The Zookeeper's Wife
Encyclopedia
The Zookeeper's Wife is a non-fiction
book written by Diane Ackerman
.
The true story of how the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo
saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers
devastated Warsaw
, and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Antonina and Jan Żabiński
began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Żabińskis' 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 —otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes— and keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book written by Diane Ackerman
Diane Ackerman
Diane Ackerman is an American author, poet, and naturalist known best for her work A Natural History of the Senses. Her writing style, referring to her best-selling natural history books, can best be described as a blend of poetry, colloquial history, and easy-reading science...
.
The true story of how the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo
Warsaw Zoo
The Warsaw Zoological Garden, known simply as the Warsaw Zoo is a scientific zoo on Ratuszowa Street in Warsaw, Poland. The zoo covers about in downtown Warsaw, and sees 600,000 visitors annually...
saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
devastated Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Antonina and Jan Żabiński
Jan Zabinski
Jan Żabiński was a Polish zoologist and zootechnician, recognized by the State of Israel to be one of the Righteous Among the Nations. He was director of the Warsaw Zoo before the outbreak of World War II and additionally superintendent of the city's public parks during the Nazi occupation...
began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Żabińskis' 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 —otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes— and keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her.