Sometimes I feel like I read more non-fiction than fiction. But there are just so many great non-fiction books to read! The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman is one of them. Ackerman tells the story of Jan and Antonina Zabinski. Jan was the director of the Warsaw zoo before WWII and the Zabinskis lived on the grounds of the zoo. When Warsaw was invaded, the Nazis took the animals they wanted and shot the rest for fun. Although the zoo was no longer operating, the Zabinskis stayed put, first under the guise of running a pig farm to supply the soldiers with pork, then as a fur farm to provide the soldiers with fur for warmth. But the Zabinskis were secretly helping the Polish resistance. Jan brought food to many of the Jews in the ghetto. They also helped many Jews to escape, sheltering them in their home and in the empty animal cages. Amazingly, they were never caught.
This is a fascinating story of a very brave family. Ackerman gets much of her information from Antonina's diaries, which provide incredible details of their activities in the resistance, as well as day to day life in occupied Warsaw. A great read!
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