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Guests | April 25, 2012

Jon Raymond: IMG War Stories

1 comment By Jon Raymond

So, yesterday was the official kick-off of the Keep Portland Weird festival here in Paris, which meant that I had a reading/screening in the... Continue »
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eBook editions

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

by Diane Ackerman

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story Cover

ISBN13: 9780393333060
ISBN10: 039333306x
Condition: Worn Condition or Underlined
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw--and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants--otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes.

With her exuberant prose and exquisite sensitivity to the natural world, Diane Ackerman engages us viscerally in the lives of the zoo animals, their keepers, and their hidden visitors. She shows us how Antonina refused to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her.

Review:

"'Ackerman (A Natural History of the Senses) tells the remarkable WWII story of Jan Zabinski, the director of the Warsaw Zoo, and his wife, Antonina, who, with courage and coolheaded ingenuity, sheltered 300 Jews as well as Polish resisters in their villa and in animal cages and sheds. Using Antonina's diaries, other contemporary sources and her own research in Poland, Ackerman takes us into the Warsaw ghetto and the 1943 Jewish uprising and also describes the Poles' revolt against the Nazi occupiers in 1944. She introduces us to such varied figures as Lutz Heck, the duplicitous head of the Berlin zoo; Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, spiritual head of the ghetto; and the leaders of Zegota, the Polish organization that rescued Jews. Ackerman reveals other rescuers, like Dr. Mada Walter, who helped many Jews 'pass,' giving 'lessons on how to appear Aryan and not attract notice.' Ackerman's writing is viscerally evocative, as in her description of the effects of the German bombing of the zoo area: '...the sky broke open and whistling fire hurtled down, cages exploded, moats rained upward, iron bars squealed as they wrenched apart.' This suspenseful beautifully crafted story deserves a wide readership. 8 pages of illus. (Sept.)' Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)"

Review:

"[A] shining book beyond category....[A] book to read and reread and give to others." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"With its biblical allusions, cuddly characters and well-covered historical subject matter, The Zookeeper's Wife might have been a gamble, had anyone else but Diane Ackerman tackled it." San Francisco Chronicle

Review:

"[An] absorbing book." New York Times

Review:

"Ackerman has done an invaluable service in bringing a little-known story of heroism and compassion to light. Highly recommended." Library Journal

Synopsis:

A true story "as powerful as Schindler's List" in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.

Synopsis:

The New York Times bestseller: a true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.
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About the Author

Diane Ackerman is the author of the best-selling A Natural History of the Senses, among many other books. She lives in upstate New York.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
crabby McCrabberton, January 8, 2012 (view all comments by crabby McCrabberton)
This story is an excellent telling of how life was like in Poland during WWII. I like how the author intwerwove exerpts from the diary into the story. It is a history lesson, but done in such a way you don't feel like you have been reading history. I loaned it to a friend who then looked up the physician who went with the children and read his biography after reading The Zookeepers Wife. Excellent. I listened to the audio of this book and it was excellent.
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eduk8or, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by eduk8or)
vintage diane ackerman about a subject seldom mentioned
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(20 of 22 readers found this comment helpful)
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Laurie Blum, November 10, 2008 (view all comments by Laurie Blum)
Diane Ackerman's "The Zookeeper's Wife" is a book that I have read more than once & each time, the novel seems to touch a different nerve in my heart & soul! Excellent fictional history which begins with Germany invading Poland, devastating & horrifying Warsaw. As most of their animals are now dead or severly injured, zookeepers Antonina Zabinski & her husband Jan begin smuggling Jewish people into empty cages ... you will not believe how this tale develops! This creative author keeps my attention with vivid, descriptive detail through her elegant prose & delicate sensitivity to the natural world. I would recommend this unique war story for mature adult book clubs.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780393333060
Author:
Ackerman, Diane
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Subject:
Holocaust
Subject:
Eastern Europe - Poland
Subject:
Military - World War II
Subject:
Europe - Eastern
Subject:
Righteous gentiles in the holocaust
Subject:
Ethnic relations
Subject:
Zabinski, Jan
Subject:
Zabinska, Antonina
Subject:
World History-Holocaust
Copyright:
2008
Publication Date:
20080931
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
8 pages of illustrations
Pages:
384
Dimensions:
8.3 x 5.5 x 1 in 0.68 lb
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Related Subjects


History and Social Science » Military » World War II » Europe » General
History and Social Science » Military » World War II » General
History and Social Science » World History » Eastern Europe
History and Social Science » World History » Holocaust
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » History and Social Science » Military » World War II » General
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » History and Social Science » World History » Eastern Europe
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » History and Social Science » World History » Holocaust
Religion » Judaism » Holocaust

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$5.95 In Stock
Product details 384 pages W. W. Norton & Company - English 9780393333060 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "'Ackerman (A Natural History of the Senses) tells the remarkable WWII story of Jan Zabinski, the director of the Warsaw Zoo, and his wife, Antonina, who, with courage and coolheaded ingenuity, sheltered 300 Jews as well as Polish resisters in their villa and in animal cages and sheds. Using Antonina's diaries, other contemporary sources and her own research in Poland, Ackerman takes us into the Warsaw ghetto and the 1943 Jewish uprising and also describes the Poles' revolt against the Nazi occupiers in 1944. She introduces us to such varied figures as Lutz Heck, the duplicitous head of the Berlin zoo; Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, spiritual head of the ghetto; and the leaders of Zegota, the Polish organization that rescued Jews. Ackerman reveals other rescuers, like Dr. Mada Walter, who helped many Jews 'pass,' giving 'lessons on how to appear Aryan and not attract notice.' Ackerman's writing is viscerally evocative, as in her description of the effects of the German bombing of the zoo area: '...the sky broke open and whistling fire hurtled down, cages exploded, moats rained upward, iron bars squealed as they wrenched apart.' This suspenseful beautifully crafted story deserves a wide readership. 8 pages of illus. (Sept.)' Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)"
"Review" by , "[A] shining book beyond category....[A] book to read and reread and give to others."
"Review" by , "With its biblical allusions, cuddly characters and well-covered historical subject matter, The Zookeeper's Wife might have been a gamble, had anyone else but Diane Ackerman tackled it."
"Review" by , "[An] absorbing book."
"Review" by , "Ackerman has done an invaluable service in bringing a little-known story of heroism and compassion to light. Highly recommended."
"Synopsis" by , A true story "as powerful as Schindler's List" in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.
"Synopsis" by , The New York Times bestseller: a true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.
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