We Bought a Zoo [WE BOUGHT A ZOO M/TV] [Paperback]

by Benjamin Mee

We Bought a Zoo <> Paperback <> BenjaminMee <> WeinsteinBooks

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

Published November 30, 2011

About the author

Benjamin Mee, a former bricklayer and decorator, returned to education in his early twenties in order to investigate animal intelligence. Ben studied psychology at UCL and wrote his dissertation on dolphin intelligence, after which his first article appeared in the Independent, while he was a student on the MSc in Science Journalism at Imperial College.

As the world preferred articles on health and DIY, Ben subsequently made his living as a contributing editor to Men’s Health magazine on the former subject, and as a Guardian columnist on the latter, until commissioned by Penguin to write a book on the Evolution of Humour in Man and Animals. It was whilst living in France and writing this book that the Dartmoor Zoological Park came up for sale…

Ben currently divides his time between running the busy zoo and raising his two children, Ella and Milo.

Reviews

[Taylor Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a rare occurrence that I prefer the movie over a book, but in this case, it is unfortunately true.
The book was boring, and it jumped the timeline a lot, so it was hard to follow.

[Glinda Swaner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. I would recommend reading the book before watching the movie.

[Brian Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read, but it felt flat for me. There were many things that hung up my reading. My review here includes criticisms that come from my wanting a more cohesive and clear experience, rather than me venomously upset at the author.

Having watched the movie first, I knew that the book wasn't going to be exactly the same. But I was still shocked at how different it was. This completely different story became a two-edged experience. While I liked learning about the true setting of the story, with the setting in France and the UK, I did not like how the story was presented as a written documentary. It focused more on just what happened and less on how it affected the people that experienced what happened.

The high level of political discourse also was strange to read. I understood the need for zoological politics, such as the debates about how certain animals should be treated or disposed of. But Mee also took opportunity to insert his own politics, even when they didn't really apply. For example, he goes off on tangents about clock-maker theology and the hierarchy of alpha wolves (with this latter one considered debunked these days). I can accept that these politics were part of Mee's personal journey as a zoo director, but they did not feel like they enriched the story.

While I know that it wasn't going to be a Hollywood-washed romcom like the movie, I was still disappointed that the romance between Benjamin and Kelly was fiction and not part of the actual story. This disappointment was amplified by the fact that Kelly is prominently shown on the movie-poster cover of the book.

I also found no solace in the book. The story has a heart of loss and grief, with Catherine woven throughout, and yet I experienced no catharsis. Rather, Benjamin takes his grief and hides it away from the reader, with simple statements like "what they said upset me" and then he moves on. It is almost like Catherine's fate was just another fact of the non-fiction story being told, great for recording history, but not for honoring the loss or healing from it.

I enjoyed reading the book, especially when I don't normally gravitate towards non-fiction. But at the end of it, the book felt okay, but not something that I would permanently shelf in my personal collection.

[Maverick Stenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The movie We Bought a Zoo has always been my favorite. I’ve tried reading the book multiple times over the years, but I’ve always struggled to get through it! The book version of We Bought a Zoo is pretty dense and not the easiest to follow. Mee does an excellent job of showing his vulnerability, revealing the hardships of purchasing a rundown zoo, losing his wife, being a single dad, and facing the challenges of life.

As someone who has seen the movie hundreds of times, I was able to pick up on many similarities between the book and the film, from quotes to characters. But I can also see where the movie took creative liberties to add to the story and the impact it could have. Overall, it’s a fun read that shows courage and the drive to make a meaningful impact in the world we live in via conservation.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story worth learning about!
If you've watched the movie, do not expect it to read like the movie script.
I enjoyed it because I was able to have audio narration. If I had just read it, it probably wouldn't have been as fun. But, that's what I've found with a lot of these super cool true stories that were made into movies. (The Zookeeper's Wife, Hidden Figures) Overall, I enjoyed the story and can appreciate the challenges they overcame to build their zoo.