustav Kleinmann a furniture upholsterer and son Fritz Kleinmann are sent to Buchenwald in Germany were a new concentration camp is being built. Fritz is put to work building the camp. By learning construction skills, it stops him being exterminated from the Nazis. Whilst he is doing that his father Gustav is working in one of the factories. But one day Gustav is summoned to be transferred to Auschwitz. Fritz told by his friends to let him go. As anyone that goes there dies there, never to return. But the bond between son and father is too strong and Fritz decides to go with him. The story continues for the next 5 years. Gustav writing all what he sees and hears in a diary that is kept hidden.
The is a story about the bond between father and son and the resilience they had, to stay alive from the cruelty and suffering in the concentration camps. This was a real eye opener for me as I learnt more about what happened then in other books I have read. Although this is not a nice subject to be liked. This was a real page turner for me and I couldn’t put this down. I highly recommend it.

What can I say about the Boy who followed his father into Auschwitz, It was one of the most tragic memoirs I have read in a long time yet Jeremy Dronfield has managed to write Gustav and Fritz's story in such a way that no matter how tragic it is, it also has a wonderful undercurrent of love running through it. By using Fritz and Gustaz's diaries and getting them to relive their memories, he has written a book that shows how they managed to survive the hell they found them selves in, reliving their love for one another but also highlighting their resilience and cunning which helped them and some of their fellow prisoners to survive not one but four concentration camps during their long imprisonment , such a feat, its hard to get your head round, retelling how they survived the worst of treatments, such as starvation, beating, torture and having to see and endure the murders of their fellow prisoners and family. This is a book that should be read by everyone, The war may have ended over 70 years ago and to most of us it is just another date to remember but this book helps to remind and enlighten us all what some people endured during the horrors of war. The holocaust and the atrocities that occurred should never be forgotten.

Wow what a book, very emotional, a great story. Made it feel very true to life, lots of information in there. Couldn't put it down.

I struggled with this book, I feel it is q book to take time to sit and read. Not a book to dip in and out of. Compelling storyline and so tragic too.

Harrowing but compelling, this is the true story of Gustav and Fritz Kleinmann. It all starts in Vienna and travels to the pit of despair and beyond... a meticulously researched telling that goes far beyond the usual narratives of the Holocaust. An unbelievable story of defiance, humanity and adversity- and how there were good people despite the horrors.

5* A difficult read but one that will stay with me. A powerful introduction from Gustav’s grandson too brings it to reality. After all the hoo-ha about the Tattooist of Auschwitz (whether it’s true to the story or fictionalised), this book is a must-read and an eyeopener to the horrors of the Nazi regime.

My only gripe is that I thought there could be a better title. Whilst it’s accurate it doesn’t hit you between the eyeballs!!

Thank You Netgalley & Publishers For Granting My Request To Review This Book.

After Reading This, The First Question I Asked Myself Was “How Do I Give A Book Like This; Non-Fictional and About Such Harrowing Events, A Star Rating?”

I Thought “Do I Rate It 0 Or 1 Star Because Of The Atrocities It Shows Us In Detail? That We Could Do That To One Another And By Reading This Book, We’re Forced To See It And Accept It” Or “Do I Rate It 5 Stars Because Above The Atrocities, This Book Shows Love, Courage, Hope, Strength & Perseverance?” In The End, It Had To Be The Latter. I’ve Read Many WWII Survivor Memoirs But This By Far Is The Best And It Feels Awful To Say Other Peoples Misery And Struggles Have Made For A Brilliant Book, But If By Reading This, It Stops This From Ever Occuring Again, Then It’ll Be Worth It. Every Memoir I’ve Read Highlights A Different Perspective But For Me, This One Was The Most Detailed And Took Me On More Of A Journey.

Possibly The Best Book I Read In 2018

Another account of WW2 and it is as unbelievably sad as other holocaust stories. What makes this book interesting though is the timeline it goes across, giving you not only an account of a father and son who were in concentration camps for the duration of the war, but also recounting their lives before and after giving context to the people you are reading about as more than just concentration camp victims.

Well written and delivered with the right balance of emotions, realism and facts.

Thanks for letting me review this.

Wow! I am gobsmacked at what this family went through. It is beyond all comprehension and is unbelievable that, through miraculous twists and turns, they both came out of it alive. I did find it quite a slow burner to start but I was gripped by about a quarter of the way through. Highly recommended.

One word...WOW.
The writing,subject matter the book as a whole has your full attention from the start. It is a book that the book optic is harrowing and at times extremely difficult to yet it needs to be heard within the public domain.
How anyone ho survived the horror of the Holocaust and re-live that tim shows their inner strength.
Purely inspirational
It is a book that must added to the read text in any high school.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Penguin UK for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

This has to be one of the most difficult and harrowing books that I have ever read. I had to keep putting the book aside and reading something else before going back to it. As harrowing as it was, it was also a very interesting read. This story will definitely stay with me for a long time. I do feel that this should be on the school curriculum for children taking GCSEs to read. This would be a great way for them to learn about some of the atrocities that took place during the war.
A well written book that I would highly recommend to anyone to read

Wow, what an emotional read this was. Written so well with care and thoughtfulness. A story about a father and son in WW2 sent to the concentration camps. It made me smile and cry all at the same time, it was a heart breaking read yet so warming that a love between father and son could shine through after all the pain they experience. I really can’t praise this book enough, the author has put his heart and soul into this amazing account of what it was like under the Nazi party.

I am finding it very hard to describe what i have just read, so please bare with me.
I have been on an incredible journey, i have travelled from Buchenwald to Auschwitz and beyond. The story is about what happened during the seven year period of WW2. The horrors, cruelty and deprivation that a father and son endure had me more than emotional. This is a story of love and perseverance when this time in history was against them.
In my opinion this is one of the better holocaust memoirs that have been released. No i correct myself IT IS THE BEST. Be warned you will laugh and you will cry, oh yes you will cry. Let me say that i was very emotional. I have already passed this book on to my husband and he is a fussy reader.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, you will need a box of tissues.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK- Michael Joseph for the ARC of this book in return for giving an honest review.

What an incredible journey. The injustice is simply heart-breaking, but this one enlightening story of love and perseverance helps us see the human factor in what so often becomes numerical statistics.

It is really incredible what fellow humans had to endure. How the perpetrators and perpetrated managed to forge an existence after these monumental events blows my mind.

The journey this book took us on was incredible. The lows we experienced reading the book pale in comparison to what actually happened. Likewise with the joys experienced during the liberations and reunions.

My eyes and heart were opened! Thanks you.

In the Nazi rule of 1930s Vienna, Gustav Kleinmann and his family were impacted like many Jewish families. Trapped in a nightmare that they didn’t know was only just beginning. Soon after Gustav and his teenage son Fritz are rounded up and sent to a Concentration Camp, where Fritz will do the unthinkable.

Well, this was an emotional read. Reading a book about the Holocaust is tough, but needed. Last year I picked up The Tattooist of Auschwitz and this year I once again found a read that I almost couldn’t believe. It is a story of the bonds of family and the strength of the humans in the worst circumstances.

This was an interesting mix of storytelling and a journalistic viewpoint. Dromfield has tried to include the climate of the world as well as in Germany. When reading I felt sick that so much of the world, the UK included, shut their doors to refugees. It’s something we’ve seen since. I truly think that is one of the reasons these books are so important – so we can recognise history repeating itself.

What I also found incredibly interesting within the book is Fritz’s feelings of wanting change, even if it means risking his life. These are two men that tried their hardest not to give up, although in different ways. While they were father and son, seeing their different approaches to survival gave more of an insight into who they were and why they needed each other.

This was a 4 star read for me. I feel like saying I enjoyed this was wrong. You can’t enjoy a book about the Holocaust but there was a heart to it. The fact that you could feel the family bond and fight for survival the whole way through. You are rooting for this father and son, for the entire family. I can see this becoming a very well known and read book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.