Zookeepers all their adult lives, Jan and Antonina Zabinski's world was shattered when bombing destroyed their Warsaw Zoo in the early onset of World War II. However, with clever maneuvering, the Zabinskis managed to convince the Germans to let them stay in the villa that came with the zoo property -- where they would smuggle and hide some 300 Jews over the next four years as part of Poland's Underground movement.

Despite any possible dangers to themselves and their young son Rys, as well as already struggling with minimal supplies and harsh winters, the Zabinskis didn't hesitate to do all that they could to help others in danger -- at first, only a few friends in their immediate sphere; and then, more and more desperate individuals and families as time progressed.

While Ackerman overall does a good job detailing the years of the Zabinskis' wartime experience, she sometimes goes a little overboard with the details. For example, readers well know that the Zabinskis are zookeepers, and so it's important to set a bit of background about the pre-war zoo, perhaps a bit about the kinds of animals they once kept (i.e. native to Poland, exotic, etc.) just so that the readers can better imagine their daily lives. However, it's really not necessary for Ackerman, having listed the kinds of animals at the zoo in the late '30s, to then go into entire chapters detailing the physiological history of the particular animals. Not only does it seem like a teenager trying to pad a school report with encyclopedia details, but it detracts from the real focus of the book -- the Zabinskis and their wartime experience.

That said, I would definitely recommend this book as a worthwhile Holocaust read, guaranteed to remain in readers' memories for some time to come.

Not my type of story. Too much detail about people and things and not about the people in the story.

The Zoo Keeper's Wife is a very interesting story from Poland during WWII, not well know. Contains many war stories of survivors of Jews and Poles during that time. The back ground is well researched.

This is a gripping story of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. Gives a real sense of the inhuman treatment of the Jews in Poland.

Ackerman pulls from Antonina Zabinski's extensive memoirs of her experiences in World War II Poland and from her own research on the topic to tell the story of the hundreds of Jews that passed through this particular stop on the Polish Underground. Although this book is highly informative and at times extremely touching, I found it hard to feel fully engaged. I don't really know why this is; I'm extremely interested in the Holocaust and I'd read some great reviews on the book. Initially, I thought maybe I had hit some sort of wall and have read too many books on the subject, but then remembered that I had just recently read and loved a new book on one of the most famous figures in Holocaust history, Anne Frank. I felt that the book was slightly rambling and didn't really stay on topic as I expected it to. Ackerman's research certainly shines through, although at times her attention to detail is perhaps too great. I struggled to finish this one.

This is one of the more fascinating books on World War Two and how it affected people. I never thought of the zoos during WWII and in Europe. It just never crossed my mind until I picked up this book (that I found in a rummage sale). Mixed in with personal observations (gleamed from diaries written by Antonia and interviews with Jan, the zookeeper), are biological facts about zoology and animal behavior. Not only that, Ackerman wrote about the horrors that the couple witnessed first-hand during the Nazis' attacks on Warsaw.

I finished this book with new revelations about human behavior and about animal science ... both fascinating and sometimes, horrorifying. Jan was not only the Zookeeper of the Warsaw Zoo, he was also a member of the Underground Resistance. He not only helped hide the Jews in the zoo, he also helped fight against the Nazis in other ways, which eventually resulted in his capture. Antonia is the central character of this book and Ackerman gleamed countless of tidbits from Antonia's diaries about what went on during the war and how she helped hide the Jews passing through. Not only was Antonia a zookeeper's wife, she was also a fierce and protective mother for her son and infant daughter (who was born towards the end of the war). She was also a fierce protector of the Guests that glided through quietly on their way to other places where their lives may be spared.

I found this book fascinating. It is filled with information on animal behavior and stories about Nazis' attempt to breed superior types of animals and more. It also has history and supersitious lore mixed in with Antonia's stories of the war ... it was just simply interesting and revealing. The things one learns from reading!

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would. Unlike a lot of reviewers, I never found this book to be dry or boring. I thought the writing style was informative and it had a certain flow to it. I personally didn't have any trouble following it along. The courage of Jan and Antonia are just breath-taking ... it makes one wonder if she would have the same if faced with the same situations as they faced.

1/19/10

I really wanted to like this book, maybe that's why the disappointment was great. I devour WWII books whether they are history, historical fiction, or just plain fiction but this one I just couldn't finish.

I bought this book after hearing rave reviews and seeing the high marks readers gave it. I've been reading most of my life so I know not to take stock in what critics are saying but I cannot understand how the public -"my public" - liked this book (unless they didn't read it).

The story, by itself is fascinating and well worth telling. Jan & Antonina Zabinski, who run the Warsaw Zoo, hide 300 Jews during WWII right under the nose of the Nazis.
But instead of a story of triumph we get ...lists.
Many mundane lists of bugs, classical composers, beetles and more - that go on for pages and pages.

So, you say, skip the lists.
I did, believe me, but what I got was a disjointed story, that doesn't read like a history book or a novel, but like a long arduous rambling of someone with ADHD. The author jumps in time from paragraph to paragraph and sometimes even within the same paragraph which makes it difficult to follow this remarkable story.

What makes a good history book, for me, are the daily struggles of the subjects, the small stories and anecdotes which only them, and us, will be privy to - not a collection of bugs.

This book simply wasn't enjoyable, but the story is important as well as fascinating and needs to be retold.

I love zoos and wildlife, stories of the holocaust and WWII, insights into Nazi Germany and surrounding countries at the time, the resistance, and how people survived during such horrible times. I should have loved this book. There is some of all of this in 'The Zookeeper's Wife' but it is more a poorly set buffet than a satisfying dinner of facts and images. I picture an author trying to flesh out enough material for a book from diaries, photos and recollections. It apparently wasn't enough because the reader is treated to unexpected tangents on animals, important developments in history, and other ramblings that are not really related to the story. As others have commented, there is no sense of a timeline and the key aspects of the story, namely how people were hidden and actually lived at the zoo, are poorly covered. The efforts of the principles to survive and help others under the very eyes of the Nazis is not portrayed in a way that allowed me to imagine these amazing dealings, and character descriptions were likewise inadequately developed for readers to feel strongly about the characters. The mysterious illness of the zookeeper's wife and the bizzare behavior of most characters in this book reflect either inadequate background material available to the author or are intended to show that war produced highly divergent and changeable personalities and behaviors. This was my first book read on my Kindle, which may have influenced my reading and understanding, since it was more difficult to leaf back and forth to try to understand some of the many questions I had after finishing this book.

I came to read this book because it was selected by my book club, The Vintage Book Club in Long Beach, CA.

I'm sure you all know by this time the book which is non-fiction is the story of Antonina and Jan Zabinskis, keepers of the Warsaw zoo. It is also the story of their son, Rys during WWII. But that said, it's an understatement. In a time when everyone who does anything helpful is labeled a hero, these 3 - this Zabinskis family (including Jan's mother, making it 4) were indeed heroes. For over the span of WWII Jan was an officer in the Polish resistance while Antonina ran their house and together managed to hide and/or set up a safe house for Jews and Polish resistance members who were escaping the horrors of Nazi terror and brutality. From the beginning such behavior would have resulted in the death of the entire family. Never-the-less, they managed to run their house for the entire war with what I would consider some degree of normalcy.

What fascinated me was the ability of Jan and Antonina to suss out individual Nazis (or in one case, a Russian soldier) in face-to-face confrontations and always managed to outwit them. Jan did it as he intimidated German guards (one in particular, but on one occasion, the guard's wife) in a sense forcing his way into the Jewish Ghetto with food, or even bringing Jews out. I think knowing German certainly went a long way in besting the invaders.

When Jan was moving a couple of guns through Warsaw he stashed them in a knapsack and covered them with dead rabbits. When stopped by a German soldier he was told to put his hands up. Next he was instructed to show the soldier what was in the knapsack. He told the soldier he couldn't because his hand were up. So the soldier carried out the inspection himself and discovered only the dead rabbits.

Antonina managed to distract a Russian officer whose unit was looting the Zabinski's villa by invoking the Russian's mother, wife, and sister - and Antonina did it speaking in Russian. The result was the the officer threatened to shoot any member of his unit who had anything in his possession which came from the Zabinski's villa.

Then there was the German officer (drunk?) who wanted Antonina to play the piano for him. Her first selection sent him into a fearful rage. Not knowing what he wanted she watch as he went through her sheet music. He found what he want in her folder of national anthems and brought her finally something he want to hear - and sing. So while she played the piano he sang - The Star Spangled Banner!


Going into the book I already knew about the Biaowiea forest, the bison therein and the primitive horse, the Przywalskis. I also knew about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising because I read John Hersey's, The Wall in early 1950.

I did not know about the extent of the Polish resistance and the degree to which it went to help the Jews of Warsaw. In fact in that respect I can credit Ms. Ackerman in reshaping my attitude towards the Poland and Polish of WWII.

I assume Ms. Ackerman did her own translation of the Antonina's journals. Journals are good primary source material, but can have lots of irrelevant information. I say that having gone through several of my wife's grandfather's journals. Translating I think would increase the level of difficulty.

The author also interviewed Antonina, Jan and their son Rys.

Some information I thought irrelevant (the inventor of the Pogo stick, the vitamin and the little story about Peoria, Illinois and its role in the production of penicillin. Interesting but irrelevant).

Worse though was getting the invasion of Okinawa off by a full year. I mark that as inexcusable.

Still, if you're looking for an heroic family Jan, Antonina (and even Rys, who was a boy throughout those years) they are found in this book. A true story, well told.

Jan. 7. This book was selected by my book club in Long Beach, CA. As it happens the discussion among the 10 of us was spirited. We all liked the book and admired the author's ability to take that terrible period in the lives of millions of people, but in particular Antonia, Jen and their children and turn it to a living history.

Sorry to say I have a feeling that some people, as they get into a book, are side-tracked by structure, language, lists and probably other stuff. When I was still teaching I would make a grade sheet called a rubric in which I would look at the grammar, the spelling structure, quality of research. Eventually I would come up with a total picture of the writing (biology research papers). Some of the opinions here strike me as being only the beginning of the rubric, as if you started grading the author instead of getting into the meat of the content.

Too bad for those of who just couldn't tolerate Ms. Ackerman's endless lists, or her winding back of time. Too bad. You've missed a lot.

I came to read this book because it was selected by my book club, The Vintage Book Club in Long Beach, CA.

I'm sure you all know by this time the book which is non-fiction is the story of Antonina and Jan Zabinskis, keepers of the Warsaw zoo. It is also the story of their son, Rys during WWII. But that said, it's an understatement. In a time when everyone who does anything helpful is labeled a hero, these 3 - this Zabinskis family (including Jan's mother, making it 4) were indeed heroes. For over the span of WWII Jan was an officer in the Polish resistance while Antonina ran their house and together managed to hide and/or set up a safe house for Jews and Polish resistance members who were escaping the horrors of Nazi terror and brutality. From the beginning such behavior would have resulted in the death of the entire family. Never-the-less, they managed to run their house for the entire war with what I would consider some degree of normalcy.

What fascinated me was the ability of Jan and Antonina to suss out individual Nazis (or in one case, a Russian soldier) in face-to-face confrontations and always managed to outwit them. Jan did it as he intimidated German guards (one in particular, but on one occasion, the guard's wife) in a sense forcing his way into the Jewish Ghetto with food, or even bringing Jews out. I think knowing German certainly went a long way in besting the invaders.

When Jan was moving a couple of guns through Warsaw he stashed them in a knapsack and covered them with dead rabbits. When stopped by a German soldier he was told to put his hands up. Next he was instructed to show the soldier what was in the knapsack. He told the soldier he couldn't because his hand were up. So the soldier carried out the inspection himself and discovered only the dead rabbits.

Antonina managed to distract a Russian officer whose unit was looting the Zabinski's villa by invoking the Russian's mother, wife, and sister - and Antonina did it speaking in Russian. The result was the the officer threatened to shoot any member of his unit who had anything in his possession which came from the Zabinski's villa.

Then there was the German officer (drunk?) who wanted Antonina to play the piano for him. Her first selection sent him into a fearful rage. Not knowing what he wanted she watch as he went through her sheet music. He found what he want in her folder of national anthems and brought her finally something he want to hear - and sing. So while she played the piano he sang - The Star Spangled Banner!


Going into the book I already knew about the Biaowiea forest, the bison therein and the primitive horse, the Przywalskis. I also knew about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising because I read John Hersey's, The Wall in early 1950.

I did not know about the extent of the Polish resistance and the degree to which it went to help the Jews of Warsaw. In fact in that respect I can credit Ms. Ackerman in reshaping my attitude towards the Poland and Polish of WWII.

I assume Ms. Ackerman did her own translation of the Antonina's journals. Journals are good primary source material, but can have lots of irrelevant information. I say that having gone through several of my wife's grandfather's journals. Translating I think would increase the level of difficulty.

The author also interviewed Antonina, Jan and their son Rys.

Some information I thought irrelevant (the inventor of the Pogo stick, the vitamin and the little story about Peoria, Illinois and its role in the production of penicillin. Interesting but irrelevant).

Worse though was getting the invasion of Okinawa off by a full year. I mark that as inexcusable.

Still, if you're looking for an heroic family Jan, Antonina (and even Rys, who was a boy throughout those years) they are found in this book. A true story, well told.

I picked this book up because WW II is perhaps the most fascinating period of history to me and I enjoy the stories of heroism that have come from occupied cities such as Warsaw. In addition, my partner's family is of Polish descent and his grandmother, although a Christian, lived through some of the awful events in Warsaw during the war. He and I recently visited Poland so I was excited to read a book that would talk about places I have seen and experienced.

However, the author's execution of the story is very poor. There are multiple rabbit trails (that sometimes go on for many pages!), changes in point of view and unnecessary historic facts. Often, the point of view is changed within a single paragraph from telling Antonina and Jan's story to a somewhat-related historic fact to a point of view of another character in the story. As frustrating as the reading was, I perservered until about half way through the book when I could tolerate it no longer.

I am sorry to say I cannot recommend such a poorly written book, even though the story buried within must be interesting and fascinating. A better read would be Antonina's diaries, the source material for this book, which I would far prefer to Ms. Ackerman's writing.

One of the most poorly written books I've ever read. I'm surprised it got such good review. I couldn't follow most of it (too boring), and wanted to skim a lot. My book club all gave it very poor review.

I had a hard time reading this book it was very monotonous, a constant flow of uninteresting charters and events.That may seem strange to some because in real life those were dangerous and life threatening times.The author failed to capture the real drama that occurred during this historical time

I just listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed it immensely. The narrator was excellent, falling easily into and out of the characters and story. The observations, that were Antonina's herself, regarding animals made me pause for thought and reflection, even replay, several times. Additionally, I gained much knowledge from The Zookeeper's Wife, which is the bonus! Thank you Ms. Ackerman, well done.

A real 'page turner' for readers who like true stories, are interested in animals,
humans, psychology and the 2. world war. Very well written - compassionate and
with a good sense of humor. My favorite!

This felt slow and dry to me. One little story after another.... I would have rather her write a historical fiction based on the story so it would flow more. The author also made it seem like all Poles were helpful to Jews. If that were the case, this story wouldn't be so special!

disappointed in this book. dragged on and on. great story about 2 true heroes but the author weakened as story movred on. not great. weakest one in the ww2 genre.

this book was har to get interested in at first, but after continuing it was interesting and alot of war detail.

For months now, as I write this review, we've been hearing about (and reading about) all sorts of finacial woes, businesses folding, lay-offs, federal stimulous packages, and generalized frugality as a new trend. Few of us could imagine enduring Natzi occupation in Warsaw, which took place for years and left a lasting mark on the city and its people. Few of us could imagine the bombings, the killing, the mind-numbing fear of those days, nor could we envision valiant attempts to keep some semblance of normalcy every day while surrounded (literally) by an enemy so vicious and unfeeling. It might be easier to picture living in a zoo, surrounded by wild animals.

Diane Ackerman's brilliant book, "The Zookepper's Wife", opens with Antonina waking to a day at Warsaw's zoo, and the reader can almost hear, smell and feel the day as if begins to dawn around Antonina. Jan, her husband, is the zookeeper. There life, while unusual, is peaceful and includes a young son, Rys, and an interesting mix of household "pets". It is the summer of 1935. Life will change in unimaginable ways before too long.

Ms. Ackerman carefully introduces the reader in the first few chapters to this slightly eccentric household, and especially to Antonina and Jan. As any mother would, Antonina wants to preserve her young son's innocence against rumors of war, while Jan's internal code sparked a growing concern and determination to protect all of that and those he cared so much about, including the zoo and the city itself. Antonina takes Rys for a summer vacation in the country, and while there, the unthinkable begins to unfold. On September 1, 1939, while home for a weekend with her husband, the Germans arrive first with airplanes and bombs.

Antonina heads back to her son and to (what they hope) is safety in the countryside, yet on the way there, evacuees of Warsaw are riddled with gunfire. She manages, "exhausted, rattled and dirty" to reach her destiny and her son. Jan arrives a few days later, uneasy about his family's safety, and suggests they head back to the city; when they arrive, the zoo has been bombed, animals wounded and killed, others trying to escape their bounds, and it is clear nothing at the zoo will ever be the same again. The same is true of Warsaw. Remaining chapters are vivid in their unfolding of events, although sometimes skipping back and forth a bit in time. It is so wonderfully written, though, that it's hardly worth mentioning.

There are many excellent books about this time period and the horrors of it. I read the classic, "The Diary of Anne Frank" many years ago. Through Antonina's experiences, the reader is given another, different view. A different facet of the same stone. Part history, part documantary, and part storytelling, "The Zookepper's Wife" may also become a classic literary piece about the time, and I'm grateful to Ms. Ackerman for her painstaking research and writing. I never knew about Jan and Antonina. Here is a true tale of a young woman and her family who, quietly, boldly, courageously, and directly under the watchful eyes of the enemy, helped one handful of people at a time (over the course of years numbering about 300) escape to freedom and life. Not only did they do so, but in her role as "den mother" of her household, which included many "guests" at a time, Antonina determined to provide a sanctuary or respite from the horrors surrounding them all. It is an amazing account of the survival of the human spirit against all odds. Throughout the book, the reader comes to understand that Antonina, with her keen understanding of animals and people alike, and in spite of her own ever-present worries and wavering confidence, created for each "guest" harbored at the zoo a slice of normalcy in what was certainly not normal circumstances by any means. Her own bravery and cunning is both downplayed and highlighted in nearly every chapter of the book, and she is an inspiring character. More so, because it's not fiction.

Upon finishing this book, I started to wonder what we have to complain about in the modern day after all. Unlike Rys, our children live (by comparison) idyllic lives. Even with economic strains, we're not under occupation, surrounded by the enemy and witnessing horrors on a daily basis. Most of us, anyway. "The Zookeeper's Wife" gives us a mother's perspective of war, and reminds the reader of all of the simple things we take for granted everyday. I doubt that was the author's point, but it's what I felt at the end of the book.

I'm about half way through this book and am not sure I'm going to make it. Text is full of lists, the comma is her favorite punctuation. Characters are poorly developed and do not come alive. There's no coherent story to speak of. It reads like an encyclopedia, very boring.

This was a very researched book. I loved the descriptions by the author but it was so full of information that it lost me through the book about 1/2 way. I really tried to get through it all.
A better book describing a fist person account is The Girl in the Green Sweater.

What a major disappointment after being on the wait list at my local library for months in order to read this book. I was truly surprised to discover that I was one of many who did not like the author's writing style. It was an effort to get through this book, which is unfortunate due to the fact that the subject matter was a wonderful true story of a very brave family.

I found this historical novel to be very, very interesting. It was chosen for my book group but I am starting to get nervous that they will not have liked it as much as I did. Being that I am a history teacher I loved the fact that most of this novel was based on research by the author and told like a biography. I think that some people will find this style of book off putting.

The book tells the tail of a Zookeeper and his family who live in Warsaw at the start of WWII. The story tells the tail of this family (primarily the zookeeper's wife) during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. The book tells the tale of what happened to the Jewish population of Warsaw, life in the Warsaw ghetto, and how the zookeeper's family helped as many people as possible. It was a great look into not only what life was like in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation, but what life was like for a family (particularly a housewife) during this era.

For me what I liked was the historical aspect of the book. I loved the first hand accounts of what life was like in the city during the war and what it was like for the Jews living in Warsaw during the occupation, reassignment to the ghetto, and eventual liquidation of the ghetto. More importantly the aspect that I loved about this book was it showed how average people did above average things to help the Jewish community during WWII. Everyone has heard of people the Schindler who saved thousands, but you never hear about all those who helped three or four people along the way. This book showed how one family made a difference for several people and risked their lives in the process. Not only is it a great historical piece, it also a great psychological piece in that it looks at the human condition and the desire to help others versus our desire to protect ourselves.

For those who love historical books this is a must read. I give the book **** according the the J. Kaye scale.

This book was terrific. The bravery and brotherhood to all men make it uplifting. But it is also full of dismay at the inhumanity men can show to other men. I read it and recommended it to others. My grandson is reading it now (17 years old).

Book arrived in excellent condition. I am reading it now. Very interesting story with a clever plot.

I wanted to like this book... the title suggested an interesting and insightful tour through the journal of the wife of a Zookeeper in Warsaw during WWII. But I found Ackerman did so much extra research, the journal of the Antonina Zabiniski, the Zookeepers wife really gets rather lost in long "whimsical" rambling passages of struggling to save the zoo during the ravages of WWII.

The things the Nazi's did just cannot be written lightly. This book is very good at conveying what the life of a Pole was like in Hitlers world - you were essentially not human. And if you were a Polish jew, you weren't even accorded the status of being an animal - you were simply to be exterminated. The Zabiniski's were some of the many incredible and brave people who sheltered their own as much as they could from the wrath of the Nazi's and its a shame that large chunks of their story gets lost as Ackerman pads this out with abundant research from the effects of the war on other Warsaw survivors.

Furthermore, the journal as such, seems to stop around 1942-43... as if Antonia suddenly could no longer write. As such, the last 2 years of the war seem to fly by in this book, and yet this is probably when things were at their worst. Similarly, when the war ends, its brief, sudden and abrupt with hardly any mention from Antonaia's journal. One suspects for some reason she stopped writing, but there is no clue given in the book.

My heart was wrenched apart reading of the war atrocities committed - with or without Antonia's comments and to read any book on the impact of the Nazi's in areas they conquered is a harrowing experience. If nothing else, Antonia's observations that how can this treatment be inflicted on human beings makes you thankful we don't live in such times now.. or do we? Unfortunately, some of Ackerman's research hits to close to home now and maybe there isn't one race out there commiting genocide... but there are plenty of examples where human life has little to no value, and its developed as well as developing countries showing this.

So as ever.. a book on one of history's worst moments serves only to remind me that humans don't seem to learn. I just wish Ackerman could have more succinctly followed the story of the zookeepers rather than drowning their story in supportive research.

The Zoo Keeper's Wife was a significant read for me. As a lover of historical fiction, I understand and appreciate history more when in story form-especially if I feel I am there with the characters.
I couldn't put this book down. I have much deeper insight as to the question of "I wonder what it was like...."
I had a somewhat linear experience in this read, just as the actual persons did. Not all details were freely shared or known, thus the problem of fluidity as noted by other reviewers really depicts the characters experiences of the time. I got to be there with them.
AND I did grasp a much better understanding of how and why this happened-like it or not. It happened.

This is a remarkable story and one that deserves to be told - well! Unfortunately this book is not the one to do this.
I found Ackerman's narrative stilted and disjointed with no real flow. The characters that were rescued seemed to appear, then disappear as in a series of vignettes, rather than a linear story. The various incidents that are written up in the book seem to follow no distinct time-line and the tale tends to stop and start, rather than to seamlessly unfold.
I was disappointed with the depiction of the various characters and found them to be two-dimensional and wanting in personal colour. Antonina comes across as hardworking and long-suffering, but lacking any charm or warmth and that can surely not be the case! While Ackerman portrayed the devotion of Antonina to her son, the son seemed to be a shadowy figure and I was never quite sure exactly how old he was at any given time. I am left with no clear impression of Jan at all.
This is really an exceptional story of courage and daring and merits a compelling,page-turning recounting, but I was, disappointingly, not swept up in the story at any stage.

I got my promptly. I even recieved an personalized email prior to recieving the book assuring me that if anything was wrong that it would be quickly solved. But, there was nothing wrong the book was in excellent condition. Thank you.

An interesting story from a different perspective of WW II. There is some difficulty in keeping the characters straight.

Lots of history here and certainly a close look at the Nazi invasion of Poland. The author obviously did much research and it shows.

In spite of the author's attempt to make this book very personal, I felt it almost read more like a history textbook in places. Although Jan and Antonina Zabinski were certainly interesting and admirable, I never felt any kind of real attachment to them. It was always as if I was "looking in" on the events. And, at times, I was simply confused with some of the details.

The animals took on more of a personality than did Jan and Antonina; however,that seemed a stretch. A chick climbing on the back of a rabbit which is "hopping around the garden together, rider and steed." doesn't quite belong among all the other factual information. And, I couldn't help but wonder about the mess these animals would make in the house. I don't believe you can housebreak a chicken; I know for a fact that they will relieve themselves whenever and whereever they want. Perhaps that is a petty observation, but there were so many instances of rabbits, hamsters, chickens, and pigs in the house, I couldn't help but wonder. The book attempted to be so factual and realistic, some of the animal antics seemed out of place. And, I wondered about the role of the housekeeper who apparently was not receptive to the idea of hiding the Jews. How could see not know?

However, there were also stories that are extremely interesting and memorable. Janusz Korczak, the "Pan Doctor" who took care of Jewish orphans and went with them to their death is an example. The Nazi interest in extinct animals was also new to me. If one is a student of WWI or if one is a real animal lover, this is an excellent book. For the rest of us, it is interesting but not particularly engaging. For another look at the role of the Warsaw Zoo during WWI, check out the short film entitled "Safe Haven; the Warsaw Zoo" at [...]

I choose this book as my first summer read, as the cover was enticing and the story sounded fascinating. I made it to page 135 and quit. The details in this book (especially the ones that have nothing to do with the story) are dull and boring. I found myself skimming the pages looking for any small piece of action or plot. I would love to read this story by another author, as the story itself is a great piece of history. I do not like to give up, but I simply could not become involved with this book.

The Zookeeper's Wife is not for me...at first I liked the author's writing, but then got bogged down in WW2 facts, the politics, and (the deal breaker) awful things that happened to some of the animals...I didn't finish it. It was our book club book, and none of us rated it very highly.

Let's mainly focus on previous-review undeveloped content. (Review based on the hardcover). What some reviewers find tedious, I find depth and contextualization not commonly exhibited by Holocaust-related materials. Of course, prior knowledge is helpful. Additionally, arcane details can inform readers about things that they probably didn't know. Did you realize, for instance, that vitamins were discovered by a Polish scientist (Kazimierz Funk; p. 73), or that the Molotov cocktail got its name when the Finns used bottle grenades to attack the invading Soviets (1940), naming the devices in mockery of the Soviet Foreign Minister? (pp. 211-212).

Ackerman traces the Warsaw Zoo from its ambitious pre-WWII inception, through the German bombing in WWII, the "temporary" confiscation of much of the surviving collection by German zoo officials, its use as a hiding place for fugitive Jews, Polish guerilla activity in general, the further ravages caused by the Soviet-betrayed Warsaw Uprising and ensuing German vindictiveness, etc.

She notes the paradoxes of Nazi thinking: "Under the Third Reich, animals became noble, mythic, almost angelic--including humans, of course, but not Slavs, Gypsies, Catholics, or Jews." (p. 86). Under the German occupation, Poles were allotted 669 calories daily, which was closer to the allotment of the Jews (184 calories) than that of the Germans (2,613 calories)(p. 104). Apart from the Jews, 3 million gentile Poles perished at the hands of the Germans (pp. 331-332), and the Polish intelligentsia was targeted for annihilation. (p. 169). Although Poles and Jews were "unequal victims" in terms of group outcomes, the individual Pole daily had to fear for his life no less than the individual Jew. (p. 121).

Ackerman provides detail on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. She also discusses the Polish-formed Zegota, the only underground organization of its kind in German-occupied Europe, designed to aid the persecuted Jews (p. 187), and quotes figures for the survivorship of Warsaw's Jews.

We listened to this book while driving across the country. It was very interesting, taught us some new things, and kept us entertained for hours. Definitely would recommend it

I feel The Zookeepers Wife was a wonderful look into another side of The Holocost. Truly an inspiration.

It was an excellent historical depiction of the problems in Poland during the World War II invasion. I thought that it had enough information to fill a couple of volumes. Very good book for animal lovers. Not enough personal viewpoints given and no spiritual connections at all, that I could detect. A book worth reading.

I was excited to begin this book since it conveyed a unique perspective on the events of WWII in Poland. I was disappointed right away, however, since much of the story was lost in the details. The author would often jump from one topic to another within the span of a chapter or often even a page. This made the chain of events difficult to follow, and it took the focus from the amazing families that risked so much during the war.

The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman (W.W. Norton & Co., Inc. 2007)

This is the story of a zookeeper and his wife living in Warsaw before World War II. They operated the Warsaw Zoo and lived on the grounds in central Warsaw. The story is based on the diary of the wife Antonina, as well as interviews and other historical materials.

It begins with vivid description of the bucolic life in the zoo, its animals, their sounds, and the details of the operation. The love of the zookeepers family for the animals is touching at this point in the story. The wife nurses all manner of animals, exotic and pedestrian, to health, becoming important elements of the zoo life. The birth of elephants (the twelfth in captivity), lynxes, rhinos, Przywalski horses, big cats, and so on paints the picture of loving, caring people whose life centers around protecting and preserving the creatures of nature.

When the Nazis arrived, zoo officials from Berlin carted off the most exotic animals and dispersed most of the others to German zoos after a private hunt on the zoo grounds. The wife had a premonition that this brutality was what was in store for Warsaw. Bombing of Warsaw then destroyed much of what remained. The Nazi official responsible for the Berlin Zoo was determined to re-create extinct species, such as the legendary bull aurochs, even has his cohorts were exterminating human beings. Ancient animals were venerated to saintly status, as noble people were ground under foot.

The zookeeper became active in the underground , as his wife devised intricate strategies to shelter Jews as they were able to extricated from the Warsaw ghetto across the river. Amazingly, this process worked throughout the war.

The poignancy of the story is emotionally overwhelming. The non-Jewish zookeeper and his family (wife and son) put their lives on the line on a daily basis for the Jews in a far more dangerous and devoted manner that their life of caring for the animals of the zoo. They nurtured friendship and community with those passing through their hands.

The son is raised in those years loving animals that Germans would shoot for sport or eat. He lived in a largely self-imposed shelter of his own out of fear that he would breath a word that would result in a Nazi reprisal to his family and all whom they protected.

The reader is drawn into this life. Ackerman tells this story with simple humility, without directly examining the emotions of the characters that she brings to life, as the zookeepers did their four and two-legged wards. As readers, we are left to ponder their emotions. How would each of us react under such circumstances? If we were the zookeeper, risking the lives of his family and fighting with the underground? Or the wife, who respected her husband's mission and did her best to care for each new inhabitant of the zoo. Or the young son who wanted to fight with the underground, but understood that he would put his family and their wards at risk with even the slightest wayward word. Or the Jews who found respite in the zoo grounds. Or the Nazi soldiers who were ordered to murder these innocent people and animals.

This is a wonderful story, written with just a light touch to allow all of these emotions to rise to the surface for each of us to find our own truths in the lives of heroes under stress.

A great and meaningful read.

For me personally, the flowerly poetic words and the authors tendency to wander and focus on the unimportant,with WAY too many details, all combined to make reading this book more of a chore than a pleasure. The story is true. The characters real. The impact of life in Warsaw during World War 11 and how these heroic people survived was well worth reading. The subject matter and the sheer reality of the story over powered the authors shortcomings.

I wanted to love this book, I really did! I tried to read it for over a week...every day, sometimes several times a day. However, page 180 was as far as I could get. The flowery descriptions and seeming wanderlust of the author was just too much. Was it important to know that the word "vitamin" was coined in Poland? And when Heck was going to kiss Antonina's hand, did we need to discuss both motivation and method of a very simple ritual? I patiently waited for the "story" to start, but at least by page 180 it hadn't. The story sounds amazing...I wish I could read it!

I read reviews before I start a book, and this book had mixed reviews, however I decided to give the book a try. The storyline and subject matter of this book, could have made wonderful book... however the author has ADHD, was looking to make the book thicker, so they grab an enclyopedia...

The level of outright encyclopedic details that would bore anyone to tears, that acts as a filler to a great story lulls anyone into a catatonic state. We're not talking details that you would read in a "Outlander" that are on-topic and provide a wonderful historically rich novel. Or *ANY* of Anya Seton's novels, or Elizabeth Chadwicks, etc... this detail is non-essential to the storyline, pages and pages about preserving insects, or pages and pages of details about a musical composer, the minutia of detail drags the storyline down.

I could not finish this novel, very poorly written. Would not recommend.

Ms. Ackerman is keenly aware of the world around her and she feels it with all her senses. However, for this book, in my opinion, there was simply too much detail - meaning too many excrutiatingly long lists of wildflowers, insects, etc and flowery descriptions where something much simpler would have worked. Her skill with words did have many poignant moments, especially in describing some of the horrific incidents the protagonist and her family had to witness and endure. Sadly, for me, the story was lost in a sea of detail better left to books one reads for education, such as Ms. Ackerman's Natural History of the Senses or Love.

not nearly as good as the npr radio segment led me to believe. less meandering and more substantial description of events...in fact, the inclusion of more events would, perhaps, make this a more compelling work.

Avid reader of history, military history, and WWII history. I could not make it through this book. Instead of simply telling the story, the author spends to much time going on and off subjects. After making it 3/4 of the way through I simply had to put it down. Not sure I will pick it back up.

Very interesting story. The author has a tendency to use words that can't even be found in
a dictionary.

I thought it sounded great a story about 2 things I enjoy reading about the holocust and animals. It wasn't so much a story it was more a biography. I just missed the story aspect of the book. What Jan and Antonina did is beyond words. I would hope I could be as brave as they were. The are an unbelievable and amazing family. A great story of totally selfless family.

It was informative, but I had trouble staying awake. More of a documentary than powerful story.

The Zookeepers wife is a book that I've wanted to read for a while now. I just need to find the time in my busy schedule.

If this was a book about Antonina I would like to know the end of the story. What happened after the war? The book covered a very short period of time and as the title suggests is about the Zookeepers wife taken mostly?? from her diaries. The sources are difficult to tell. There was only a small amount about Poland, the Polish people and the underground. This is not a book about heroic Poles. This is a book about a family and not much about Jan who it appears has a more interesting story to tell. There are names of specific Jews helped but very little about the other help these Jews received to escape once they left the villa.
The book did give a good description of the psychology of actions and feelings. The depression, not just from bad living conditions but from losing their selves.
The book did give a good description of the psychology of actions and feelings. The depression felt not just from bad living conditions but from losing their selves.
I found the changes from the description of an animal pet and her son to the war and cruelty of the Germans not smooth or coordinated.
The book wasn't a biography but did not have enough coherence or punch to make it anything else.