A Zookeeper's Wife, writen by Diane Ackerman, is a thrilling tale of how one family can make a huge difference in a country. This novel set during the Holocaust explores the lives of a small Polish family that risk their lives daily to save Jewish people seeking refuge and an escape from the Germans. Jan and Antonia Zabinski, the two protagonists, own a zoo that the Germans bombed during the war. Because all of their animals were taken away from them, their zoo no longer served for any specific use. Jan Zabinski decided to use this to his advantage and housed people sent to him from the Underground in the cages and houses for the different animals. The Zabinski family housed around 3oo people during the war either in their own villa or in the zoo, which was very close to a Nazi camp towards the other half of the zoo. Although Jan and Antonia were not Jewish, they felt a strong need to protect and save the Jewish people of their country and risked their lives every day to make this happen. They are a true depiction of the good of man kind and sincerity of people.
If a person is looking for a novel that will not only be touching and heart warming, but give an accurate depiction of the events that are happening during this time period, then this is a perfect novel for that person. This novel is not graphic, but is easily shows the crudenesss and conditions at the time. After reading this novel, a person can really believe that their were people living through the Holocaust that helped out of the goodness in their hearts and because the actions of the Germans were wrong. Ackerman beautifully displays the kind nature of men and women, and how one family or person can make a huge difference in the long run.
This was a great nonfiction novel that I would personally reccomend to anyone interested in the topic.
-Princess Diana
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Wow this sounds like an interesting book. I'm suprised but impressed that Jan and Antonia Zabinski were able to hide the 300 people for the entire war without Nazi detection.
ReplyDelete--Sacagawea
It's always amazing to hear a story like this; one where a family goes above and beyond expectations to help out strangers in a time like the Holocaust. In contrast to many books about the topic, its cool that the author painted a story so heroic yet less graphic (not to say less knowledgeable!) than many books. I agree completely that the humanity showcased in this book by Jan and Antonia is exceptional and inspiring at the very least!
ReplyDelete-Sasha Obama
I have heard a lot about this book. It's always incredible to read a story about a person who risks their life to save the lives of others. This book is definitely on my must-read list.
ReplyDelete-Jacqueline Kennedy
It's stories like this that remind people that there is good in humans, and it's a shame that these stories don't come up that often. Does the book say whether any of the Zabinski family is still alive?
ReplyDelete-La Reina Sofia
This book sounds like a wonderful read, hearing the stories about these brave humans willing to risk their lives to save others is honestly beautiful. I would love to read something like this and it sounds great.
ReplyDelete-Joan of Arc