'I was gripped by this book. It is a must-read.'
— The Old Barbed Wire Magazine

'A powerful reminder that even in humanity’s darkest hours, courage finds a way.'
Captured at Dunkirk in 1940, Drum Major Henry Barnes Jackson promised his wife he would return home and play for her again. Instead, he was marched through a brutal system of Nazi prison camps where survival was never guaranteed.

In 1942, Jackson was transferred to Auschwitz IV—part of the notorious concentration camp complex where Allied POWs were also imprisoned. There, he was ordered to become the camp’s Music Maker, leading performances for his captors.

But what began as an act of control became an act of quiet defiance.

Through music, Jackson lifted the spirits of fellow prisoners, created moments of hope in unimaginable conditions, and even helped conceal escape attempts. All the while, he risked everything to keep a secret diary—recording the truth of life inside the camps.

When liberation finally came in 1945, Jackson emerged gravely ill but alive. Hidden among his belongings was the diary that would bear witness to five years of courage, suffering and survival.
Written by his granddaughter, The Music Maker of Auschwitz is a powerful true story of resilience, love and the enduring strength of the human spirit in the face of darkness.

'Byrne transforms her grandfather’s war diary into a powerful testament to extraordinary strength of mind.'
'For readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Pianist, this is an unforgettable true story of music, survival and quiet resistance in the face of unimaginable darkness.'
'Deeply moving and historically important.'
'An extraordinary testament to survival, love and quiet resistance.'