The Boy Who Followed His Father Into Auschwitz

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Brilliantly written and powerful, this true story deserves to be read and remembered. It captures the profound bond between a father and son. In 1939, Jewish upholsterer Gustav Kleinmann and his sixteen-year-old son Fritz are arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Germany. Imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp, they miraculously survive the Nazis' brutality. When Gustav learns he is to be sent to Auschwitz, Fritz cannot bear to let his father go. In a desperate bid to stay together, he insists on accompanying Gustav, and the Nazis allow it. Over six years of horror and suffering, their love and hope for the future become their lifeline. This account is based on Gustav's secret diary, along with meticulous archival research and interviews with family members, including Fritz's younger brother Kurt, who escaped to the United States at age eleven. The story of Gustav and Fritz is an extraordinary testament to courage, loyalty, survival, and love that remains unforgettable.