Ackerman creates an illustrious picture of wartime Warsaw in this narrative nonfiction. The zookeepers were heavily involved in the underground and helped save over 300 Jews from the ghetto and death camps. Based off of Antonia's diary, Ackerman invites us to be a witness to the tragedy of humanity. Let it be all our duty to save someone's life if we are able to.

This book has a lot going for it: mystery, social commentary, love; but it somehow falls short. It was a nice read, but a bit predictable. I felt I wanted more: it wanted for Burton to press just a little deeper into her characters.