The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather

The remarkable true story of an extraordinary man. In summer 1940, Witold Pilecki, a Polish underground operative, accepted a mission to infiltrate a new concentration camp, report on what was happening there and create a resistance. That camp was Auschwitz. Jack Fairweather’s meticulously researched book is an important, fascinating and harrowing account of the courage and determination shown by Pilecki and others in the face of unspeakable horrors.  Costa Book of the Year 2019.

Overall score: 8.2

Range: 8 – 8.5