I went to Washington DC in June. One of the places I visited was the Holocaust Museum. They have a whole room devoted to rescuers. I thought that was pretty cool. In the museum gift shop I bought The Zookeeper’s Wife. I had looked at the book before, but had not picked it.
A husband and wife lived in Warsaw during the war. He was head of the zoo. His wife was very good at taking care of sick animals. He was an atheist, she was a devout Catholic. He had grown up in Warsaw with a lot of Jewish friends. They wer able to aid 300 Jews during the war. Ms. Ackerman really does a lovely job of describing not only the war in Poland, but also all these wonderful animals. There is a movie called “The Seventh Cross” with Spencer Tracey, Hume Cronyn, and Jessica Tandy. In the movie Spencer Tracey is a german who opposes the Nazi regime. He is put in a concentration camp. He escapes and turns to friends for help. The feeling is of always being to danger and careful not to cause too much notice by the neighbors. I was impressed by how many people aided Jews in Warsaw despite what could happen to their own families if reported to the Nazis.
I thought this book was well done and that Ms. Ackerman did a good job in getting the right feeling of the war in Poland.
3 out of 4 Stars
Reviewed By: Anne Egger, Library Services
