Gary Sokolov, son of the Tattooist of Auschwitz: "I am proud of my father's courage & Optimism, but will never visit Auschwitz"

The book, ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ has been one of the year’s bestselling novels. It is the story of how Slovakian Jew Lale Sokolov who fell in love with a girl he was tattooing at the concentration camp. SBS conversation with their son Gary Sokolov was recorded, when the book was first published at the beginning of 2018. Gary told SBS a year later, in January 2019, that he has been receiving hundreds of letters and emails from all over the world, from people that were overwhelmed by his parents’ story. Gary the only child of Lele and Gita Sokolov, was considered a miracle child, after his mother was told that she will never have children after the horrific medical experiments on her in Auschwitz. Gary admires his parents’ optimism & courage. It is still difficult for him to confront and read in details, in chronological order the suffering of his parents in the concentration camps. He also tried 3 times to visit Auschwitz and could not bring himself to cross the border to Poland. It is important to him that his family story was published for the next generations.

Source: SBS