The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

I came to read this book because it was selected by my book club, The Vintage Book Club in Long Beach, CA.I'm sure you all know by this time the book which is non-fiction is the story of Antonina and Jan Zabinskis, keepers of the Warsaw zoo. It is also the story of their son, Rys during WWII. But that said, it's an understatement. In a time when everyone who does anything helpful is labeled a hero, these 3 - this Zabinskis family (including Jan's mother, making it 4) were indeed heroes. For over the span of WWII Jan was an officer in the Polish resistance while Antonina ran their house and together managed to hide and/or set up a safe house for Jews and Polish resistance members who were escaping the horrors of Nazi terror and brutality. From the beginning such behavior would have resulted in the death of the entire family. Never-the-less, they managed to run their house for the entire war with what I would consider some degree of normalcy.What fascinated me was the ability of Jan and Antonina to suss out individual Nazis (or in one case, a Russian soldier) in face-to-face confrontations and always managed to outwit them. Jan did it as he intimidated German guards (one in particular, but on one occasion, the guard's wife) in a sense forcing his way into the Jewish Ghetto with food, or even bringing Jews out. I think knowing German certainly went a long way in besting the invaders.When Jan was moving a couple of guns through Warsaw he stashed them in a knapsack and covered them with dead rabbits. When stopped by a German soldier he was told to put his hands up. Next he was instructed to show the soldier what was in the knapsack. He told the soldier he couldn't because his hand were up. So the soldier carried out the inspection himself and discovered only the dead rabbits.Antonina managed to distract a Russian officer whose unit was looting the Zabinski's villa by invoking the Russian's mother, wife, and sister - and Antonina did it speaking in Russian. The result was the the officer threatened to shoot any member of his unit who had anything in his possession which came from the Zabinski's villa.Then there was the German officer (drunk?) who wanted Antonina to play the piano for him. Her first selection sent him into a fearful rage. Not knowing what he wanted she watch as he went through her sheet music. He found what he want in her folder of national anthems and brought her finally something he want to hear - and sing. So while she played the piano he sang - The Star Spangled Banner!Going into the book I already knew about the Bia'owie'a forest, the bison therein and the primitive horse, the Przywalskis. I also knew about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising because I read John Hersey's, The Wall in early 1950.I did not know about the extent of the Polish resistance and the degree to which it went to help the Jews of Warsaw. In fact in that respect I can credit Ms. Ackerman in reshaping my attitude towards the Poland and Polish of WWII.I assume Ms. Ackerman did her own translation of the Antonina's journals. Journals are good primary source material, but can have lots of irrelevant information. I say that having gone through several of my wife's grandfather's journals. Translating I think would increase the level of difficulty.The author also interviewed Antonina, Jan and their son Rys.Some information I thought irrelevant (the inventor of the Pogo stick, the vitamin and the little story about Peoria, Illinois and its role in the production of penicillin. Interesting but irrelevant).Worse though was getting the invasion of Okinawa off by a full year. I mark that as inexcusable.Still, if you're looking for an heroic family Jan, Antonina (and even Rys, who was a boy throughout those years) they are found in this book. A true story, well told.Jan. 7. This book was selected by my book club in Long Beach, CA. As it happens the discussion among the 10 of us was spirited. We all liked the book and admired the author's ability to take that terrible period in the lives of millions of people, but in particular Antonia, Jen and their children and turn it to a living history.Sorry to say I have a feeling that some people, as they get into a book, are side-tracked by structure, language, lists and probably other stuff. When I was still teaching I would make a grade sheet called a rubric in which I would look at the grammar, the spelling structure, quality of research. Eventually I would come up with a total picture of the writing (biology research papers). Some of the opinions here strike me as being only the beginning of the rubric, as if you started grading the author instead of getting into the meat of the content.Too bad for those of who just couldn't tolerate Ms. Ackerman's endless lists, or her winding back of time. Too bad. You've missed a lot.

Very interesting story, although some of it (e.g. Jewish children being rounded up for concentration camps, zoo animals being shot by Nazis, horrors of life in the Warsaw ghetto) is extremely painful to read. It centers on a Gentile Polish family who owned a zoo before the Nazis took or killed its animals and appropriated its grounds for other purposes takes in numerous Jews and others targeted by the Nazis. Intriguing, right? Well, the way it’s written is kind of unnecessarily flowery and dull at the same time. Like, it will go on for pages about a pet hamster or pig they had, or Polish superstitions that don’t really relate to the topics at hand. I have 50-some-odd pages to go and am looking forward to being done with it.

Why, oh why, do authors add unnecessary details to stories? Details that keep the story -- which could be riveting! -- from coming alive because it's so smothered? I think that the real-life events this book is based on could be very absorbing and heart-wrenching. And uplifting! But the way this story is told (with needless digressions and needless details which are meant to enrich but which instead detract), I actually began to think that the author might not have enough information to write the story she wanted to write. If that is the case, then more digging and more research are necessary. Or a shorter book is necessary. The solution is not to write a padded book.That said, I must say that I learned things from this book that I didn't know. Perhaps I should have known them, but I didn't, and I give credit to the author for informing me. I will now remember Jan and Antonia Zabinski. And I will now remember something I had never thought of: that, due to the fact they were forced to live in ghettos, most Eastern European Jews had little contact with the other citizens of their mutual country and, as a result, did not speak the nation's main language -- in this case Polish. So when Nazis were trying to determine if somebody was Jewish, the "suspect's" inability to speak the native language (whatever it was), was life-threatening.

Lectura muy documentada y bien redactada. No puedes parar de leer.

Excellent screen version of the book. Superb performances by the principals with a most pleasing ending after such adversity and incredible hardship.

This is a story that took place during World War II and about those people who did not see themselves as the heroes we now realize they were but who just were still able to discern right from wrong and chose to do what is right inspite of the danger to themselves. And for all the people who say, why did nobody fight back, the inhabitants of the Warsaw, including those detained in the Ghetto put up a ferocious fight against insurmountable odds and not to forget the quiet heroism of Janusz Korczak who repeatedly refused to save himself, choosing instead certain death with his orphaned charges. It is a book about hope and inherent goodness in persons who refuse to make themselves participants of evil.

I noticed this book mentioned in a trip review for Warsaw when I was researching places to visit when I went there in July 2012.My husband is working there and he did not know there was a zoo.I decided to order book and it was fascinating.A true story of bravery and survival.There is a memorial to the zookeeeper at the zoo which somehow made it even more real to me.I need to get another copy as I gave mine to one of my husband's Polish friends who had never heard of the book.

Very unusual war story about a zoo during World War Two!