We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Change Their Lives Forever | 
| Author: Benjamin Mee
Publisher: Weinstein Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.00
You Save: $12.95 (52%)
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Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 38900
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 1602860483
Dewey Decimal Number: 590.7342353092
EAN: 9781602860483
ASIN: 1602860483
Publication Date: September 9, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 261 p. Contains: Illustrations. New
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Product Description
Benjamin Mee decided to uproot his family and move them to an unlikely new home: a dilapidated zoo on the English countryside, complete with over 200 exotic animals. It was his dream to refurbish the zoo and run it as a family business. There was much work to be done, and none of it easy. Tigers broke loose, money ran low, the staff grew skeptical, and family tensions ran high. Then tragedy struck. His wife had a recurrence of a brain tumor, forcing Benjamin and his children to face the heartbreak of illness and the devastating loss of a wife and mother. But inspired by her memory and the healing power of the incredible family of animals they had grown to love, Benjamin and his kids resovled to move forward. The Mee family opened the gates of the revitalized zoo in July 2007.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 The true story of a young family who bought a broken down zoo with 200 wild animals December 15, 2008
This true story of a young family who bought a broken down zoo with 200 wild animals and how they managed to revive their family and the zoo makes for a powerful memoir to fascinate any interested in wildlife management. The zoo was located in the English countryside and author Mee, who specializes in animal behavior, had a dream to run it as a family business. His family efforts and the engaging stories of zoo residents who sometimes proved a challenge makes for fascinating reading. General-interest lending libraries will love it.
Powerful memoir November 17, 2008
This was a pretty powerful memoir. It combines a family, a dream, hard work, and tragedy. I think for the most part all the elements are pretty well balanced. I was rooting for this family and the success of their zoo and dream. They worked tirelessly to make improvements for the animals and zoo while trying to remain a close-knit family as the author's wife passes away.
I loved reading about the author's wife and children, especially his love for his wife. I would have loved to learn a bit more about his other family members as well. The author's mother is mentioned several times but I would have liked to learn more about his siblings.
All the stories related to the zoo were pretty amazing. Multiple animal escapes, staff spats, and animal personalities. There was a great deal going on. And I loved it all! At times when the author was talking about the animal enclosers I had a hard time picturing exactly what he meant. I don't know if it was just me or if it's hard for a zoo outsider to understand these things. It was very rewarding to see the zoo's makeover from start to finish and see the staff form and come together to get the zoo ready for inspection.
This was a very original true story and I would like to learn more about this family and their zoo since this book was completed!
Love this book! November 16, 2008
This is a terrific book. Probably because it is something I always wished I could do.
Not my usual cup of tea, but give me more! November 14, 2008
Normally, no matter how interesting the topic, I never seem to finish any non-fiction books I pick up. They just never manage to raise my interest level to the point that I normally voraciously consume fiction.
This book is my exception.
I started by just leafing through and reading excerpts. It did not take long for the book to hook me in. I finally started from the beginning, and read the entire thing, cover to cover that very evening. It's a lovely tale, though tinged with sadness. I love the author's voice as he narrates his story. It is very conversational, and made me both laugh outloud, and shed a couple of tears. This is someone I'd love to get know, this book doesn't just tell a story, but lets you into someone's life.
This is an author I will look forward to reading more of.
 Mee Buries the Lead November 14, 2008
Benjamin Mee's memoir delivers in so many unexpected ways that at times make it an emotional, enjoyable read. The "We Bought a Zoo" hook winds up being little more than a hook as a lot of the anecdotes about the purchase and pulling together of the unusual family business fail to deliver; but, Mee brings surprising humor, honesty and passion to the personal drama his family undergoes when his partner/wife is diagnosed with and eventually succumbs to a brain tumor.
His wife's story becomes the center of gravity that holds reading interest in spite of some antics by his family's newly acquired menagerie, a couple of colorful characters in the zoo acquisition, and the larger tale about the effort to take the failing animal park from disrepair to profitability.
While that turnaround of the titular zoo is supposed to provide the conflict, suspense and narrative weight, it just fails to deliver and it is really the more emotional family story that saves this from being a two-star "cute" book. If you're a "Marley & Me" fan or liked the current bestseller "Dewey," this might really work for you. Otherwise, I'd say its a so-so effort with a couple of really excellent moments that make it worth the read if you're looking for something to fill a gap in your reading list.
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