The Zookeeper's Wife

Archival Summary & Scope

"The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman is the **New York Times bestselling** true story of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, Polish zookeepers who heroically saved over 300 Jews and Resistance fighters during World War II. Horrified by Nazi brutality, the Zabinskis transformed their devastated Warsaw Zoo into a secret refuge, using empty animal cages and the zoo grounds to hide "Guests" smuggled from the Warsaw Ghetto. Code-naming hidden people after animals and their own pets after humans, the zoo earned the moniker "The House Under a Crazy Star." Drawing on Antonina's diary, naturalist Diane Ackerman vividly reconstructs this perilous operation, detailing Jan's dangerous smuggling and sabotage efforts, Antonina's resourceful management of the clandestine sanctuary, and their young son's bravery. Ackerman also explores the complex relationship between nature, human kindness, and the unsettling naturalistic ideology at the heart of Nazism. This remarkable narrative is now a major motion picture starring Jessica Chastain. Includes 8 pages of illustrations.