Read of the Week: “The Zookeepers Wife: A War Story” by Dianne Ackerman

World War II bombers wreaked havoc on Warsaw during Germany’s invasion of Poland. Even the city zoo was destroyed.  While much has been written about WWII, the Holocaust and the Nazis, Diane Ackerman’s nonfiction book, “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” focuses on a previously untold story chronicling the humanitarian efforts of Warsaw’s zookeepers. With no animals to tend to, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began loading Jews into the empty Warsaw Zoo. The Zabinski’s hid their guests in closets, rooms and animal cages all in an effort to save them from certain death. In the end, they saved 300 men, women and children from the clutches of Nazi internment camps.
Hailed by The Washington Post as “an extraordinarily moving story, told with style and vigor,” this book is great for history buffs, book clubs and nature enthusiasts.
This book can be found at the Beaufort branch of the Beaufort County Public Library system, 311 Scott St., or call 843-255-6430 or go online to www.beaufortcountylibrary.org to reserve the book.