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29th out of 615 books
—
943 voters
Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds (Story of Elsa #1)
by
Joy Adamson
There have been many accounts of the return to the wild of tame animals, but since its original publication in 1960, when the New York Times hailed it as a "fascinating and remarkable book," Born Free has stood alone in its power to move us.
Joy Adamson's story of a lion cub in transition between the captivity in which she is raised and the fearsome wild to which she is ret...more
Joy Adamson's story of a lion cub in transition between the captivity in which she is raised and the fearsome wild to which she is ret...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
May 16th 2000
by Pantheon
(first published 1960)
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Feb 15, 2013
Lisa (Harmonybites)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Animal Lovers
Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by:
Utlimate Reading List - Biography
This is the book the film was based upon, the story of Elsa the lioness, hand raised by a Senior Game Warden and his wife, Joy Adamson, and later released into the wild. This would be rated five stars except that I really try to be stingy with those. The book didn't make me cry, laugh-out-loud or change my thinking, and Adamson, while she writes well and fluently, doesn't have the impressive, lyrical prose of Beryl Markham and Isak Dinesen, two other European women who wrote celebrated memoirs a...more
This is one of the best animal stories of all time. Why? Because it isn't just about a lion named Elsa, it is about a companion, a friend and a loving creature who shared in the lives of Joy and George Adamson when they lived in Kenya. Originally penned in 1960, it is the touching tale of how they raised an orphaned lion cub named Elsa and she grew to be their nearest and dearest friend - she was family. I have rarely read a book so heartwarming. Elsa was really very magical and unique, and afte...more
Born Free
By Joy Adamson
Review by Graham W
Born Free is an amazing story, that is also true and is unlikely to happen to just anyone. One of the people lucky enough to experience this was Joy Adamson, the author of the book.
Just being in a Safari car on a bumpy road is all worth it, even in tall grass never knowing what is coming around the corner. But as long as the truck is moving you can never take even a half decent picture, and when searching for lions, its just part of the adventure. But Jo...more
By Joy Adamson
Review by Graham W
Born Free is an amazing story, that is also true and is unlikely to happen to just anyone. One of the people lucky enough to experience this was Joy Adamson, the author of the book.
Just being in a Safari car on a bumpy road is all worth it, even in tall grass never knowing what is coming around the corner. But as long as the truck is moving you can never take even a half decent picture, and when searching for lions, its just part of the adventure. But Jo...more
The author’s husband, in his duties as a game warden, was forced to shoot a lioness as she attacked. He then found her three young cubs (and felt great remorse at having killed their mother) and took them home. Two of the cubs were eventually sent to a zoo, but the smallest, Elsa, stayed on as a member of the household.
The bond between Elsa and the Adamsons is incredible. While raising Elsa as a pet, they rarely kept her penned up or chained and gave her a lot of freedom to still act like a lio...more
The bond between Elsa and the Adamsons is incredible. While raising Elsa as a pet, they rarely kept her penned up or chained and gave her a lot of freedom to still act like a lio...more
Read it as part of an independent study I'm doing with a student about the relationship between humans and animals--not my choice but still an interesting read and a seminal piece in 1960 setting out a different type of relationship with animals, particularly the feared and hated lion.
There is, as to be expected, a lot of anthropomorphism as Adamson ascribes all sorts of human emotions to Elsa. Yet it is simply amazing what they pull off--raising a lion and then successfully introducing it into...more
There is, as to be expected, a lot of anthropomorphism as Adamson ascribes all sorts of human emotions to Elsa. Yet it is simply amazing what they pull off--raising a lion and then successfully introducing it into...more
I have vague memories of watching Born Free when I was little but this is the first time I read the book. In Born Free, Joy and George Adamson raise Elsa, a lion cub, to adulthood in Kenya. It is an awe-inspiring story of happiness, love, heartbreak and perseverance.
A few years ago my husband and stayed at Joy's Camp, in Kenya. This was one of the locations where Joy, George and Elsa lived. It was an amazing stay vividly recalled while reading this book. The beauty of Kenya is beyond descriptio...more
A few years ago my husband and stayed at Joy's Camp, in Kenya. This was one of the locations where Joy, George and Elsa lived. It was an amazing stay vividly recalled while reading this book. The beauty of Kenya is beyond descriptio...more
Even before the 1966 film, among the first films I saw in the theater, this was one of the first “adult” books I ever read at the age of 9. I immediately wanted to run off to Africa and become a naturalist/game warden. This is now my third reading and I STILL love it, and I STILL found it overwhelmingly emotional. A beautifully and simply written description of the Joy and George Adamson and the life they shared in the wilds of Kenya with Elsa the lioness. A definite animal lover’s WOW experienc...more
While I loved Elsa's story and enjoyed most of the pictures in the book, this was not the heartwarming story I remember from my childhood. I love Elsa, but I really didn't like the Adamsons. It may be because I keep comparing them to Lawrence Anthony, another conservationist, and I find that Mr. Anthony seemed to have more respect for the animals' right to exist in their environment. I couldn't lose sight of the fact that Elsa was orphaned because he killed her mother thinking she was a male lio...more
This is the 40th anniversary edition of this classic book, and it contains a new forward. I remember seeing this movie as a child, and it had a very sad ending that made me cry. This book, however, did not end on a sad note; now I think the movie may have included part of the storyline from the book's sequels.
Born Free is a cute, bittersweet story of a couple in Kenya and their lioness, raised from a cub and successfully returned to the wild. It took place in the late 50s and retains a tiny bit...more
Born Free is a cute, bittersweet story of a couple in Kenya and their lioness, raised from a cub and successfully returned to the wild. It took place in the late 50s and retains a tiny bit...more
When picking this book up, I was surprised to find it in the juvenile section of our library. The copy I read had a lot of really great and quite frankly unbelievable photos. The story is fantastic and I love that people were willing and able to take care of a orphaned lions that they essentially made orphans by shooting their mother.
Where the story is a bit concerning to me is that certain people in this day and age undoubtedly think they too can take care of a lion and end up getting into the...more
Where the story is a bit concerning to me is that certain people in this day and age undoubtedly think they too can take care of a lion and end up getting into the...more
Heart-warming autobiographical book about a European game warden and his wife, Joy Adamson, who adopt and raise a lioness cub in Kenya during the 1950s. The story is emotional, but the writing is matter-of-fact. The reader is provided with an intimate look into the activities of wildlife in that part of Africa, and the life of a game warden. By the end of the book, aided by the adorable descriptive writing and plenty of pictures, I was in love with Elsa. . . and in tears. The book is not world-c...more
The book that perhaps did most to inspire a generation to learn more about natural history and to support the work of conservation. When the film of Born Free was made it was.phenomenally powerful. I must have been about 8 or 9 when I first saw it and I have never forgotten it. To read Joy's own words as she talks about Elsa and her cubs is a very moving experience. Of course Jot Adamson was a driven woman who often or roughshod over the feelings of those nearest to her, but this should not dimi...more
I heard of the Adamsons – Joy (the author) and George (her husband) – when I read the book A Lion Called Christian, in which they had helped rehabilitate Christian back into the wild. However, their work with lions had been going on for a while before Christian, so I was very excited to read Born Free and see how Joy and George got started.
And it all began with Elsa. Born Free is the account and adventure of Elsa the lioness’s life, and the difficult task Elsa provided for her human parents, Joy...more
And it all began with Elsa. Born Free is the account and adventure of Elsa the lioness’s life, and the difficult task Elsa provided for her human parents, Joy...more
This is the inspiration, true story Elsa, a lioness, who is raised by the author Joy Adamson, and her husband George. When George must go on safari after a man-eating lion, his hunting party is attacked by a vicious lioness. She is shot in self-defense, but they realize later with remorse that she had been trying to protect her young, three cubs who George brings back to camp. Though Elsa’s sisters are sent to a zoo when they are still cubs, Elsa remains in Kenya with the intent of joining her s...more
I read this years ago, and it is because of the books by Joy Adamson that i joined Greenpeace and help out with other organizations that protect and fight for our planet and the animals on it.
it is an amazing wonderful book that gives us insight into the lives of these beautiful creatures. we must care for the earth and all of its creatures, protect them and nurture them. for as we destroy this earth we are destroying ourselves
it is an amazing wonderful book that gives us insight into the lives of these beautiful creatures. we must care for the earth and all of its creatures, protect them and nurture them. for as we destroy this earth we are destroying ourselves
This classic, first published in 1960 (and made into a movie that I have yet to see) tells of a couple's experience raising a young lioness, named Elsa, in the wilds of Kenya and then releasing her to live on her own. This is an incredible story, told with humility, that offered a groundbreaking way of understanding human-animal relationships. Beautiful black and white photos are an added treat!
This is one of my all time favourite books. It is impossible not to fall in love with Elsa the Lion.
Her "human family" the Adamson's are such icons of modern animal welfare. They were not without their faults which makes for great reading. They were great people but not saints. I struggle not to ball my eyes out reading this book; as it is with animals, they humble us with their dignity.
Her "human family" the Adamson's are such icons of modern animal welfare. They were not without their faults which makes for great reading. They were great people but not saints. I struggle not to ball my eyes out reading this book; as it is with animals, they humble us with their dignity.
I saw the movie Born Free as a child and loved it. I probably read the book along the way too but as usual don't remember. The story of Elsa and the Adamsons is still an amazing one of
love and devotion between a wild animal and her 'pride', George and Joy Adamson. The descriptions of where and how they lived is really interesting as it's a way of life not many will ever experience
love and devotion between a wild animal and her 'pride', George and Joy Adamson. The descriptions of where and how they lived is really interesting as it's a way of life not many will ever experience
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This book was remarkable! This book showed how a little cub was raised very well but the cub never realized how the life of a lion is fearsome. Also how human and animals shouldn't cross because when you put the animal back to where it has came from it will never no how to take care of its self. This story is a beatuiful story. I recommend to everyone that loves animals!
Born Free is about the first-ever successful attempt to release a wild lion back in into its natural habitat after being raised by humans. Being a cat lover anyway I knew I was going to like this. Also, Africa & Madagascar are my dream holiday destinations so it was instantly going to spark my interest and I had already seen the movie they made of this when I was a kid so I thought I’d give the book a bash. I wasn’t disappointed. The story of Elsa the lion is sad, happy, heartwarming, funny...more
I've been aware of Born Free all my life. I'm pretty sure that I saw the movie on TV when I was a little kid, although I have little memory of it. I started this book thinking that Joy Adamson was a kind of Jane Goodall, only with lions instead of chimpanzees, someone who closely observed lions in nature. Actually, this is a story of Elsa, an orphaned lion cub who is adopted by two Europeans living in Africa, her life as an exotic pet, and the efforts to return her to the wild.
It's a sweet book...more
It's a sweet book...more
Read this back when I was 10. An amazing story...
It is not only a true story, but also very inspirational and touching... The journey that Elsa and Joy Adamson took together is beyond imaginable. And this book really illustrates the true bond that Elsa and Adamson had. Something deeper and stronger than many of our relationship to our friends...
It is not only a true story, but also very inspirational and touching... The journey that Elsa and Joy Adamson took together is beyond imaginable. And this book really illustrates the true bond that Elsa and Adamson had. Something deeper and stronger than many of our relationship to our friends...
One of my favourite books of all time - makes you smile and cry, it is funny, touching, emotional and inspiring. Joy Adamson was a challenging woman, apparently not an easy one to get on with. However, her work with Elsa and other lions is undeniably amazing. The story of Elsa is one which will touch anybody who reads it.
I read this as a kid in the late 1960s. I loved wild animals and frequently watched Mutual Of Omahas Wild Kingdom (life before cable TV or 24/7 TV). It goes without saying that I was very moved by the recent release youtube.com had on Christian the Lion.
This is a wonderful book!!!!!!! I loved it!! A very special story, and a very brilliant story at that...I got the original book made in 1960 when I was like 10 at a garage sale for a $1, and read the first chapter & got bored. Now at fifteen I picked it back up and now it is one of my favorite stories!! The ending of the book is excellent and heart-warming!! Im proud of Joy and George's work, I'm grateful for Elsa becoming free, and I'm lucky I got the chance to read this beautiful book
I've wanted to read this book for some time, and while I did enjoy it, I didn't find it quite as gripping as I'd hoped - maybe it's because, as lovely as the story is, lions just aren't my favourite animal!
another great true story written like a novel. and about lions. or rather lionesses. takes place in the 60s i believe. the movie does a pretty good job of portraying on the screen.
The movie makes me cry.
The book does too, but for a different reason -- perhaps because I come to the book on a more adult level, more aware of time and the innate cruelty of Nature.
The book does too, but for a different reason -- perhaps because I come to the book on a more adult level, more aware of time and the innate cruelty of Nature.
Mar 30, 2008
Lisa Vegan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who loves animals, especially lions, or has any interest in Africa, everyone
I cannot remember how many times I reread this book; it was many. I also enjoyed Living Free and Forever Free although not quite as much, but it would have been impossible for me to not read those sequels as I would have been painfully curious about how the story continues.
I’ve cried a lot each time I’ve read it because the book is so emotionally moving. The story of Elsa the lioness and her humans and Kenya was completely engrossing. I read it first when I was about 12 and it got me interested...more
I’ve cried a lot each time I’ve read it because the book is so emotionally moving. The story of Elsa the lioness and her humans and Kenya was completely engrossing. I read it first when I was about 12 and it got me interested...more
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I grew up in Thika, Kenya and reading this book left a lasting impression on me - it is one of the reasons I became a biologist. I can highly recommend it to anyone. Fascinating!
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