This was a case where the author had come up with a sketch on his own that he wanted to use for cover art. The visual metaphor of a single shaft of wheat figured prominently in his story of surviving Auschwitz and his life after the war.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIgTRXn5xGSo8MPw5H02O95KIEt8Jukmu2mHeqaq1U1p3rRPtNi3PmgKDYl_y9G6oNKIW_W1fRzP2Ss54sb3hyBbN9IqVxWygKdsB7N5_zq3mf2NtW8PJw0iT6Gk3idlM7YId6nwcoTc/s200/gruen.jpg)
I felt the same idea could be expressed in a more sophisticated and poignant manner and in the end, after a fair amount of convincing, he accepted my version. His tattoo number was moved from the front cover to the back.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ph7d9h32i8SuBMKCQ2l5J8dRg6yF0lcMmIHwiM7r64Usx2Cq-1TjAvNB2kGaKuRdDmrPjm4EGUnqkIidiLWp7FlMuYeUlSiC0xTx8g_MTb6289aYkQSZwA0CLXcjOGTJkRSHE_kRS_w/s400/gruen2.jpg)