Book Review Friday 10/10/08

Book: The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
Author: Diane Ackerman
Pages: 323

This book took me a long time to get into. I briefly flirted with the ideas of giving up on it, but deep inside I felt guilty. Someone was trying to tell the story of this incredible couple, who risked so much to save over 300 people in World War II Poland, and the least I could do was finish their tale.

In that respect, I greatly admire the Zabrinki's, who opened their defunct zoo to the Underground revolution to house Polish Jews on the run. Their courage and bravery is a testament to us all that there is indeed something that we can do to make the world a better place.

I found it fascinating to read about the daily workings of the Warsaw Zoo pre-war and how it changed so drastically during the early years of the German Occupation. They opened their home to injured animals, often intermingling species in their manor to nurse them back to health. During the early part of the war, many of their beloved animals were taken, killed, or escaped.

While the Zabrinki's were not Jewish, they were Polish--another entry on Hitler's inferiority list. And so it was imperative that they keep a low profile as well, not drawing attention to their involvement in the dangerous Underground that tried to free as many Jews as possible using a variety of means, including forging papers, documents, passes and teaching Jewish people how to "act" Aryan if they had the Aryan look about them.

They estimated that nearly 300 people made their way to the zoo over the course of the war where they found shelter, food, and a semblance of normal life underway. While it was dangerous to stay too long and so many would only stay a night or so while other provisions were secured, some came to stay for extended times.

Overall, the book would've been an incredible read if it wasn't so wordy. It was hard to wade through all the words to get to the gist of the story. Taking most of the tale from writings of Antonina, the zookeeper's wife, as well as a few personal interviews, Ackerman reminds the reader constantly that maybe this happened, or maybe that happened, but that there's no concrete proof that it happened that way. It was a little annoying at times. However, once I could immerse myself in the story, it was a good read.