The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
by Diane Ackerman
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
This book is not in any lists. Go add it to a list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2060)
Read in March, 2008
Another book about the Holocaust. I haven't read much about how World War II and the Holocaust affected Poland (usually most books I read talk about Western Europe). Namely a family who operated the Warsaw Zoo.
Also covered were many of the Jewish friends of this family. And how the occupation of Poland by the SS affected the people.
Michael and I were just discussing the other day (as we watched the preview for http://www.paperclipsmovie.com...), ...more
Also covered were many of the Jewish friends of this family. And how the occupation of Poland by the SS affected the people.
Michael and I were just discussing the other day (as we watched the preview for http://www.paperclipsmovie.com...), ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
The primary source for this book is the diary of Antonina Zabinski (the zoo keeper's wife). Her detailed descriptions of how she and her young son cared for a variety of animals (many as in-house pets) provides some relief from the otherwise depressing story of the Holocaust that was taking place around them. The story branches out from there to tell of the efforts of the Polish resistance to subvert the Nazi occupation and rescue as many as possible from the Jewish Ghetto. The Warsaw Zoo end...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
recommended to Kate by:
I heard her interviewed on NPRThis review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
1 comments
bookshelves:
animals,
biography,
nonfiction,
read-in-2008,
zoo-blog
Read in May, 2008
The Zookeeper's Wife is an intriguing story of the Warsaw Zoo during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Zookeeper/Zoo Director Jan Zabinski and his wife Antonina managed to save over three hundred people from certain death at the hands of Nazi soldiers. The story is taken largely from Antonina's diary and other historical sources. It is a haunting tale of survival against what must have seemed like the end of the world.
At the beginning of the Nazi occupation, Lutz Heck, a former colleague of Jan...more
At the beginning of the Nazi occupation, Lutz Heck, a former colleague of Jan...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
bookshelves:
female-author,
non-fiction
Read in June, 2008
For some crazy reason, when I requested this book from the library, I thought it was historical fiction. But it is actually non-fiction. Diane Ackerman pieces together the life of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, Polish Christian zookeepers, from Antonina's diary and other historical sources. This husband and wife team managed to save over 300 people during World War II by temporarily hiding them in the zoo and then moving them out to safe hiding places.
The main focus of the book is on the Zabinsk...more
The main focus of the book is on the Zabinsk...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This book is a tale of quiet courage and compassion. It is set in World War II Warsaw. Amidst the devastation of war and the inhumanity of the Nazi liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, the grounds of the Warsaw Zoo became a haven for hundreds of Jews, who were saved by the zookeeper and his wife at great risk to themselves. The Zookeeper's Wife is the story of how they did it, as well as a vivid portrait of wartime Poland and the unique household run by the zookeeper and his wife. The incredible br...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
This is another book exploring the lives of people living in the countries occupied by Germany during WWII. Unlike most, this was written by a naturalist, not an historian. This gives the book an interesting take on the Nazi occupation of Warsaw.
The narrative centers around Antonia Zabinski and her husband Jan. Prior to the outbreak of war, they were the caretakers of the Warsaw Zoo - a large zoo befitting the capital of Poland. The book paints a brief picture of what their life was like p...more
The narrative centers around Antonia Zabinski and her husband Jan. Prior to the outbreak of war, they were the caretakers of the Warsaw Zoo - a large zoo befitting the capital of Poland. The book paints a brief picture of what their life was like p...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
I loved this true story of Jan & Antonina, managers of the Warsaw Zoo in Poland during World War II, & how they lived through the Nazi occupation of Poland, keeping the zoo going on a limited basis, & using it as a hideout for hundreds of Jewish people, most of whom were saved as a result. Ackerman uses snippets of letters & diaries to bring Antonina, in particular, to life. I found I could really relate to her struggles - I always find it hard to relate to "heroes" - b...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This is a book about WWII. Antonina and Jan owned the Warsaw Zoo. However, during the war, it was used not to keep animals but Jews in order to help them survive and escape from the claws of the merciless Nazis. It is one of another narrative of bravery, courage, audacity and sangfroid. It makes one wonder how strong the human spirit is in the face of adversity. Adversity is the time that demonstrates humanity so vividly. Just as what Antonina said after she successfully 'coaxed' the German sold...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
I came away from this book with a deep sense of admiration for the Polish spirit, and was struck by how involved women were in the Underground movement and Uprising against the Nazis, even young girls.
The character of Poland and its people is remarkable, a contrast to all the Polish jokes I heard growing up. It's no wonder Poles were considered dumb; the Germans killed nearly their entire educated class, both gentile and Jew.
Against the cruel backdrop of WWII Warsaw, Ackerman shares wi...more
The character of Poland and its people is remarkable, a contrast to all the Polish jokes I heard growing up. It's no wonder Poles were considered dumb; the Germans killed nearly their entire educated class, both gentile and Jew.
Against the cruel backdrop of WWII Warsaw, Ackerman shares wi...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
Read in February, 2008
I really enjoyed it. I liked that while reading something that felt like a novel, I learned the true stories of Warsaw during the war. I learned of the cruelties and of the bravery.
I learned about the Ghetto Uprising when the Jews fought the Germans with rocks, sticks and fists (they had no weapons) and held them off for nearly one month. After the Ghetto fell, the Poles took over with the Warsaw Uprising, in which Antonina's husband Jan went and fought.
I learned that while the Soviets w...more
I learned about the Ghetto Uprising when the Jews fought the Germans with rocks, sticks and fists (they had no weapons) and held them off for nearly one month. After the Ghetto fell, the Poles took over with the Warsaw Uprising, in which Antonina's husband Jan went and fought.
I learned that while the Soviets w...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
Let me preface by saying a) I love Diane Ackerman's previous works and b) I have a deep interest in holocaust history. Therefore, I was surprised her latest book did not engage me as much as I'd hoped.
Ackerman usually tackles very broad, amorphous subjects like love, the five senses, etc. And her somewhat circular and poetic writing style is, I think, well suited to those topics. But for The Zookeepers Wife, I craved a level of linear details and specifics that I just could not find. I quic...more
Ackerman usually tackles very broad, amorphous subjects like love, the five senses, etc. And her somewhat circular and poetic writing style is, I think, well suited to those topics. But for The Zookeepers Wife, I craved a level of linear details and specifics that I just could not find. I quic...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
Read in October, 2007
The full title of this book is The Zoo Keeper's Wife ( A War Story). The first part of the title is well in keeping with the kind of subject matter that has made me a long time favorite of Diane Ackerman. This is a true account of Jan & Antonia Zabinsky keepers of the Warsaw Zoo before Hitler and the Nazis invaded Poland. Once the invasion takes place the zoo is destroyed and most of the animals are either killed outright or shipped to German Zoos. The few remaining animals become househol...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in January, 2008
recommended to Megan by:
birthday present from mom and dad, who know me well
Diane Ackerman is one of my all-time favorite authors and, quite honestly, one of my personal heroes. She is a scientist and a poet and just an incredible woman with an unceasing and unabashed pursuit of knowledge and experience. This is her latest book and it's just as wonderful as her others (read A Natural History of the Senses, A Natural History of Love, The Rarest of the Rare, An Alchemy of Mind, Cultivating Delight, The Moon by Whale Light). It's such an interesting subject that fits Acker...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
recommended to David by:
NPR
I enjoy reading things about the Holocaust and I was initially inspired to read this book from an NPR (National Public Radio) interview in January. I brought this book along for the plane ride to Argentina and finally just finished it.
This book is about a Polish family living in Warsaw starting before the German occupation during World War II (WWII) and concluding in midst of the Soviet occupation. I fell in love immediately with the main two people in the book, Antonina and Jan, because of ...more
This book is about a Polish family living in Warsaw starting before the German occupation during World War II (WWII) and concluding in midst of the Soviet occupation. I fell in love immediately with the main two people in the book, Antonina and Jan, because of ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
bookshelves:
documentary-nonfiction
Read in March, 2008
I started this book with really high hopes, and I really enjoyed the first couple of chapters - the author painted a really vivid picture of Antonia and her crazy home full of animals, a husband and young son. I was still thoroughly interested when Antonia & Rys went off to the country , and then when Antonia went into hiding in the lampshade store. But then the book seemed to become more disjointed & hodge-podge. I assume this is because Antonia did not write enough in her diary for ...more
Like this review?
yes
3 comments
Read in June, 2008
This book was probably the best one I've read all year, maybe even longer than that. I'm not big on nonfiction or war stories, but this was fantastic. The writing was so descriptive and vivid, from both Ackerman and Antonina. I really appreciate Ackerman's efforts to really get to know Antonina and give a full picture into her life and emotions. I felt like Antonina was telling the whole story herself.
A quote on the back of the book says "The Zookeeper's Wife will touch every nerve ...more
A quote on the back of the book says "The Zookeeper's Wife will touch every nerve ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
Ellen, Jamie
Another very good book about the courage of people surviving the Holocaust. I wished, as I read the book, that Ellen were nearby so that she could tell me how to pronounce some of the Polish words.
The reason I gave the book three stars and not 4 or 5 was that the writing was a bit too flowery at times. I guess I should not blame the author, as a good bit of the material she used was taken from the diaries of Antonina Zabinska, the zookeeper's wife.
It was a compelling story. First we s...more
The reason I gave the book three stars and not 4 or 5 was that the writing was a bit too flowery at times. I guess I should not blame the author, as a good bit of the material she used was taken from the diaries of Antonina Zabinska, the zookeeper's wife.
It was a compelling story. First we s...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
Diane Ackerman is one of my all time favorite non-fiction authors. Her Natural History of the Senses my favorite non fiction book. So when I discovered that her newest title was about a topic that I was always fascinated with--ordinary people rescuing the persecuted during the Holocaust--I was quite interested. Would her delicious use of vivid and literary language work with a dark topic as World War II? Her descriptions of the Zabinski's lives as they fought to survive and help other people and...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
“The Zookeeper’s Wife” author Diane Ackerman is, not surprisingly, a poet and somewhat naturalist. These creative attributes are obvious once you start reading the book, which is written in such lovely descriptive and informative prose that you forgive the author for her tangential style of writing.
The book tells the true story of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, the zookeeper and his wife, respectively, whose Warsaw zoo is bombed in 1939 by the Germans, and who offer refuge to hundreds of...more
The book tells the true story of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, the zookeeper and his wife, respectively, whose Warsaw zoo is bombed in 1939 by the Germans, and who offer refuge to hundreds of...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment






















