“The ZooKeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman
I consider this one of the books necessary for understanding WWII. It is the real story of the zookeeper in Warsaw Poland during the German occupation.
Diane Ackerman writes so beautifully. If she decided to write the life-cycle of slugs, I'll read it and enjoy it; she is that talented. You may recognize her from A Natural History of the Senses.
She has carefully researched and documented the lives of Jan and his wife Antonina as they care for the animals, and later the people, that are in their care.
I find it fascinating that Diane Ackerman has not put words into her characters' mouths. In all cases, when a person in the story speaks, Diane has used documented quotes from letters, journals, and personal accounts. I can hardly fathom the work it took to rebuild the story from written archives and then to present it in such a readable manner.
“When Germany invaded Poland, 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 the 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 and refusing to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, even as Europe crumbled around her” (Amaozn).
