Book: The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
Diane Ackerman
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The New York Times bestseller: a true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.


After their zoo was bombed, Polish zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski managed to save over three hundred people from the Nazis by hiding refugees in the empty animal cages. With animal names for these "guests," and human names for the animals, it's no wonder that the zoo's code name became "The House Under a Crazy Star." Best-selling naturalist and acclaimed storyteller Diane Ackerman combines extensive research and an exuberant writing style to re-create this fascinating, true-life story—sharing Antonina's life as "the zookeeper's wife," while examining the disturbing obsessions at the core of Nazism. Winner of the 2008 Orion Award.


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This was an ok read. A little difficult to get through but it was alright...

The story revolves mainly around the zookeeper's wife, many incidents are taken from her diary. However, snippets of history, research, and digression takes place making me lose all interest at times.

As an animal lover myself, I thought it very sad about the massacre of the animals, of the army shooting the pet pig, the tamed badger looking for a door to go into... Really very sad indeed.

At school, the history we learn is pretty macro - this book gives us a more micro perspective. I never even thought about the possibility of a troubled zoo during the war.

As all sad stories at the cost of animals get made known to me, I'm pretty much upset and am going to hug my dogs.