Such a harrowing story of real life events at concentration camps and the human will to survive . Beautifully written based on a diary written by the father .

Its hard to say you love a book when it is based on such harrowing events however I will say I was so invested in this book I read it in a few days. This book is both heartbreaking and inspiring, the difference between the cruelty and evilness of the Nazis and the love and loyalty between Father and Son was striking, with their refusal to give up truly inspiring.This book is based on a true story is about Gustav and Fritz Kleinman ,Jews who were seized by the Nazis and thrown into various Concentration Camps finally ending up in Auschwitz . I found this book so powerful and would recommend to all my family and friends.

This book is both heartbreaking and inspiring ,the cruelty and sadism of the Nazis and the love between Father and Son with their indomitable spirits and refusal to give up despite horrific punishments .This true story is about Gustav and Fritz Kleinman ,Jews who were seized by the Nazis and thrown into various Concentration Camps finally ending up in Auschwitz .The horrors they had to endure were unbelievable and the love and spirit they both had kept them going through it all Miraculously both survived and I am so glad they both lived to an old age ,though I doubt they would ever forget the horrors they had endured..I didn't know this story ,it is both compelling and powerful and very hard to put down . Jeremy Dronfield has written a beautiful book from the information in Gustav's diary which he manged to keep hidden through it all .Many thanks to the Publisher ,The Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I honestly found this book a little hard to get into. A truely sad story about father and son. It’s horrible to think this happend. Such a cruel world in which they lived in. Something I’ve obviously only read in history books. It’s an absolute sin as to what people endured during wars of any kind, and the worst dictators known to man. Anyone who lives through this atrocity deserves recognition for their bravery. Very well written, but sad story.

I'm very interested in WWII literature, and this account is a very well written one. I think it's important that people are reminded of what happened, and that the people who experienced it have their experiences recorded while they still can. The language of the book is easy to read, and the author has done a good job of creating a coherent timeline from what was probably a disparate range of documents and accounts.

Powerful and compelling, despite the heart-rending subject matter.
There exist many historical records of events about the holocaust and concentration camps and many novels but this really brings the two together. We are, of course, fully aware of the atrocities but somehow they sometimes feel too removed from us - a page in a history book; a figure on a sheet of paper. But Dronfield has set the agonies and emotions suffered by those who were actually there against the historic facts, taking us with Fritz and his father as they lived through the realities of such an event.
Although knowing from the beginning of my reading that Fritz and his father both survive their ordeals I still suffered their profound despair, fears and sorrows. and was overwhelmingly relieved when they were freed.
Hardly a subject-matter to celebrate but I would highly recommend this book for those who want a slightly different angle to many other accounts of this topic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

No matter how many books I read about the Holocaust, my heart breaks all over again as I unearth new details and recollections. The story of the Kleinmanns is a new one to me, and I appreciated how respectfully the narrative was handled. Certainly a tale so fantastically brave needs no embellishments. "The Boy..." is an affecting story told from the viewpoint of the entire family via correspondence, interviews, diaries and collaborative evidence. Put simply, I couldn't rest until I had finished the tale in full. What did slow me down was the pacing- in an effort perhaps to tell each story there is a lot of flashback and this slows things quite a bit. Plus a lot of information is needlessly repeated, which can be frustrating as a reader. On the whole however I very much appreciated the tireless work of this author who followed the thread of one family from beginning to end, including the women and men who touched their lives in one of the darkest periods of recent history.

I visited Auschwitz 12 years ago and was deeply moved, but reading this book about Gustav Kleinmann and his son there really brought the hell to life. Gustav and his family came to the edge of oblivion yet never gave up hope. A true lesson for us all to learn. Please read the book and take this lesson in that such things can never be forgotten or repeated. Thank you for writing this for the world to read.

Very powerful and emotive, the writing brings the characters to life and I had to stop many times as was so emotional, I've been to Auschwitz so I could visualise even more the descriptions. What strength of characters they both had

Based on Gustav Kleinmann's secret diary, this book tells the story of Gustav and his son Fritz, who are captured by Nazi's and sent to Buchenwald, Germany.

A well reasearched, deeply moving, haunting story of horror, courage, love, strength and survival during the Holocaust.. an unbreakable bond shared between father and son, this book will stay with you a long, long time after reading.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review. 4 stars

You can't exactly say you enjoy a story about the holocaust or auschwitz so it's difficult to know how to review this. Written as a story by the author it is actually a true story based on the diaries left behind. It is about Gustav and Fritz Kleinmann seized by the Nazis during the war and when Gustav is set to be moved to auschwitz his son Fritz chooses to go with him rather than let his father go alone. It is a story of a father and son's unending love for each other through horrors and suffering, that endur d and kept them alive. The writing is good but loses its pace a little a few times, but it is probably due to the fact the author is trying to make a diary sound like a story. This like any book you read of the holocaust or auschwitz is haunting, horrifying endlessly sad, but again because of the tale shows the strength and love that endures in times of horror and evil.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

There are no words which can fully describe how important and powerful this story is. But I’m certainly going to do my best to express my own thoughts and encourage you all to read it. This is not an easy read, by any means, but a deeply vital and necessary one, difficult though it may be.

I’d just like to make it clear, which the writer Jeremy Dronfield also does: that this is a true story and everything within the book is factually accurate, down to the letters and threads of conversations within it. Throughout the book there are multiple footnotes as well as an extensive index at the end of the novel with all the references. It is an impeccably researched novel and I appreciate the effort and dedication this must have taken, as well as the emotional toll.

Before the story of Gustav and Fritz really begins, there is a touching foreword by the youngest member of the Kleinmann family, Kurt Kleinnmann who expresses that his families story must never be forgotten and the importance of keeping it alive. He also expresses his gratitude to the writer, Jeremy Dronfield for compiling this story and bringing it to public attention. This alone brought tears to my eyes and it sets the tone for this heartbreaking but inspiring tale of human strength and the unwavering love between a father and his son.

The book follows the Kleinmann family, a Jewish family who live in Vienna just prior to the German invasion of Poland and the horrifying events which follow. Over time each member of the family is separated and goes through different trials and tribulations. Primarily the narrative follows Gustav and Fritz, as they are held captive in a number of concentration camps, starting from Buchenwald then finally to Auschwitz.

Honestly, I had to stop many times whilst reading, as I couldn’t even comprehend the experiences of so many people depicted in the book. The atrocities and cruelty goes beyond any limits. Through it all, hope remained. The sense of humanity and the desire to overcome even the most insurmountable obstacles was honestly inspiring and humbling to read about. Through so many near death experiences and the brutality of Buchenwald then Auschwitz, Gustav and Fritz manage to stay together and retain their compassion.

One of the most touching elements was the resilience and bonds formed between Gustav, Fritz and other individuals in the camps. In such dire circumstances, where there was such little to go around, they would find ways to share even these morsels and help others. It’s a testament to the power of humanity, and a deeply poignant one at that.

This book is also an important reminder that the Holocaust and the many people who lost their lives are not just faceless numbers. They were individuals, with families, hopes and dreams which were cruelly taken away. It depicts what life was like in the many camps but also what life was like for those on the outside, the fear and paranoia as well as the grief. Dronfield depicts the ill treatment so many faced, in a way which is not overly descriptive but shows the grim realities in an eye opening way, and how these experiences shaped so many lives.

It’s hard to believe at certain points that this is a true story, and one of the many that we must never forget. As someone who has studied both World Wars as well as the Holocaust extensively, it still educated me a lot about the full extent of the heartbreaking realities and taught me so much. This book hit especially hard because of the rising amount of Anti Semitism across the world to this day, which most recently resulted in an attack on a Synagogue in the US, where members of the Jewish community sadly lost their lives. I implore people to educate themselves and find it in themselves to be compassionate and understand history, learn from the past and come together.

Overall, I am extremely grateful to have read The Boy Who Followed His Father Into Auschwitz and I will always carry the Kleinmann family and their story with me. This account has left me so incredibly moved. I will never forget the will and determination of Tini Kleinmann and her unrelenting efforts to get her children to safety, may she rest in peace. I will never forget the strength, kindess and love between Gustav and his beloved son, Fritz.