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  • The Volunteer

  • The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz
  • By: Jack Fairweather
  • Narrated by: David Rintoul
  • Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (41 ratings)

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The Volunteer cover art

The Volunteer

By: Jack Fairweather
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The 2019 Costa Book of the Year and Biography Winner.

How do you keep fighting in the face of unimaginable horror?

Narrated by David Rintoul, this is the untold story of one of the greatest heroes of the Second World War.

In the summer of 1940, after the Nazi occupation of Poland, an underground operative called Witold Pilecki accepted a mission to uncover the fate of thousands of people being interred at a new concentration camp on the border of the Reich.

His mission was to report on Nazi crimes and raise a secret army to stage an uprising. The name of the detention centre - Auschwitz.

It was only after arriving at the camp that he started to discover the Nazis' terrifying designs. Over the next two and a half years, Witold forged an underground army that smuggled evidence of Nazi atrocities, culminating in the mass murder of over a million Jews, to the West. His reports from the camp were to shape the Allies response to the Holocaust - yet his story was all but forgotten for decades.

This is the first major account of his amazing journey, drawing on exclusive family papers and recently declassified files as well as unpublished accounts from the camp’s fighters to show how he saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

The result is an enthralling story of resistance and heroism against the most horrific circumstances and one man’s attempt to change the course of history.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.

©2019 Jack Fairweather (P)2019 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The Volunteer

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part of the history you thought you knew

growing up listening, watching and reading everything I could about our past wars I thought I had a grasp on most of what had happened in our history... this opened my eyes to how much there is still to be told... how much still needs to be told

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Wow

A powerful story go people doing something to redefining the evils of war. Excellent from start to finish Determination of a few to save many. narration excellent as wel

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

dry listen

not sure if it's the story or the person reading but couldn't listen long it was very dry

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Powerful

A powerful and astonishing story very well narrated. What a brave, intelligent and strong man Witold was.

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Excellent

This is a remarkable store of man with persistent perseverance in fave of evil.

The store of this book is to never give up.

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powerful

such an amazing story about heroism and bravery. shows a life dedicated to country regardless of the outcome.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Dry and dull

I have enjoyed other concentration camp books but this one is too dry and dull. Stopped listening after 3 hours.

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