 |
The Zookeeper's Wifeby Diane Ackerman |
Judy Stanton (08/06/11): The library had this in a special area for its "book club" readers, and the title was familiar so I picked it up. The premise of a family in Poland working in the underground, using their zoological gardens to save hundreds of people from extermination was appealing to me. I agree with Gail that the story could have/should have been riveting if it was written as "historical fiction" rather than a sort of "documentary." Still, I give Diane Ackerman credit for her extensive research and ability to put the reader in the place and time of events. Despite the somewhat "dry" approach, I did get a real sense of how awful it was for the Polish people to live in an occupied country, constantly on edge, afraid for their lives, scared of saying or doing the wrong thing. Several anecdotes demonstrated how often minor chance occurences made the difference between life and death.
Bringing up children during this time was exceptionally challenging, let alone
giving birth to a baby. Truly, the Zookeeper's wife was an exceptional human being.
The details describing the zoo's animals and the German interest in breeding
animals to a Germal ideal was something new to me. A very interesting story.
Rating: ****
Robin Mann: The story is amazing but
presented in an odd fashion. I skimmed over a lot of the information
that didn't tell the Zabinski's story directly because THAT is what
I wanted to know. It was worth reading for the uplifting truth it
shows about humanity but not an "easy" read.
Rating: ***
Gail Reid: The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story focuses on Jan and Antonina Zabinski, the zookeepers of the Warsaw zoo during the German occupation of Poland. Among the Righteous Gentiles, the Zabinskis manage to harbor, at one time or another, more than 300 Jews by hiding them in the main house and the animal habitats. Jan uses his connections and status to travel in and out of Warsaw's ghetto smuggling food and goods to the residents. Antonina's empathy for the animals and her caring nature enable her to play a crucial role in the safety of her "guests."
Author Diane Ackerman is a naturalist by training and the best writing
in the book is reflected in the descriptions of the animals and forests.
This nonfiction work should have been a riveting page-turner. After all,
the Zabinskis always seemed to be a mere half-step ahead of the Nazis.
The prose is drier than you would expect even though the source of much of the
material is derived from Antonina's diary. I appreciated the book more for
the subject it covered than the way it was presented.
Rating: ***
