The Summer of Auschwitz: The Incredible True Story of the Olympic Hero Who Swam for His Life

Sports writer Leblond revisits in his propulsive English-language debut the life of Alfred Nakache, an Olympic athlete who was forced to swim for his guards’ entertainment at Auschwitz. Born into the French Jewish community in Algiers, Nakache developed into a competitive swimmer in his youth and broke a world breaststroke record in 1941. However, Nakache also became the target of antisemitic attacks in the press; by 1943 he was banned by the Vichy government from competing in sports. Shortly after, he and his wife and daughter were deported to Auschwitz; his family was gassed immediately, while Nakache was sent to a work detail. Recognized as a celebrity, he was singled out for humiliation, forced to swim for hours in a freezing, rancid pond. An emaciated but determined Nakache survived until the camp’s liberation, and he competed again in the 1948 Olympics. Leblond writes with a gripping, novelistic flare. (“This time Alfred my boy, you’re going to give it everything.... If you get below your previous time, you’ll be allowed a bit of meat. If not, we’ll have another of our specialties for you. A surprise, Alfred my boy, a surprise,” says the commandant of Auschwitz III in a characterization that is somehow both cartoonishly villainous and believable.) Readers will be hooked. (Oct.)