This was the September selection of my book club. I hadn’t heard of it before it was picked, but it seemed quite intriguing.
Synopsis:
This is a nonfiction narrative based on the lives of the Warsaw, Poland zookeeper Jan Zabinski and his wife, Antonina. During World War II, they become active members of the Underground. They devise all sorts of ways to save people, to sneak rations into the Ghetto, and Jan even goes further by actively sabotaging various Nazi plans.
I was really looking forward to this. I’ve recently become interested in non-fiction and thought this would be right up my alley. However, it wasn’t. It felt much more like one really long school paper instead of cohesive story telling. I also felt it getting bogged down with lots of interesting, but irrelevant details, as if the author felt compelled to use every single thing she found out in her research. There were several tangential people whose stories tied in and were very interesting. But there were also several side stories told that didn’t move the narrative forward, but sideways. Also, it just ended. There were no details about why they left the zoo, what their lives were like afterward, or even any information about their deaths.
2 out of 5 stars
What are some great narrative nonfiction to add to my list?
“Sh*t My Dad Says” by Justin Halpern - kind of the opposite of things kids say, kind of growing up with Archie Bunker as your dad, and a real sweet read about growing up. Justin is a also a blogger and this book came out of his blogs about his dad. Two thunbs up.
I’ll second the recommendation for The Glass Castle. Also, I’ve enjoyed Ruth Reichl’s (sp?) food related memoirs. She was a food critic for NYT, and then editor of Gourmet before it folded.
Undaunted Courage, by Stephen Ambrose, is a great non-fiction book about Lewis and Clark. It’s suprisingly easy to read and leaves you suddenly desiring more history books. (Until you rememeber oh-yeah, that one was 1 in a million). It’s one of my all time favorites.
And I don’t want to live this life by Deborah Spungen- about Nancy Spungen (of Sid and Nancy infamy), by her mother. My bestest most favourite book ever.
The Paris Wife was a great read! Written by Paula McLain - this is told from Hadley Richardson’s perspective - Ernest Hemingway’s fist wife. Most people have a general idea of Hemingway’s history, but this perspective is intriguing and you find yourself rooting for Hadley and gaining a better appreciation for their relationship and its highs and lows.
PS Agreeing with you on The Zoo Keepers Wife. I tried three different times to get through it and was frustrated that it was such a struggle!
Another note… Sorry. I’m like my mother in that I have my best thought about 30 seconds after I hit send and then have to post again. She’s always calling me 30 seconds after we hang up.
Anywho… There is another story called Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line by Sandweiss that is an AMAZING story and I couldn’t wait to read it. It was such an unbelievable story, but it too was written like a textbook. It left me with way more questions than answers. I’ve often thought of trying to rewrite it myself in the Loving Frank type style from the wife’s perspective. I muscled through it simply because of the story within the actual text, but was really disappointed in the end. I bring it up, though, because maybe someone else would have a totally different experience with it. It is such a great and unbelievable story that I’d love anyone slightly interested to give it a whirl. Maybe if you go in expecting the hard facts of the story and not a love story, you’ll have a better mindset.
I also tried The Zookeeper’s Wife, but gave up. It was one of those books that I really wanted to read…until I was actually reading it. When it was due at the library, I just returned it. I always feel like such a failure when I don’t actually make it through a book.
I got on a non-fiction kick for a while as well… The Jeanette Walls books, The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses, are good. I’m trying to get through Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s memoir Living to Tell the Tale currently, but it is a hard one. There are lots of extraneous details and his tales are always so fanciful which I LOVE in his fiction, but is hard to get through in a memoir. I’m looking forward to reading Wendy and the Lost Boys by Salamon when I get a chance.
I love your book recommendations. I have a sticky note on my desktop with lists of books I will (someday) read. I always add your picks to the list.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - It is fabulously technical, but very readable at the same time. The story is amazing and really changes your thinking on several levels.
I agree with Jodi-I think you’d like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks-we just read it for our book club. There is a lot to talk about and discuss. I have heard some classes in Ethics read the book. I found the characterizations to be very honest and likeable.