This story of human resilience, in the face of religious fanaticism, shows that survival in the worst circumstances is possible, if neither predictable nor perfect. The author impresses the grinding reality of war upon the reader, with a few positive results,but there is no fairy tale ending. The futility of much that the characters work to achieve makes this a disheartening tale. Humanity is happiest and most confident when we believe we control at least part of our life. War proves to these characters that they have no control and that whatever success they achieve is merely the result of random events. A savior of sorts appears to help the father of lions, but he too is subject to the illogical, whimsy of petty officials and the military. Although the book may masquerade as a feel good book, it is not. It is an expose' of the helter skelter nature of life, exacerbated by war.

Abu Laith had a dream. This poor mechanic wanted to create a zoo in Mosul right in the middle of a war. Nothing would stop him despite the cultural dislike of animals.

What slowly became a reality became a race to save these animals in the aftereffects of war. With the help of a sympathetic scientist he is able to succeed and this book is his story.

A well written, if a bit slow, tale. Readers 16 and up may enjoy this story. Book clubs may want to talk about home grown zoos.