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My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals
by Laurie Zaleski
An inspiring and moving memoir of the author's turbulent life with 600 rescue animals.
Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie's dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues―horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs―when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother's dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie's mission to save abused and neglected animals.
Funny Farm is Laurie's story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It's the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money and no resources, dragging three kids behind her, and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it's the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued.
"[H]eart-warming...Zaleski masterfully illustrates how one person can rise above difficult circumstances to do substantial good. Lovers of the furry and feathery will revel in this feel-good story." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The author expertly balances humor and vulnerability while sharing the details of her harrowing childhood, making the book feel like a conversation between friends...On the whole...the book, both heartwarming and heartbreaking, is an enjoyable read. An affirming memoir about surviving domestic violence with the help of furred and feathered friends." - Kirkus Reviews
"This story of grit and resilience is 100 percent inspiring." - Real Simple
"Funny Farm is the satisfying tumultuous story of one mama who understood that a messy life crowded with love and animals is plenty good enough. Her daughter would grow up to tackle that legacy and build her own thriving animal sanctuary. Laurie Zaleski writes in vivid unsentimental language, equal parts passion and grit. She would balk at being called tender hearted. She'd better get used to it." - Ellen Stimson, author of Mud Season and Good Grief
"I found myself up till much later at night than was good for me, just to read one more chapter. I laughed, I cried, I related in a very deep way, and most of all, I fell in love with Laurie, her mom, and her whole family, both human and non. Funny Farm was moving, inspiring, honest, and refreshingly real. I loved every page!" - Ellie Laks-Weiner, author of My Gentle Barn
This information about Funny Farm was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Laurie Zaleski is the founder of the Funny Farm, a charitable organization located in Mizpah, New Jersey. Since 2000, the farm has welcomed all kinds of rescue animals. Laurie is also the founder, president and CEO of Art-Z Graphics. She has been named a New Jersey Heartland Hero, is listed in the 2019 Who's Who of Professional Women, and has received numerous awards and acknowledgements for her work to save animals and educate the public about animal abuse.
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