Jan was a veteran of World War I and a reserve officer, so he was on duty at night. The Zookeeper's Wife (Book) : Ackerman, Diane : The true story of how the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. A War Story. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Żabiński began smuggling Jews into empty cages. The Germans confiscate some of the zoo's animals, and they kill the rest. She is seen by her husband and others as a shy but caring person who had put her own life on the line and helped save the lives of many innocent people. The Zookeeper's Wife, as a PG-13 movie, does not feel like the ideal way to tell this real-life story. The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. Antonina and her son Ryszard (Timothy Radford and later, Val Maloku) barely survive. Dr. Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh) is the director of the Warsaw Zoo, one of the largest and most prolific zoos in 1930s Europe. Antonina got pregnant and was confined to bed because of a painful leg condition. They heard nothing of Jan’s whereabouts. Jan met Magdalena Gross, a sculptor, while taking his daily bicycle ride through the zoo. help you understand the book. Antonina gave birth to a baby girl and they named her Theresa. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman. The Russian Army invaded Warsaw and drove the Germans out. Synopsis everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Zookeeper's Wife. While there, two of Rys’s friends told him that the beaches were being dug up to build fortifications. The zoo had been hit by bombs and the polar bears had been shot when they escaped, along with several other animals Polish soldiers thought might be dangerous if they were to get out. However, he continued his work on animal psychology and wrote several books. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Żabiński began smuggling Jews into empty cages. When she became worried that she would be recognized because she was famous, she became a Guest at the villa. The Zookeepers Wife. Jan sent Antonina back to the country house to be with Rys. The Zookeeper's Wife is a book about two Polish people who have great empathy towards people. Antonina lives with her husband and small son in a villa on the zoo grounds. She was in charge of caring for the sick or orphaned animals as well as the family’s pets. The Zabinski’s use their wits and determination along with their connections to the Resistance to hide refugees from the Nazis. Antonina and her son Ryszard (Timothy Radford and later, Val Maloku) barely survive. The Zookeeper's Wife is a non-fiction book written by the poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman.Drawing on the unpublished diary of Antonina Żabińska, it recounts the true story of how Antonina and her husband, Jan Żabiński, director of the Warsaw Zoo, saved the lives of 300 Jews who had been imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto following the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. | But when Germany invades Poland in 1939, things start to change. He was suffering from a nervous condition brought on by the stress of the war and spent his first days sitting at Antonina’s bedside. Summary. The Zookeeper's owners are Jan Zabinksi, and his wife, Antonina Zabinski. Antonina wrote children’s books. The man was fascinated by the collection and Jan used this connection to gain access to freely enter the Ghetto. Warsaw got bombed many times in 1939. Tofi : Antonina's lynx kittens. These gibbons. Parents Guide. Topic: Family, Religion and the Zookeeper’s Wife Summary. The Zookeeper's Wife. Now that we have that out of the way, let me add, The Zookeeper’s Wife Movie isn’t bad at all. On September 1, 1939, the aerial bombardment of Warsaw commences as German forces storm Poland. The Jewish people were confined to an area of Warsaw called the Ghetto. Tufa : Antonina's lynx kittens. Keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, must save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion in WWII Poland. If you were expecting action, you're reading the wrong book. However, Teresa was born during the war. In The Zookeeper’s Wife, naturalist writer Diane Ackerman seamlessly weaves together the memoirs, recollections, stories, and interviews with Jan and Antonina Żabiński to … The Guests held a christening party at the villa for her. Antonina was finally able to get out of bed in the spring. When Jan was sent to the northwestern front, Antonina and Rys stayed with Antonina’s sister-in-law. Plot Keywords The Germans told Fox Man to take his animals to Germany. Be the first to contribute! It stars Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Brühl and Michael McElhatton. Heck later returns with Nazi soldiers to shoot the remaining animals. Summary - The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman Germany had invaded Poland during World War II. She finally received a letter from Jan. Warsaw surrendered and Jan and Antonina returned to the zoo. Days later, Jan went to the country house to bring Antonina and Rys back to Warsaw. The Nazis would shoot at anyone who tried to escape. Some people wake up to make the donuts; Antonina wakes up to take care of the gibbons. In his review Stephen … There was a fire in one of the German storage areas on the zoo. Adam : The large elk. Antonina took Rys to their cottage in the country for a vacation. It becomes evident that Heck has developed a romantic interest in Antonina. Before the war, the Warsaw Zoo was an idyllic place filled with beautiful plants and the sounds of the animal residents. The Zookeeper's Wife review – Jessica Chastain drama is wildly inconsistent The true story of a couple helping Jews at the Warsaw Zoo during the … They lived in a schoolhouse in a town outside of Warsaw while Fox Man went on to Germany. ABCNEWS shares the news from the recent poll which was 83 percent Christian lifestyle. As far as plot, that's literally it for this chapter. When Stuka bombers bombed Warsaw on September 1939, the city's zoos were no exception. As war brews over in 1939 Warsaw, and while life is still running its course, the Germans are gradually making their presence felt, with Adolf Hitler secretly preparing for the invasion of Poland. He is aided by his wife, Antonina (Jessica Chastain). Now, with the zoo liquidated for the war effort, and many of its animals tragically perished, what was once a menagerie, will now serve as a sanctuary, where the pair of veterinarians can hide the persecuted Polish-Jewish people in plain sight. They began accepting “Guests” at the zoo who stayed temporarily until they could be moved to safer places. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. It has animals in it. The couple tried to go on foot to visit cousins, but had to turn back because the area was bombed. And they risk their lives on a daily basis. She also acted as a zoo guide for any important guests. The Zookeeper's wife. Our “The Zookeeper’s Wife PDF Summary” takes you back to a time when humans were animals and animals – humans; but, it’s not a prehistoric age: it’s the Warsaw Zoo between 1939 and 1945. The Zabinski's have two children, Rys and Teresa. The Jews resisted, but the Germans eventually set fire to the Ghetto causing ash to rain down on the city and the zoo. Antonina left Rys with his nanny and went back to Warsaw for the weekend to spend time with Jan. He offers to house the prized animals and return them to Warsaw after the war. Keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, must save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion in WWII Poland. After the war, Jan came home and they repaired the zoo. They keep a zoo. Plot Summary Animal lovers Jan Żabiński and his wife, Antonina, are directors of … Order our The Zookeeper's Wife Study Guide, teaching or studying The Zookeeper's Wife. Antonina Zabinski: Antonina is the wife of the the head zookeeper, Jan Zabinski. As Polish resistance collapses, Dr. Lutz Heck (Daniel Bruhl), the head of the Berlin Zoo and Adolf Hitler's chief zoologist and Jan's professional rival, arrives at the zoo when Jan is away. The Zookeeper's Wife Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to The Zookeeper’s Wife, a true story set in Warsaw, Poland at the onset of WWII, is both horrifying and endearing on a scale I’ve not experienced in years. On September 1, 1939, the aerial bombardment of Warsaw commences as German forces storm Poland. The Zookeeper’s Wife is the story of two unsung heroes of World War II: Jan and Antonina Żabiński, Polish zookeepers who risked their lives to rescue Jews from death at the hands of the Nazis. The Germans are making their presence felt, but life is still filled with joy and a sense of purpose for Antonina Zabinski ( Jessica Chastain ) and her husband, Dr. Jan Zabinski, the keeper of the Warsaw Zoo. THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE opens in Warsaw in 1939. The beauty in Diane Ackerman's The Zookeeper's Wife lies in her attention to detail. Under those volatile circumstances, the couple of Jan Zabinski and Antonina Zabinska continue with their daily routine as owners of the Warsaw Zoo; however, their life's work, and the city, will turn to ashes when the Luftwaffe's horrific Stukas begin to hammer the capital. The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story Diane Ackerman, Author. In 1944 he fought in the Warsaw Polish Uprising and was caught by the Germans. She did not feel safe in the fourth floor apartment, so they went to stay in a lampshade store on the first floor where several other people were staying as well. Will the world remember the zookeeper's wife? The Zabinskis called the man Fox Man and he turned out to be sympathetic to the Underground. “The Zookeepers Wife” is based on the best selling book about a Polish couple who sheltered Jews during World War Two. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Synopsis submission guide. Polish and German relations were deteriorating. | Antonina and Rys returned to the zoo, which was almost completely destroyed. Jan and Antonina vowed to help as many of them as possible to escape. Magdalena Gross refused to live in the Ghetto, so she lived in disguise as an Aryan working in a bakery. Bombs raze the zoo cages, killing many animals while others escape into the streets. Ryszard: Zabinski: Antonina and Jan's eldest son. Jan and Antonina used their connections with Zegota, a cell within the Underground that worked to rescue Jews, to move Magdalena to a safer place. King Jan: Sobieski III: The King who loves to keep exotic animals. Jan and Antonina lived in the villa on the zoo grounds and Antonina loved waking each morning to the noises of the animals. The Nazis built a fur farm at the zoo and hired a Polish man raised in Germany to run it. Antonina and Rys left with him. Bombs raze the zoo cages, killing many animals while others escape into the streets. It's in Poland. Indeed, that was the dangerous plan of the two altruists, who, regardless of the consequences, refused to wither before the Nazi menace, and sheltered three hundred Jewish men, women, and children right under the noses of the enemy. This is even as many statistics would show the proof of this claim. A soldier accused Antonina of starting the fire, but her quick thinking helped her to convince the man that the fire was started by a German soldier’s cigarette. The villa remained, but it was damaged. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Jan became a part of the Polish Resistance and took risks to sabotage the Nazis. The zoo was converted into a pig farm to supply pork to the German soldiers, but when the Germans failed to fund the pig farm in order to keep the animals warm and healthy during the winter, the pigs died off and the farm was closed. Even though The Zookeeper’s Wife endeavours hard to reach that greatness meter via its gorgeous plot, there is something that stops it from making it all the way up there. He eventually got better and befriended Rys’s pet hamster. He is aided by his wife, Antonina (Jessica Chastain). The Zookeepers Wife 9 September 2016 When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw—and the city’s zoo along with it. In 1939 Poland, Antonina Zabinska (portrayed by two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Dr. Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh of “The Broken Circle Breakdown”), have the Warsaw Zoo flourishing under his stewardship and her care. They discussed sending Rys somewhere safer before the war began. Antonina was in charge of caring for the Guests. She was fascinated by the animals and became friends with Antonina. It looks like we don't have a Synopsis for this title yet. Now, the zoo is still in Poland, but it has no animals in it. While he was a prisoner, his wife Antonina and their son, Ryszard, continued … It has a powerful plot to take the movie chugging to fruition. PODCAST. After marrying Jan, Antonina helps Jan as he accepts the zookeeper position at the Warsaw Zoo. A German officer arrived at the zoo requesting to see the insect collection of Szymon Tenenbaum that Jan was storing at the zoo. When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw--and the city's zoo along with it. She did not know he was in a POW camp. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion on The film tells the true story of how Jan and Antonina Żabiński rescued hundreds of Polish Jews from the Germans by hiding them in their Warsaw zoo during World War II. The Zookeeper's Wife is a 2017 war drama film directed by Niki Caro, written by Angela Workman and based on Diane Ackerman's non-fiction book of the same name. The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story, by Diane Ackerman, tells the true story of Antonina and Jan Zabinski who helped rescue hundreds of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II by hiding them in the empty animal enclosures at the zoo. Not Leeza Gibbons. They both live in Warsaw, on the Warsaw Zoo. The true story of how the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. It’s a fascinating story, and well told. Jan Zabinski was the director of the Warsaw Zoo, and he and his family lived in a villa on the zoological g Audiobook performed by Suzanne Toren Diane Ackerman’s The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story is the true story of Antonina Zabinski and her husband Jan, who operated the Warsaw Zoo in Poland at the time of the German invasion in World War II. It's the summer of 1935, when Antonina, the zookeeper's wife, wakes up. The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story Summary. The following version of this book was used to create this guide: Ackerman, Diane. Norton $23.95 (368p) ISBN 978-0-393-06172-7. Himmler ordered the extermination of the Jews in Warsaw’s Ghetto as a birthday gift for Hitler. Maurycy Fraenkel, a friend of the family and a friend of Magdalena’s, came to live at the villa. After a bomb exploded at Hitler’s headquarters in the Prussian forest, the Germans fled the area and went through Warsaw, burning buildings as they went. The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story, by Diane Ackerman, tells the true story of Antonina and Jan Zabinski who helped rescue hundreds of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II by hiding them in the empty animal enclosures at the zoo. United State has always been known to be of many religious circles. | When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw--and the city's zoo along with it. The Germans began to retreat, which allowed the Jews to move about more freely until Hitler ordered Himmler to send troops in to utterly destroy the city. Antonia and Jan are zookeepers. He then began sneaking people out of the Ghetto. 2: Adolf: The Kidnapper: The ringleader of the rhesus monkeys. Protagonist. When Szymon died, Jan brought his wife to stay at the villa. More By and About This Author. Fox Man moved into the villa. Under those volatile circumstances, the couple of Jan Zabinski and Antonina Zabinska continue with their daily routine as owners of the Warsaw Zoo; however, their life's work, and the city, will turn to ashes when the Luftwaffe's horrific Stukas begin to hammer the capital. Shortly after the zoo reopened, Jan retired as zookeeper. This helps me to understand the theme because this is often repeated in the story as well as Ackerman stating it. This Study Guide consists of approximately 60 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - The man and the hamster became inseparable and were called “The Hamsters.”. The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story. When the Uprising ended, she posted notices asking for information about her husband. This is the story of one family, and the wife and mother in particular: Antonina Zabinski, the zookeeper’s wife. The better angels of our nature sometimes work as zookeepers. Rys grew up and became a civil engineer and Theresa married and moved to Scandinavia. Diane Ackerman, author of The Zookeeper's Wife, says in an interview, "I'm fascinated how often and with what whole-heartedness people will risk their lives to perform acts of courage, sacrifice, and compassion for total strangers." He took only the animals he felt were valuable and had the rest shot. The Zookeeper's Wife is a remarkable account of the courage and selfless actions of the occupants of Warsaw during the Second World War who rescued and hid at great personal danger, the hundreds of Jews who were hunted and murdered by the Nazis. Lutz Heck, the director of the Berlin Zoo and a Nazi, came to the Warsaw Zoo and offered to take the animals to Berlin to keep them safe. Jan was called to fight with the Polish Home Army. Taglines Based on the book of the same name by Diane Ackerman, this big-screen adaptation finds Jessica Chastain playing a compassionate woman who helped save hundreds of … The heroic couple hid more than three hundred fugitives in their home and … A former zoo guard saw Magdalena and it became unsafe for her to stay at the villa.