The Auschwitz Volunteer

WINNER of the PROSE AWARD for Biography & Autobiograpy from the Association of American Publishers

WINNER of the Benjamin Franklin SILVER AWARD for Autobiography/Memoir from the Independent Book Publishers Association

Featured Selection of the HISTORY BOOK CLUB

Selection of the BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB and the MILITARY BOOK CLUB

"A historical document of the greatest importance." -- The New York Times, Editors' Choice

One of the "Five Best" books on wartime secret missions -- The Wall St. Journal

"Extraordinary memoir. Extraordinarily powerful prose. Deserves to be read alongside the accounts of Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel." The New Republic

"Remarkable revelations." -- Publishers Weekly

"A work of supreme importance." -- Tablet Magazine

"A fascinating first-hand account of virtually all aspects of life inside the camp." -- The Atlantic

"A shining example of heroism that transcends religion, race and time. Essential reading for anyone interested in the Holocaust." -- Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland

"Extraordinary." -- Maclean's (Canada)

More at https://www.polandww2.com/books/auschwitz-volunteer/praise/

Book trailer at https://www.polandww2.com/books/auschwitz-volunteer/book-trailer/

In 1940, the Polish Underground wanted to know what was happening inside the recently opened Auschwitz concentration camp. Polish army officer Witold Pilecki volunteered to be arrested by the Germans and reported from inside the camp. His intelligence reports, smuggled out in 1941, were among the first eyewitness accounts of Auschwitz atrocities: the extermination of Soviet POWs, its function as a camp for Polish political prisoners, and the “final solution” for Jews. Pilecki received brutal treatment until he escaped in April 1943; soon after, he wrote a brief report. This book is the first English translation of a 1945 expanded version. In the foreword, Poland’s chief rabbi states, “If heeded, Pilecki’s early warnings might have changed the course of history.” Pilecki’s story was suppressed for half a century after his 1948 arrest by the Polish Communist regime as a “Western spy.” He was executed and expunged from Polish history. Pilecki writes in staccato style but also interjects his observations on humankind’s lack of progress: “We have strayed, my friends, we have strayed dreadfully... we are a whole level of hell worse than animals!” These remarkable revelations are amplified by 40 b&w photos, illus., and maps.