The Teacher of Auschwitz

A Novel

By: Wendy Holden

Narrated by: Wendy Holden, George Naylor

From the bestselling author of Born Survivors, a novel inspired by the powerful true story of a man who risked everything to protect children in Auschwitz.

Fredy built a wall against suffering in their hearts . . .

Amid the brutality of the Holocaust, one bright spot shone inside the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. In the shadows of the smokestacks was a wooden hut where children sang, staged plays, wrote poetry, and learned about the world. Within those four walls, brightly adorned with hand-painted cartoons, the youngest prisoners were kept vermin-free, received better food, and were even taught to imagine having full stomachs and a day without fear. Their guiding light was a twenty-seven-year-old gay, Jewish athlete: Fredy Hirsch.

Being a teacher in a brutal concentration camp was no mean feat. Forced to beg senior SS officers for better provisions, Fredy risked his life every day to protect his beloved children from mortal danger.

But time was running out for Fredy and the hundreds in his care. Could this kind, compassionate, and brave man find a way to teach them the one lesson they really needed to know: how to survive?

The Teacher of Auschwitz shines a light on a truly remarkable individual and tells the inspiring story of how he fought to protect innocence and hope amid depravity and despair.

Everyone needs to listen.

A very hopeful store about a real life hero. Freddy made you love him and I hoped and prayed for a good ending even knowing that for most in the camps that they would never survive.

Fredy Gave Hope

I fell in love with Fredy and throughout the book his hope kept me, as a reader, to keep looking for the hope he offered even in the midst of the most horrific of times. His love for the children caught in the Holocaust was contagious to all who encountered him.

Very moving

Great storytelling. Incredibly moving. Great way to remember that hope endures even in the face of horrendous atrocities. Also a reminder of how horrible things go when humans are discarded as objects.

The cruelty of the Holocaust

I love to hear the story of such a remarkable man. His love for children’s

Heartbreaking

Even if this story is slightly fictionalized to Freddy Hirsch’s life, it feels hauntingly real. His heart is on full display during a time of great darkness and narrated with the emotional gravitas the story calls for.