Amid one of history’s darkest chapters, The Teacher of Auschwitz illuminates an extraordinary story of courage, compassion, and resilience. Fredy Hirsch’s incredible determination to bring light and hope to the youngest prisoners of Auschwitz defies belief and underscores the power of humanity even in the face of unimaginable cruelty.

Fredy’s role as a teacher in the concentration camp was an act of quiet rebellion. His tireless efforts to create a semblance of normalcy—a space where children could sing, learn, and imagine—were acts of defiance against a system designed to strip away all dignity and hope. The image of brightly painted walls and innocent laughter juxtaposed against the smokestacks of Auschwitz is both heartbreaking and inspiring.

The book delves deeply into Fredy’s struggles: negotiating with SS officers for better conditions, risking his life daily, and creating a sanctuary amid the horrors surrounding them. Fredy’s story is not just one of selflessness and bravery; it is also a reminder of the extraordinary capacity of individuals to protect others, even in the face of their own mortality.

Having visited Auschwitz myself, I am struck by how reading stories like this brings that haunting space vividly to life. The personal narratives lend a profound weight to the numbers and statistics, grounding the incomprehensible in individual acts of love and defiance.

The lessons from Fredy’s story—and the Holocaust as a whole—are as relevant today as they ever were. They serve as stark reminders of the depths of human cruelty but also of the resilience and power of compassion. By engaging with such narratives, we honor the victims, ensure their stories are not forgotten, and recommit ourselves to vigilance against hatred and injustice.

The Teacher of Auschwitz is a must-read for those seeking to understand the Holocaust not just as history, but as a deeply human story. It’s a book that will stay with you, reminding you of the profound strength of the human spirit.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Another heartwarming true story of life in WW2 with friends, relationships and an inspirational teacher who also had his own secret that could have sent him to any early execution. I did find it a little slow and skipped entire pages.

The Teacher of Auschwitz, both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story. Telling the story of one man who strived to make the lives of the children of the camps more bearable. Often struggle to read these books due to the nature of the story, but this was very well written.

Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I find the stories of those who experienced the holocaust incredibly devastating, inspiring and important, and the story of Fredy Hirsch is no exception.

The author has so clearly taken a great deal of time and consideration in how she’s gracefully written Fredy’s story. The way in which she details the impact Fredy had on the lives of so many feels so well demonstrated and the use of fictionalised characters has been done simply to depict his innate goodness successfully, without creating a work of fiction.

This isn’t the sort of book I couldn’t put down and felt desperate to read given the harrowing nature, but at no point did I lose interest in the story of Fredy Hirsch and felt the ending was incredibly poignant, respectful and necessary.

I would recommend this book to anybody who would like to read more on this topic following books such as The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Choice.

Truly inspirational in the darkest times one mans hope and dreams speaks volumes. Freddy Hirsch remarkable journey the ability to make life in the camps bearable for the children and get what he needs from the SS to make it happen.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures. A well told tale of the hardest of times through amazing characters eyes.

📕📕BOOK REVIEW 📕📕
The Teacher of Auschwitz by Wendy Holden

This is a fictional telling of the life of Alfred ‘Fredy’ Hirsch. Fredy was born in 1916 in Aachen, Germany. He was athletic and idealistic and from a young age he knew he wanted to work with children. What he didn’t understand for many years was why he wasn’t attracted to girls like all his peers. I’ve not read this author before but it’s evident that the research undertaken was intensive, and this is confirmed in the authors notes.

Briefly, after leaving home in 1932 Fredy worked with youth programs in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt before moving to Czechoslovakia where he meets Jenda Mautner and has an affair with him. In 1941 the Nazis set up a ghetto in Terezin known as Theresienstadt and this is where Fredy opens his first kinderheim (children’s home) where the Jewish children of the ghetto are taught to be brave, keep clean and were able to play. Fredy was incredibly able in getting the Nazis to agree to his requests. In September 1943 Fredy was transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau where he continued his work with children.

Clearly this was always going to be a harrowing read but it was that and more. Fredy came across as a very caring and brave person but he was also quite single minded. However, it was that single mindedness that made the lives of so many children in the camps bearable. The author bought to life the terrible conditions that everyone lived in but also the joy that Fredy instilled in so many young lives. An inspiring and compelling read. Fascinating and emotional but a story that should never be forgotten.

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I don’t really know what to say. I read this in two days. A story full of heartbreak, terror, fear, hope. It brought out every emotion, even more so knowing that this was a true story.

A difficult read at times, to know the horror people went through, and the absolute heroes that did all they could to help.

Beautifully and sensitively written.

Once again, Wendy Holden brings us a brilliantly researched retelling of an extraordinary true story, this time of Freddy Hirsch, aka the teacher of Auschwitz. The novel highlights the horrors of life in both Theresienstadt and Auschwitz and brings to life the impossible situation faced by so many and the fact that most of the time there was no escape from inevitable death.

It is an astonishing story about such a remarkable person. It was a privilege to read about what an inspiring person he was. Truly an amazingly well-researched book.

Amazing insight into the horrors of Aushwitz and what the people did to survive, could not put this book down, wonderfully descriptive and well written, what an amazing bunch of people these were
10/10