A REBEL IN AUSCHWITZ

A young readers’ adaptation of The Volunteer (2019), about a Polish resistance fighter who infiltrated Auschwitz.

At 38, Witold Pilecki was a gentleman farmer, a husband and father, and a second lieutenant in the cavalry reserves. Shortly after the Nazis invaded Poland, he joined the underground resistance movement and accepted a dangerous mission: infiltrating Auschwitz to learn what was happening behind its walls, attempting to create a resistance cell within the camp, then staging an escape. Pilecki allowed himself to be captured and sent there as a political prisoner. For nearly three years, he experienced firsthand the horrifying violence inflicted at Auschwitz as well as the gnawing hunger and infectious disease that dominated life in the camp. He set about creating resistance cells among fellow prisoners he felt he could trust, sending oral messages via prisoners who were released, in hopes this intelligence would reach the Allies and inspire them to action. As Auschwitz transformed from a violent prison camp to a death camp targeting primarily Jews, Pilecki’s drive to spur an uprising grew more urgent. The narrative moves at a fast clip, never pausing or slowing down for readers to process the many horrors described. Nevertheless, it represents an important perspective that adds yet another layer to what we know about the tragic legacy of Auschwitz. Maps and photographs enhance the text.

A valuable account of an ordinary man who made extraordinary sacrifices.