Author Reveals Story of Courage at WWII-era Warsaw Zoo

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published February 17, 2009 at 5:40 AM PST

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

One Book - One San Diego author reveals an amazing story of courage and creativity during WWII. Diane Ackerman talks about her quest to tell the story of the Polish couple who saved hundreds of Jews

Maureen Cavanaugh : We never really know how we would act in a dangerous and life-threatening situation until we're in one. We never really know if we would "do the right thing" or just do what it takes to save ourselves. That's what makes Diane Ackerman's story of "The Zookeeper's Wife" more than just a riveting true story from World War Two and turns it into a personal question for all of us. What would I do?

The story follows Jan Zabinski, the keeper of the Warsaw Zoo, and his wife Antonina, from their peaceful lives tending animals in the 1930s to aiding the escape of Jews fleeing Poland during the Nazi occupation.

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Guest

Diane Ackerman , author of "The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story," chosen for the 2009 One Book - One San Diego .