Alexander Altmann A10567 by Suzy Zail

Alexander Altmann A10567
Written by Suzy Zail
Published May 1st 2014
352 Pages
★★★★
Fourteen year old Alexander Altmann doesn't need to look at the number tattooed on his arm. A10567: he knows it by heart. He also knows that to survive Auschwitz, he has to toughen up. When he is given the job of breaking in the commander's new horse, their survival becomes intertwined. Alexander knows the animal is scared and damaged, but he must win its trust. If he fails, they will both be killed.
In Birkenau, you're simply a number. It's been weeks since Alexander Altmann has seen his mother and sister, separated by prison camps where the Jewish family is now at the mercy of the German soldiers. Each day, Alexander sees men whipped, shot and abused and then prays that he isn't next. There's no bathing within the camp and being sent to the showers means something entirely different. They are left to sleep on wooden pallets, with only the clothes on their backs. A meal is a stale piece of bread and prisoners are left to fight over the peel of a piece of fruit, often to the death. If the prison camp has taught Alexander one thing, it's to keep his head down, his mouth shut and pray to a god that he no longer believes in.

When Alexander is chosen to work the stables at Auschwitz, along with several other men, he will be made to care for the horses the Nazi officers ride. The rules are simple, keep your assigned horse well fed, healthy and in peak physical condition or you'll become another lifeless body being carried out and replaced. But when Alexander is given the Commander's horse to care for, he's acutely aware the fine line he treads between life and death should he step out of line. With the memory of his horse back home, he befriends Serafin, the stunning Arabic horse and Isidor, a fellow stable hand. Before long, Alexander is assigned the role to tame the new wild stallion brought to the barracks, affectionately named Midnight. Midnight is frightened and doesn't trust Alexander, which makes the three weeks he has to train the horse that much more difficult.

While he struggles to tame the horse, Alexander finds himself caring for the animal even though becoming soft may just end his life. Midnight represents freedom and an unbridled hope that he may just survive the camp after all. But as the war burns closer, Alexander's dream of freedom and preservation may just burn with it.

Kelly's Thoughts

Alexander Altmann wasn't what I had expected. I assumed from the synopsis that the storyline was about being imprisoned by the Germans and concentrated on the appalling and cruel conditions. But I was pleasantly surprised. Alexander Altmann represents hope even in the darkest of conditions and the fight for life. Alexander's story was nothing short of heartbreaking, at only fourteen, he is taken into the adult male camp and kept in inhumane conditions. Men dying is a part of everyday life, and I use the term life loosely, as the prisoners are only barely existing. Alexander has been through more in his short life, than any of us would in a lifetime, he has no idea where his family is, but knows if he has any chance of surviving, he needs to remain hardened. He won't allow himself to make friends, with men dying all around him, he figures there's no point. I can't even begin to imagine being only fourteen and thrown into a terrifying world that no child or adult should experience. It was horrific.

Based on a true story, it is said that Suzy Zail was visiting the Holocaust Centre in Melbourne when Alexander Altmann begun to materialise. She was listening to a guest speaker in which an elderly man participated from the audience, uzy sought the man out after lecture and heard his story. Fred Steiner is Alexander Altmann with a fictional blend. He survived, migrated to Australia where he married and had children of his own, in a country that prides itself on freedom for all and continues to speak at the Holocaust Centre in Melbourne. Through the pen of Suzy Zail, I'm incredibly humbled and grateful to have read his story.

18 comments

  1. Yup, I'm pretty much 100% with you on this. I was a tiny bit bored, but I really like how her books aren't as depressing as, say, Code Name Verity (I will ALWAYS love CNV, but still...feels = destroyed). x) I love the backstory behind the book's idea too!

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    1. I haven't actually read Code Name Verity before, must check it out. This is my first Holocaust book I've read and I must admit that I really don't know all that much about it either. The backstory was incredible, I found the premise of how the story came together really emotional.

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  2. Woah, another Holocaust book, this sounds so heartbreaking. Thanks for posting your thoughts, Kelly!

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    1. It is Jeann, but considering the devastating conditions and dark place the Holocaust instills in people, it touches on the brutal aspects, but I felt it was more so of a story about hope and learning to survive.

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  3. I've been looking for this, it's not even on Amazon or TBD yet. Is your giveaway international? Reading your review makes me want to read this badly!

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    1. I think it might be an Australian only release at the moment, but I'll definitely find out for you. It's an Aussie only giveaway, sorry Dre bear. I wish I could offer international giveaway, but the postage is astronomical.

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  4. This sounds great! I haven't heard much about it, but every review I have read has been pretty positive, so that's a great sign! Definitely going to take everyone's advice and add it to my TBR!

    Thanks for sharing Kelly, and, as always, brilliant review! <3

    ~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf

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    1. It's definitely more than just a Holocaust book Zoe, it's shocking in places, but concentrates more on Alexander's journey and his will to survive. I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

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  5. These kinds of books are always so terrifying because I will surely be devastated. But I do think that these kinds of stories should be heard. Especially when they represent all those people who held on throughout it all. It's certainly heartbreaking, but I think in a sense, it can also be cathartic. I think that this is a book that I would definitely want to read.

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    1. I thought the same, but this one focuses more on the prisoners behind the war. It's emotional, but not as heartwrenching as it sounds. I think you'll really enjoy it.

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  6. This sounds like an amazing story that I must read. I like that the story focuses on hope even though the horrific conditions around him were anything but hopeful. Great review!

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    1. That really attracted me to it too. And having Alexander working as a stable hand really gave it a sense of hope and softened an otherwise heartbreaking situation.

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  7. I love story like this are just an absolute must read. But knowing it will give me all the feels is frightening, the backstory is amazing and beautiful. I’m definitely going to pick this up and feel as grateful as you do.

    Thanks for another great review Kelly!

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    1. Thanks Katie, reading books like this one really does make you grateful for the freedom we have in Australia.

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  8. Wow, this sounds like a beautiful take on the Holocaust. I'm seeing so many different versions nowadays, that don't just focus on the war, and the awful treatment in the concentration camps. Loving the incorporation of horses, and the message of hope. Thank you for sharing this Kelly! x

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    1. It rwally is a beautiful read Joy, I'm not a horse person as such, but the inclusion of the beautiful animals really did offer a different perspective on how life was for those like Alexander.

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  9. Oh, gosh, this book sounds amazing and heartbreaking all at the same time!
    I can sense tears in the making, and that's pretty special, since I never cry in books.
    The fact that it's based of a true story makes it all the more intense.

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  10. This sounds like an impressive read. I'd really like to read this book, it must be a beautiful story.

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