Babylon’s Ark [Book Review]

I received this book from my lovely sister as a birthday present.  I finished it last week and am finally getting to the review.  Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title:  Babylon’s Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo

Author: Lawrence Anthony

Synopsis: ”When the Iraq war began, conservationist Lawrence Anthony could think of only one thing: the fate of the Baghdad Zoo, located in the city center and caught in the war’s crossfire. Once Anthony entered Baghdad he discovered that full-scale combat and uncontrolled looting had killed nearly all the animals of the zoo.
But not all of them. U.S. soldiers had taken the time to help care for the remaining animals, and the zoo’s staff had returned to work in spite of the constant firefights. Together the Americans and Iraqis had managed to keep alive the animals that had survived the invasion.” 

ISBN: 0312358326

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 My Review:

When tragedy strikes, whether it is war or a natural disaster, the lives of people are everyone’s first priority.  However, humans are not the only ones affected during tough times, and it seems that animals, who suffer as much if not more, are often forgotten about or left behind.  In Lawrence Anthony’s Babylon’s Ark, the true-life rescue of the animals in war-torn Baghdad reminds us how truly devastating war can be on every being.

Beginning with the frantic rush to try to save Baghdad’s zoo, Lawrence Anthony captivates you from the first page.  His reasons for going to Iraq are honorable, and his struggles throughout his journey bring both tears of sorrow and sighs of relief as the lives of neglected animals are fought for in a city that is already fighting.  However, the book not only highlights the animal’s lives, but also the people of Baghdad and the city itself.  Brave soldiers, Iraqis, and foreigners are thrown together in an unlikely situation, as they not only help the zoo’s animals, but also the mistreated and abandoned animals of ex-dictator Saddam Hussein and his sons.

Lawrence Anthony writes with such passion that the 245 page book took me only days to read as I hesitated to put it down, and the pictures comprised in the middle bring all the scenes to life.  The ending was my favorite as Anthony dedicated a chapter to how everyone could make a difference not only for animals and people, but for Planet Earth in general.  Babylon’s Ark definitely sheds a different light on the Iraq war, and is a highly recommended read for all avid readers and animal lovers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Purchase it at Amazon.com here: Babylon’s Ark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Has anyone read this book?  If yes, what was your take on it?  If not, do you plan on reading it?  Let us know in the comment section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Note: The synopsis and photo were taken from Goodreads.com.  The review above is written by me.  © Kalie Lyn 2011*

Born Free [Book Review]

I’m very pleased to present this review to you!  Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title:  Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds

Author: Joy Adamson

Synopsis: ”Joy Adamson’s story of a lion cub in transition between the captivity in which she is raised and the fearsome wild to which she is returned captures the abilities of both humans and animals to cross the seemingly unbridgeable gap between their radically different worlds. Especially now, at a time when the sanctity of the wild and its inhabitants is increasingly threatened by human development and natural disaster, Adamson’s remarkable tale is an idyll, and a model, to return to again and again.” 

ISBN: 0375714383

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 My Review:

I heard of the Adamsons – Joy (the author) and George (her husband) – when I read the book A Lion Called Christian, in which they had helped rehabilitate Christian back into the wild.  However, their work with lions had been going on for a while before Christian, so I was very excited to read Born Free and see how Joy and George got started.

And it all began with Elsa.  Born Free is the account and adventure of Elsa the lioness’s life, and the difficult task Elsa provided for her human parents, Joy and George Adamson.  Raised by the Adamsons since she was a baby, she treated them as her lion pride, and they treated her as their child, however never forgot the fact that she was a wild lion.  Her life with them flew by as she grew from a cub into a full-size, and eventually a wild, lioness.

Besides the story itself, my favorite part of the book was how it was written.  Joy Adamson has written quite a few books – all of which I hope to read – and her written language reads like she is having a face-to-face conversation with the reader.  Her writing flows, and it feels as if you are experiencing Elsa’s life with the Adamsons.  Joy is a professional painter and photographer, and her beautiful pictures of Elsa, Africa, and the unlikely family’s adventures are scattered throughout the pages, which makes it an even more intriguing read.  The ending of the book is comprised of letters which George sent from Africa to Joy when she was finishing the book in England, and this aspect gives an even more personal touch to the readers.  

I’m a sucker for animal stories – especially if they are true – so Born Free was one of those books that touched my heart and stayed in my mind for a while after I read it.  I was sad when they had to eventually try and release Elsa back into the wild because come on, who doesn’t want a lioness as a pet?!  However, the outcome made the entire book and I walked away with tears in my eyes and a happy heart.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Purchase it at Amazon.com here: Born Free

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Has anyone read this book?  If yes, what was your take on it?  If not, do you plan on reading it?  Let us know in the comment section below!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Note: The synopsis was taken from Goodreads.com.  The review above is written by me.  © Kalie Lyn 2011*

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Winter TBR List

Top Ten by The Broke and the Bookish

Top 10 Books on My Winter TBR List:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My TBR list has been overflowing since I started NaNo.  Now that I have finally reached the 50K, it’s time to get back into the reading game.  I bought some very good books before Borders (RIP) closed and before I left the States, so I am excited to dive into some of those, along with new ones I just HAVE to read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Born Free by Joy Adamson – I know of Joy Adamson because of the book: A Lion Called Christian, in which Joy and her husband, George, were the ones to rehabilitate Christian.  When I found Born Free during the closing sale of Borders, I just had to get it, and now I look forward to reading another one of Joy Adamson’s exciting adventures with lions.

In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall - Yes, Jane Goodall is a hero of mine, so when I found this book that talks about her early days when Louis Leaky discovered her and she began her adventures with chimps, I just had to get it!  Now, I just have to read it!

Hope for Animals and Their World by Jane Goodall - Yep, another Jane Goodall book, however, this one is about all animals.  Jane Goodall talks about the endangered species, the environment and how it’s affecting us all, and positive approaches to protecting animals and our world.  This is one I can not wait to read!

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson – Yes, I have heard that the author fabricated the story, much like another one of my favorite books: A Million Little Pieces, however, I have wanted to read this book for awhile.  And if it really isn’t true, then I’ll just read it like it’s an amazing fiction story!

Heat and Light by Mike Wallace - I bought this book because I plan on going into journalism, and Heat and Light is all about “advice for the next generation of journalists”.  It actually looks pretty good and informative so I’m excited to read it!

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown Waite - What’s better than a funny travelogue?!  I actually just recently found this book and it looks so good and hilarious that I may just bump it up on my TBR list!

Babylon’s Ark by Lawrence Anthony - I know this book is going to bring me to tears, but honestly, I don’t care.  This book looks so amazing that I just have to read it!  Plus, there are some other books by Lawrence Anthony that I have found which I want to read, so I think I’ll read this one first, and then read his others.

 

The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs - This book looks laugh out funny, but also very informative as the author tries to follow the Bible as literal as possible.  Maybe I’ll read this book after I read Babylon’s Ark so I can get some humor in!

The Devil’s Teeth by Susan Casey - This book looks downright scary yet intriguing as I read about the author’s obsession with Great White Sharks.  I myself, have a fear of sharks but I have always been intrigued by them and how people would want to be even in close proximity with them.  This book could either turn my fear into a positive, or make me even more afraid of those monster-looking-big-ass fish!

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - OK, OK, I’ll indulge in a little fiction.  I have been wanting to read this books for a while now, but have not gotten around to it.  I’m hoping to end my winter TBR list with Ms. Christie,  one of my favorite, and only, mystery authors!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don’t worry, it’s not surprising to see only one fiction book on my reading list.  I’m a huge non-fiction fan and read fiction only when the book captivates me from the beginning.

So, this is my winter to-be-read list.  It’s actually much longer than this, and will probably last until next winter!

What books are on your TBR list?