The Zookeeper's Wife in Pick-a-Shelf

Nov 18, 2010 Kathy rated it liked it

Shelves: world-war-2, holocaust-literature, a-through-z-challenge-2010

While the idea for the book was an interesting one, and there was much to satisfy that interest, it finally came down to a lack of clear voice for me in my disappointment in the telling of the story by Ackerman. The first part of the book, almost 100 pages, dragged and seemed to lack focus, as well as voice, but then the last 200 pages improved with continuity and clarity somewhat. The animal tidbits were intriguing, and I enjoyed learning about various animals and birds, but I thought that the ...more

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Sep 19, 2008 Luann rated it liked it

Shelves: adult, holocaust, nonfiction, war, 2011

This took much longer to read than I expected. I was very interested in the content, but it took me quite a while to get used to Diane Ackerman's writing style. It's not that this isn't well written and extremely well researched. Her style is actually quite close to fiction as opposed to a dry nonfiction retelling of events. But she made sure I never forgot that she was getting her facts from researched sources - even though she didn't go so far as to include footnotes in the text but saved them This took much longer to read than I expected. I was very interested in the content, but it took me quite a while to get used to Diane Ackerman's writing style. It's not that this isn't well written and extremely well researched. Her style is actually quite close to fiction as opposed to a dry nonfiction retelling of events. But she made sure I never forgot that she was getting her facts from researched sources - even though she didn't go so far as to include footnotes in the text but saved them for a separate section at the end of the book. In the beginning, I kept wishing she would have just gone completely over to the fiction side and written a mostly-true but fictionalized account of these events. Then she could have relaxed a bit and been freer in her writing. I could feel her being careful to include only facts as she knew them. It felt like she very seldom included something that wasn't spelled out in her research, and made sure the reader knew the few times that she was speculating by saying, "one wonders if..." or "it is likely that..." I felt like I would have gotten to know the characters better and could have more quickly been drawn into the events in a fictional retelling.

All of that isn't to say that I didn't learn a lot from this book! As I moved further through the text, I became more accustomed to her writing style and appreciated more what Ackerman had accomplished. This is an excellent account of the events of the Holocaust as they affected the people in Warsaw, and specifically Jan and Antonina Zabinski, the animals of the Warsaw Zoo, and the Jewish refugee "Guests" who found safety in the zoo. Even though I probably would have enjoyed a fictional retelling more, I appreciate the power of this story as a nonfiction testament to those who accomplished extraordinary things as they were caught up in the events of the Holocaust. She quotes Jan as saying, "I only did my duty--if you can save somebody's life, it's your duty to try." Yet he and his family were definitely heroes who saved the lives of many even though it put their own lives at risk. I can't read too many books about people like that. 3.5 stars. ...more

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Oct 25, 2008 Nicole rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, bookclub, 2008

They say that educated elimiates prejudice, yet reading about some of the horrors of the Nazi occupied Poland, I can't say I was too keen on anything German. The over riding lesson to take from this book was compassion. The amazing kindness, and willingness of strangers to risk their lives for one another, simply because it was the right thing to do was incredible. However, it was horrifying that the conditions existed that this kind of compassion had to be show.

The book itself did not read like ...more

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Jan 16, 2009 Lauren rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2009, wwii

First of all let me say that I somehow managed to miss the fact that this was a non fiction book before reading it. That wouldn't have turned me off but may have helped me manage my expectations going in.

I found the writing style did not engage me at all, it made the storyline somewhat disjointed and at times hard to follow. At times I feel like Ackerman is overdosing the reader with too many superfluous facts that would have been better suited to the existing appendage.

That being said I really ...more

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Oct 25, 2008 Julianne rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

So, I'm going to play Pollyanna for a minute: the good thing about ridiculous traffic is that it allows me more time to listen to my audiobooks. I finished this one so quickly this week (and actually I don't have a back up book so not sure what I'm going to listen to tomorrow!).

Great telling of Warsaw during the Third Reich's occupation of Poland. Re-learned a lot of what I didn't remember from high school modern history. I love Antonina, and was so sad to hear the transformation of the zoo over ...more

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Aug 04, 2008 Kellie rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction, 2008-reads

This book was a disappointment. It sounded so interesting. A true war story of the Warsaw Zoo. It had potential but it fell apart. It did not flow. It was choppy and sometimes it was hard to follow, time and place. The author, I think in order to educate the reader, went off on tangents that made it even more confusing. There were some really interesting parts of this book especially Polish heritage, the war, the 鈥淕hetto鈥�, the zoo and the animals and of course, Antonia, Jan and their family. I j ...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Jayme Pendergraft rated it liked it

Shelves: 2010

Another unique view point of World War Two. Not the best I've read, but certainly a good story. ...more

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Sep 27, 2010 Tara rated it really liked it

I thought this was a pretty interesting look at WWII. I guess I never thought about the how the war affected animals in the region and zoos in Europe. It was heart breaking at times, but overall I found it to be a very inspirational story.

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