Publication Date: June 17, 2025
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.
From a distance, the image of a butterfly resting on a man’s clasped hands immediately catches the eye. Yet it is the appearance of the word “Auschwitz” in the book’s title that begs for additional scrutiny.
Author Wendy Holden delves into Holocaust history and introduces Fredy Hirsch to a new generation of readers. The Teacher of Auschwitz showcases a nugget of positivity amid a horrific experience.
In a place where people become numbers and herded like cattle, one Jewish man steps up to give a voice to the voiceless—the children. These death camps weren’t limited to adults. And if the adults were terrified by the uncertainty of their fate, they weren’t able to reassure their children effectively.
That’s why the author’s depiction of 27-year-old Fredy resonates. His bravery in recognizing the needs of young children unfolds time and again. Who would dare succeed in setting up an area dedicated to children, isolating them somewhat from the pain and suffering?
His impact lives on through the children who demonstrated they mastered the most important lesson of all—survival.
Rich with detail, The Teacher of Auschwitz shines the light on an unlikely source of inspiration within a concentration camp known for brutality.
Wendy Holden was a journalist for eighteen years, including a decade at the Daily Telegraph. She is the author and coauthor of more than thirty books, among them several internationally acclaimed wartime biographies, including Born Survivors, as well as the New York Times bestsellers A Lotus Grows in the Mud (with Goldie Hawn) and Lady Blue Eyes (with Frank Sinatra’s widow, Barbara). She lives in Suffolk, England, with her husband and two dogs, and divides her time between the UK and the US.
