Ellie Midwood

This is the story of Lore, an Austrian woman who was sent to the camps after she committed treason against the Reich by delivering secrets to the Jews. While in captivity, she was sentenced to be a woman catering to the needs of the SS and the inmates of the camps. She meets Wolf, a journalist, and they fall in love. They create a child, but have to hide the pregnancy from the SS, or the pregnancy will be terminated.
I enjoyed the first part of the book, but then I felt it got dragged down towards the second half. The book did do a good job of outlining the atrocities of the camps, even to citizens of Austria and Germany who went against the hard doctrine of the regime.… (more)

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The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood is a historical fiction book recounting the life of Malka “Mala” Zimetbaum and Edvard “Edek” Galiński who escaped from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Ms. Midwood is a best-selling, award-winning historical fiction author.

Inmate 19880, Mala is a bright young Jewish woman deep in the hell of Auschwitz. Due to her intellect and ability to speak several languages, Mala is put in a privileged secretarial position which she uses to help others and save many lives.

Inmate 531, Edek is a Polish political prisoner who is a member of the underground resistance, planning an escape. When Edek and Malka meet, they are convinced that their combined privilege, courage, and imagination will allow them to escape.

A particularly tragic story based on true events, memoirs, and lots of research. For me, it was interesting to read about the experience of two prisoners who were not explicitly marked for death since their arrival in Auschwitz. The author goes on to describe the horrible conditions as witnessed by privileged prisoners, the administrative office, or the political prisoner. Prisoners that altogether had access to a large portion of Auschwitz.

Mala was saved thanks to her fluency in five languages (Dutch, French, German, and Polish; other sources say she also knew English and/or Italian), she served as a runner and translator for the SS. Soon Mala became a legend at the camp, a person who was not corrupted by the harsh reality and did all she can to help other prisoners, risking her life often. We know this through collective stories of survivors. Standing up to evil, even as she faced certain death, elevated Mala from a local legend to a heroine for the ages.

I saw some other reviewers complain about the author’s soapbox speech about abortion rights. Regardless of my personal opinion, I agree that this very short section had no place in the book. Abortions in Auschwitz were a necessity. Getting impregnated was a guaranteed date with the hangman, there was no religious aspect to it – just a matter of survival.

The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood certainly is an engrossing book, shining a light on brave heroes we should never forget. Even though it’s historical fiction, Mala’s bravery, as well as chutzpah in the face of pure evil shine through.
I hope I have half her courage.… (more)