The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story
by Diane Ackerman
This is not an easy book to read: no book about Warsaw during World War II should be, I think. This non-fiction book focuses on the life of Antonina, the wife of the Warsaw Zoo head zookeeper during the war.
Why is this interesting? Her husband Jan was actively involved in the Resistance (to a degree that she was unaware of until after the war). Together, they were a stop on the Underground, helping Jews get out of the Warsaw Ghetto (and in many cases, to safety). But together, they also saw friends die, be sent away to labor and concentration camps, and they also saw the utter destruction of their zoo both through bombing and through deliberate action.
There are many heartbreaking scenes described in the book - but one of the ones that I least anticipated was when the German army comes to rip up any non-German plants (including a lush rose garden) because Polish plants are obviously inferior.
The other part I found fascinating about the book was that it’s a very clear example of how relatively small actions and steps can make a big difference in people’s lives. Many of Antonina’s actions were relatively small - but together, they helped people stay in hiding, helped keep them safe, and helped protect some significant research materials. She also, through much of the war, remembers her home as relatively happy, under the circumstances - there was music, and laughter, and because of Jan’s formal positions (and the assistance of other German-employed staff on the grounds) they generally had enough to eat and heat the house with (a rare situation in that time and place).
The book itself is a little bit scattered: at times, it jumps chronologically, or slides over information that I would have liked more detail about. But overall, it’s a fascinating and recommended read.