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    Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save Mosul's Zoo
    Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save Mosul's Zoo
    Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save Mosul's Zoo
    Audiobook11 hours

    Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save Mosul's Zoo

    Written by Louise Callaghan

    Narrated by Saul Reichlin

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    "Narrator Saul Reichlin delivers this true story of Abu Laith, the zookeeper of Mosul, Iraq...This is a triumph of humanity in the midst of adversity." -- AudioFile Magazine

    Father of Lions is the powerful true story of the evacuation of the Mosul Zoo, featuring Abu Laith the zookeeper, Simba the lion cub, Lula the bear, and countless others, faithfully depicted by acclaimed, award-winning journalist Louise Callaghan in her trade publishing debut.

    Combining a true-to-life narrative of humanity in the wake of war with the heartstring-tugging account of rescued animals, Father of Lions will appeal to audiences of bestsellers like The Zookeeper’s Wife and The Bookseller of Kabul as well as fans of true animal stories such as A Streetcat Named Bob, Marley and Me, and Finding Atticus.

    “An unexpectedly funny and moving book. ... Through the story of a man who loves both lions and life, Louise Callaghan shows how humour and defiance can counter cruelty, and why both humans and animals crave freedom.” -- Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News and author of In Extremis: the life of war correspondent Marie Colvin.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJan 14, 2020
    ISBN9781250255587
    Author

    Louise Callaghan

    Louise Callaghan is the Middle East correspondent for the Sunday Times. She was named New Journalist of the Year in 2017, and won the Marie Colvin Award at the British Journalism Awards in 2018. The citation read, in part: 'Louise Callaghan's work fights to get to the truth of what is happening on the ground in rebel-held Syria... She bore witness to crimes governments and armed groups would rather were hidden away.' Forbes Magazine named her as one of their '30 under 30' key people in the media.

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    Reviews for Father of Lions

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      The details, large and small, of the lives of the two families who would become connected through the animals they struggled to save brought me closer to understanding the true impacts of what had been a mere oft-repeated item on the news: the occupation of Mosul by ISIS, and their later slow removal. The author weaves a dense tapestry of families and neighborhoods completely upended by the terror and destruction of their city, amid which the fierce determination of the central characters to protect and save the animals shines as a golden thread throughout. What an amazing story and terrific writing! I greatly enjoyed the audio narration.
    • 4/5
      A beautifully told story that took place during an ISIS invasion. The book spends some time on personal problems and touches slightly on what humans endured. There are huge cultural differences between my life and those in this story.

      The story is about a small zoo and the man who tried to save and keep animals alive during the war.

      There are a few pages where profanity is used. Sadly, the writer is so good, the points could have been made differently, making this a four star read.