Monday, April 8, 2013

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman


Reading two nonfiction titles in a row in our book club maybe wasn't the wisest choice. And in total ignorance, I actually believed this to be a novel when we picked it for our list. Let's just say it would have made a fabulous historical novel. But it is not a novel.

What it is is the true account of a devoted couple in Warsaw, Poland who own a very successful zoo. They are not only devoted to each other but to their son Rys and to each and every animal held within. There are wonderful stories of pigs, badgers, and birds kept as pets in the villa beside the zoo. There are stories of the owners' love of nature and creatures within the painstakingly created habitats. But then World War II takes all of that away. But it also gives the couple, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, a new and dangerous focus: switching from saving the animals to saving Jews trying to flee Poland or simply trying to stay alive during the war. The Zablinskis put themselves in constant danger, using the zoo they loved as a hiding place, a portal, and a refuge.

This is a unique story with intense detail of the natural world, both things that Ackerman is famous for. For a naturalist, a veterinarian, or a very avid gardener perhaps, this would be a great read. For me, someone who has read many, many World War II stories focusing on the holocaust, the book took a wonderful story and bogged it down in needless detail, leaving it bereft of action and the intense emotion that a reader should feel when reading a book about the holocaust.

But my opinion is just one. There were some in our book club who couldn't get through the book, and there were some who absolutely loved it. So, if you really like good nonfiction, please read The Zoo Keeper's Wife and tell me what you think and why you liked it. We'd love to hear your comments!

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