The Story of Elsa

Story of Elsa #1

by Joy Adamson

First published in 1960 and closely followed by a hit movie of the same name, Joy Adamson's now classic memoir Born Free continues to introduce countless young people to the wildlife of Africa. Adamson recounts her adventures as the surrogate mother of an orphaned lion cub named Elsa (with parenting duties shared by her husband George and by a delightfully imperturbable rock hyrax named Pati), whom she raised as a welcome member of her human and animal family while painstakingly teaching Elsa the skills she would need to survive in the wild. Her teaching, against all odds, was effective: three years later, the Adamsons took Elsa to a place near that of her birth and set her loose, hoping that she would find her "real pride" among other lions of the Kenya grasslands--as she soon did.

Long targeted to preteen readers, Born Free is in fact a sophisticated work of environmental consciousness-raising, for Joy Adamson believed that any relationship between humans and wild animals had to be conditioned by an attitude "of absolute equality quite different from that between a dog and his master." Although Elsa's story had an ultimately tragic ending--the young lioness died of disease and, in separate incidents, Joy and George Adamson were both murdered--Joy Adamson's book continues to instruct and entertain readers of all ages. --Gregory McNamee

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Africa, Biography, Nature, Memoir, Classics

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 1960

About the author

Joy Adamson (born Friederike Victoria Gessner) was a naturalist, artist, and author best known for her book, Born Free, which describes her experiences raising a lion cub named Elsa. Born Free was printed in several languages, and made into an Academy Award-winning movie of the same name. In 1977, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art.

Born to Victor and Traute Gessner in Troppau, Silesia, Austria-Hungary (now Opava, Czech Republic) and was the 2nd of 3 girls. Her father was a wealthy architect. After the divorce of her parents, Joy went to live with her grandmother. In her autobiography The Searching Spirit, Adamson wrote about her grandmother, saying, "It is to her I owe anything that may be good in me."

Adamson considered careers as a concert pianist, and in medicine, but did not take her finals in medicine, instead chosing to get married. She married 3 times in the span of ten years. Her husbands were Viktor von Klarwill (Ziebel) 1902-1985, (Jewish Austrian), the botanist Peter Bally (divorced in 1942), who gave her the nickname "Joy", and lastly game warden George Adamson. Viktor sent her to Africa, Bally influenced her painting and drawing of the people and the plant life of Africa. 600 of her paintings now belong to the National Museum of Kenya. The Colonial Government of Kenya commissioned her to paint portraits of members of 22 tribes whose culture was vanishing.

It was during her marriage to George Adamson that she lived in tent camps in Kenya and first met Elsa, the topic of her famous book Born Free. Adamson is best known for her conservation efforts associated with Elsa the Lioness. They decided to set her free rather than send her to a zoo, and spent many months training her to hunt and survive on her own. They were successful in the end, and Elsa became the first lioness successfully released back into the wild, the first to have contact after release, and the first known to have cubs. The Adamsons kept their distance from the cubs, getting close enough only to photograph them. After the book was written and published in 1960, it became a bestseller, spending 13 weeks at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list and nearly a year on the chart overall.

After Elsa died, George and Joy Adamson separated and were not together after 1971. On 3 January 1980, in Shaba National Reserve in Kenya, Joy Adamson's body was discovered by her assistant, Peter Morson (sometimes reported as Pieter Mawson). He mistakenly assumed she had been killed by a lion, and this was what was initially reported by the media. Police investigation found Adamson's wounds were too sharp and bloodless to have been caused by an animal, and concluded she had been murdered. Paul Nakware Ekai, a discharged laborer formerly employed by Adamson, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to imprisonment at President Daniel arap Moi's pleasure. Joy's widower, George Adamson, was murdered 9 years later, in 1989, near his camp in Kora National by poachers.

Reviews

[Persephone's Pomegranate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third cub was the weakling in size, but the pluckiest in spirit. She pioneered all round, and was always sent by the others to reconnoitre when something looked suspicious to them. I called her Elsa, because she reminded me of someone of that name.

Why didn't anyone warn me I'd need tissues for Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds??? This series has broken my heart. The third book left me emotionally wrecked.

I need a cup of hot cocoa and the memory erasing machine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

I was expecting something like The Lion King but then I remembered real life isn't a Disney movie. What an incredibly impactful book. Elsa's story is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking. Her legacy continues to inspire millions of people around the world.

How splendid these lions were – aloof, but friendly, dignified and self-possessed. Looking at them it was easy for me to see why the lion has always fascinated man and become a symbol of something he admires. The king of animals, as they have called him, is a tolerant monarch; true, he is a predator, but predators are essential to keep the balance of wild life and the lion has no wish to harm, he does not attack man unless he is persecuted for his skin or when he is too infirm to find other more active prey. He never kills except to satisfy his hunger as is proved by the unconcern with which herds graze around a pride when they know that the lions’ bellies are full.

If you find yourself in the UK, be sure to visit the Born Free Forever exhibition. If you missed the opening in London, don't worry - you can still catch it in Newcastle, Bristol and Edinburgh. Among those on display are life-sized sculptures of Elsa, Christian, King and Cecil.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the original first edition of Born Free from 1960, when it was entitled Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds. Later editions were to change the subtitle. Most people now know the story of a lion cub, who was raised in captivity, and then returned to the wild. This is the first part of the trilogy, written by Joy Adamson, wife of the Senior Game Warden of Kenya. Together, they made this remarkable story happen.

Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds contains many monochrome photographs, on glossy paper in groups throughout the text, with just half a dozen in colour, and a colour photograph as the frontispiece:



All the photographs are full page, or half page; a generous size as this book is larger than an average hardback. The print is "Collins Clear-Type", which is as it says a good clear text size for those who read normal print, and the paper is extremely good, of a heavy, dense quality, which has not even yellowed over the intervening 70 years. The book contains both a Preface by Lord William Percy, a friend, and a Foreword by Captain Charles Pitman, the former Game Warden of Uganda, as well as extracts from George Adamson's letters.

This is the second copy of Born Free which I bought, as it was a vast improvement on the paperback. I also had a complete audio edition, and then a composite, unillustrated Large Print volume, including the sequels "Living Free" and "Forever Free". (Yes, I have had four editions of this ground-breaking and influential book, in all.)

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book ages ago and I really enjoyed reading it. I also loved the film where her love for animals came shining through. Truly exceptional story.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was just coming into my teens when I first saw the 1966 film Born Free, and along with almost everyone else, was overwhelmed by the idea: the passion and the trauma involved. The film starred Virginia McKenna as Joy Adamson, along with her real-life husband, Bill Travers. Most people now know the story of a female lion cub, who was raised in captivity, and then returned to the wild. I rushed out and bought a copy of the true story as soon as I could. This is that edition, dating from 1968, and the first part of what had become a trilogy. It was written by Joy Adamson, the wife of the Senior Game Warden of Kenya. Together, they had made this remarkable story happen in real life.

I loved this book but as with all small paperbacks, the photographs contained seem a bit too small. They are all in monochrome, as the first edition of the book dates from 1960, and this was normal practice for the time.

Born Free was to be followed by "Living Free" and "Forever Free". All three books had an significant impact on wildlife conservation and attitudes to the environment. I have read the book and watched the film many times over the years, and owned several editions of the book including a composite, unillustrated Large Print volume, including all three parts.

[Summer Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best animal stories of all time. Why? Because it isn't just about a lion named Elsa, it is about a companion, a friend and a loving creature who shared in the lives of Joy and George Adamson when they lived in Kenya. Originally penned in 1960, it is the touching tale of how they raised an orphaned lion cub named Elsa and she grew to be their nearest and dearest friend - she was family. I have rarely read a book so heartwarming. Elsa was really very magical and unique, and after reading this book, having a lion around suddenly begins to sound much more enjoyable than a dog.

The movie, Born Free, is of course based on this book, and it is one of my favorite movies of all time. The book encloses a lot more detailed information about Elsa, her habits and her charismatic personality. How lucky we are to be able to read about Elsa and appreciate a little slice of the African animal population through the eyes of two people who sincerely loved and understood these creatures better than most people could ever hope to. Everybody should read this book.

[Jami · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I loved Elsa's story and enjoyed most of the pictures in the book, this was not the heartwarming story I remember from my childhood. I love Elsa, but I really didn't like the Adamsons. It may be because I keep comparing them to Lawrence Anthony, another conservationist, and I find that Mr. Anthony seemed to have more respect for the animals' right to exist in their environment. I couldn't lose sight of the fact that Elsa was orphaned because he killed her mother thinking she was a male lion, leaving the three cubs without a mother. I was confused at her reference to "beating" Elsa when she tracked a donkey, which was a purely natural instinct, and not three pages later, said that they never used force with her. In my opinion, a beating counts as force, but maybe that's just me. Finally, I can't help but think how cruel it was to Elsa to keep sneaking off and leaving her when she was sleeping. They keep reappearing and disappearing - I'm not sure that helped her adapt to the wild or simply increased her confusion about where she belonged. She didn't know why the people she loved kept abandoning her and then returning and then repeating the process. One thing I got a chuckle out of was when they returned to Elsa for a three day period several times, and when she got to know the signs they were preparing to leave, she turned her face away from them. My 16 yr old shih-tzu does the same thing when I leave for work! She'll give me kisses whenever I ask, as she is a kisser. But, when I'm off to work, she knows - when I go to kiss her, she whips her face away and refuses to kiss me. When I come home after work, well, that's a different story!

[Joanne Moyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the movie Born Free as a child and loved it. I probably read the book along the way too but as usual don't remember. The story of Elsa and the Adamsons is still an amazing one of
love and devotion between a wild animal and her 'pride', George and Joy Adamson. The descriptions of where and how they lived is really interesting as it's a way of life not many will ever experience

[Noran Miss Pumkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

You saw the movie, you sang the song, you begged mother for the vinyl, and she bought you the book as a surprise. Elsa had all our hearts back then, and her was amazing and truly free in the end. It was the Feel Good story of the decade. so, I think it might be time to bring it back once again for the new generation. What better message to save the Earth?

[Kavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of the Story of Elsa trilogy, Born Free is the story of a lion cub whose mother was accidentally shot by George Adamson, the author’s husband and gamekeeper in Kenya. Elsa and her two sisters were left orphans and the Adamsons decided to help them survive. However, they eventually relocated Elsa’s sisters to European zoos but decided that Elsa should be returned back to the savannah.

Sadly, Joy and her husband are unable to return Elsa to the wild completely despite their attempts and she remains “domesticated” to a large extent. A lion who is friendly to humans does not seem to have much of a future in the wild. Elsa also appears to be highly dependent on the couple for her meals most of the time.

I enjoyed parts of the book but I felt the story drag in other parts. The Adamsons transporting Elsa here and there became a bit of a bore to read about. The first half of the book was interesting but the second half became quite repetitive. Adamson’s idea that Elsa mistrusted black people was extremely racist and comes out of nowhere. It may just be that Elsa was probably picking on her cues from the Adamsons on whom to trust. There were some odd bits of old-fashioned racism here and there.

Overall, an interesting story and I enjoyed the depictions of life in the wild. I just wish the author had found it in herself to give a more rounded picture of the times, instead of solely concentrating on Elsa and her exploits. I mean, how interesting can a lion’s daily life be? She does the same things everyday!

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book the film was based upon, the story of Elsa the lioness, hand raised by a Senior Game Warden and his wife, Joy Adamson, and later released into the wild. This would be rated five stars except that I really try to be stingy with those. The book didn't make me cry, laugh-out-loud or change my thinking, and Adamson, while she writes well and fluently, doesn't have the impressive, lyrical prose of Beryl Markham and Isak Dinesen, two other European women who wrote celebrated memoirs about their time in Kenya.

But what this book does offer is what a friend of mine called a "lost art:" The ability to write about an animal without treacly sentimentality but rather with sharp and insightful observations that make their personality evident (and in this case lovable) without a narcissistic focus on the writer and without an evident heavy-handed political agenda. Not that it hasn't had such a political effect. A Foreword by George Page quoting Faith McNulty claimed Born Free "may have done for the cause of wildlife what Uncle Tom's Cabin did for the antislavery crusade." Not only did the book gain support for the protection of habitat and endangered animals, but the Adamsons helped pioneer the technique of reintroducing animals raised in captivity back into the wild. Not that Elsa could ever be called a captive lion. That's what made her happy ending possible. She was never confined, never treated with brutality in an attempt to dominate. Even after successfully released into the wild, when the Adamsons came to visit her she'd recognize and greet them with affection. As Joy Adamson put it, their relationship continued "to be one of absolute equality quite different from that between a dog and his master." This is a short book you can read in a few hours and filled with a multitude of photographs of Elsa. It was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it--especially for lovers of animals and nature.

[Lesle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of Elsa a lion cub raised and loved by Joy and George. A telling of the hardship for both Elsa and her human family. It seemed at times to be unattainable and a failure. The life for Elsa was torn between that of being a pet or living a free life in the wild as she was meant to have. The steps in her life are told in many fun and hard adventures. Elsa finally is her own lioness but she never forgets her human family.

Elsa's story started the wild animal rights to live wild and free and ends in a very real legacy left by both Elsa and the Adamson's.

Adamson's writing flows like a conversation between friends. The adventures with Elsa touch you in a very special way that true stories usually do. I had moments of laughter and smiles as well as tears.

Side note: This was not their first and only encounter with lions. George brought the lion and Africa back into the life of Christian A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion born in a pen and displayed at Harrod's until two men rescued Christian as a cub, kept him till he was too big and finally also returned him to live the life of freedom with the help of George Adamson's capable hands.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book created some mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, I love animals. I love animal stories, I love animal pictures, I love stories about animals overcoming adversity to thrive. On the other hand, this book is an account of some seriously unethical and problematic human behavior. I understand that it was a different time, when the extinction rates of large african mammals weren't so high and people generally just cared less about animals, but to read about the casual killing of animals, many of whom are now so rare, left a bad taste in my mouth. I recognize and appreciate Joy Adamson's contributions to naturalism and biology, but at its heart this book is about the irresponsible killing of a lion mother, and then the reckless taming of one of her cubs, raised as a pet, and then booted back into the wild, and I can't condone that. It's remarkable that she was successfully reintroduced, its remarkable that she didn't eat the author or her husband, and its remarkable that the situation turned out mostly okay, but also it's definitely the exception to the rule. So this book was kind of cute, the stories about the lioness were interesting, but at the heart of it nothing in this book should be imitated, and it should instead be a sort of cautionary tale.

[Kiara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start with what I liked about this book: the pictures.

Now, I don't know what you're looking for in a book. But to warn you, this book is mildly racist, scatterbrained, and boring at some parts. One paragraph she'll be telling this one story and then she'll get off track and tell a different story without summing up the first one or giving the second relevance or importance. Some areas I zoomed through reading and others I practically fell asleep at. I thought it would be interesting because it was about a lion... I guess lions can be boring, too.

My last issue with this book is when she beat Elsa for mauling the donkey and when she would say she "didn't like to kill animals." Whenever she said she didn't like killing animals, she would follow it up with some story of why they 'had' to kill an animal. Her husband would randomly kill animals and she would talk about how it was 'necessary.'

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot remember how many times I reread this book; it was many. I also enjoyed Living Free and Forever Free although not quite as much, but it would have been impossible for me to not read those sequels as I would have been painfully curious about how the story continues.

I’ve cried a lot each time I’ve read it because the book is so emotionally moving. The story of Elsa the lioness and her humans and Kenya was completely engrossing. I read it first when I was about 12 and it got me interested in Africa and conservation. And lions. Adamson does a terrific job of telling a very personal story and also educating about the bigger picture. A captivating read.

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love animals, and it would be a dream come true to bond with a wild animal like Joy and her husband George did. It was an easy read, and there were lots of wonderful photos. What a fabulous lion Elsa was - she learned to live with other wild lions, but at the same time, she was gentle and always careful around her human caretakers, who she seemed to love just as much as they loved her.

[Reindert Van Zwaal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was remarkable and I really enjoyed the bonding between a newly born lion and humans. However, the storytelling wasn't that good. It was merely a enumeration of events instead of a tale that is being told. I planned to read all three installments, but I will leave it at the first one, for I cannot get myself up to reading two more books of enumerations.

[Петър Панчев · Rating 5 out of 5]

Елза, която стана легенда
(Цялото ревю е тук: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)

Една по една започнаха да се появяват книгите от детството ми. Новите издания отново ме върнаха в онези години, когато пътешествията на мисълта притежаваха наистина силна магия и нищо не можеше да ме откъсне от поредното приключение. За някои вече писах в блога, за други ще пиша след поредното препрочитане. По онова време претърсвах библиотеките и четях ненаситно какво ли не. Тогава попаднах на Джой Адамсън и нейните книги за дивата природа и, разбира се, бях неудържимо привлечен от тези реални истории. „Лъвицата Елза“ („Вакон“, 2017, с превод на Весела Илиева, Василка Шопова и Светлана Стефанова) отново може да се открие сред другите книги в книжарниците, което изключително много ме радва. Е, по онова време бях много впечатлителен – хлапашките мечти ме превъзбуждаха дотолкова, че не се интересувах особено от стилове на писане и подход към историята. Сега книгата ми се стори по-малко магическа и повече „земна“, ако мога така да се изразя. Ако описваш подробно поведението на едно животно, със сигурност ще видиш една леко досадна повторяемост, като дневник, в който всеки ден се опитваш да си отговориш на един и същи въпрос. Но това е нормално за научнопопулярните изследвания в дивата природа. Все пак завръщането ми към дивата Кения ми донесе удовлетворение, което трудно намирам в много от прочетените книги. Това е природата, това е реалността от която човечеството се опитва да избяга, изграждайки солидни прегради, без да осъзнава, че руши клона, на който е стъпило. Истории като тази събарят за кратко тези прегради и създават усещане за единение с природата, което изпитваме, когато изкачваме планина или се разхождаме по дивите пътища. Ето и самата история…
(Продължава в блога: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)

[Amalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before this Elsa:

AND

That adorable Kiara:



There was THIS Elsa. An orphaned lion cub, the weakest of the litter that grew up into a beautiful lioness named Elsa, who got involved in many adventures with her foster parents.




Oh, my goodness, how did I forget this one!!!

[Carlissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was a child and remember loving it. Would love to read it again someday.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Labai graži ir kartu jautri laukinės liūtas ir žmogaus draugystė. Knygos autorė papasakojo tikrą savo istoriją liūtę ji užaugino nuo vaikystės, ji globojo ir liūtės vaikus.

[Robin Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author’s husband, in his duties as a game warden, was forced to shoot a lioness as she attacked. He then found her three young cubs (and felt great remorse at having killed their mother) and took them home. Two of the cubs were eventually sent to a zoo, but the smallest, Elsa, stayed on as a member of the household.

The bond between Elsa and the Adamsons is incredible. While raising Elsa as a pet, they rarely kept her penned up or chained and gave her a lot of freedom to still act like a lion. She was very loving and affectionate to them, and to other people who came into contact with her. You can almost feel the love that Joy and Elsa shared, and Elsa’s personality comes through very clearly. The descriptions of her playful antics are amusing, and it’s an interesting peek also at life in the bush.

When the time inevitably came, Joy and George made the hard decision to release Elsa into the wild. After finding a suitable location, they spent a lot of time teaching Elsa to hunt for herself. They would make camp, spend time with Elsa, and then leave her on her own for a day, then a couple of days, then a week at a time. She was always happy to see them on their return, while at the same time growing more and more self-sufficient.

Even after being in the wild on her own for several months, Elsa would still get very excited when George and Joy visited her, showing them much affection and wanting to play with them. But she also grew more independent, and began to show signs of wanting them to leave her alone, and her transition from family pet to wild lioness was successful.

A heartwarming and well written story, with lots of pictures (in my edition of the book anyway), and now I want to watch the movie again.

[L.K. Simonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long before Hemingway, Dinesen, and Markham shared their Africa with me, I knew Elsa's Africa. This was a memoir I read in my youth, perhaps the first, and it remains with me to this day.

Joy Adamson's story of returning an orphaned lion who had been raised as a pet to the wild is heartbreaking, heartwarming, and hopeful. It's also a peek at East Africa in the 1950s. All around, a good and emotional read.

[Racheli Zusiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

ספר נהדר, מרתק ומעניין, המביא את סיפורה של הלביאה אלזה, שגודלה באפריקה מינקות על ידי ג'וי וג'ורג' אדמסון, עד שאוקלמה בטבע, ושל גוריה, שהועברו לשמורת הטבע סרנגטי לאחר מותה. הסיפור מדהים ומרגש.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story of a lioness, Elsa, and the friendship she maintained with her humans, Joy and George Adamson. I loved the landscape/location in East Africa and the devotion and love between Elsa and Joy and George. I enjoyed reading this, and look forward to watching the movie.

Elsa was "reared from earliest infancy to three years old and finally returned to a wild life." (9) Despite given the freedom to go into the wild, Elsa would still return to Joy and George's camp. It was amazing reading their closeness, their companionship, and Elsa's gentleness, even so that Elsa could lay next to Joy and George casually as if she was a house cat. With Elsa, we saw a "playful, devoted, kindly, and even vulnerable creature" (6-7), possibly different than how a lion or other wild animal is typically portrayed as wild, dangerous, and unpredictable. "They were able to retain not only her friendship but her affectionate devotion when, long after reaching maturity, she became a full-grown, free-roaming lioness, and when one cuff from her mighty paw could mean a broken neck." (12)

It was unfortunate to read that "The lives of both Adamsons ended violently. Joy was stabbed to death by a disgruntled former employee in 1980. George was killed in his North Kenya camp by Somali bandits in 1989. These were very sad endings for two people who had the sensitivity and compassion to share companionship, respect, love, and affection with the African lioness whome they immortalized in Born Free." (8)

[Adi · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I honestly thought I will like it a lot more. Yes, it must be a real adventure to adopt a lion cub and raise it. I would imagine that to some extend it resembles raising a kitten - you spend as much time as possible with the animal, you provide the food and water, you play with it, you try (usually unsuccessfully) to teach it some manners, and so on.
However, it's one thing to actually take care of the animal, and it's entirely different to read about it. It was just too repetitive - Elsa slept, Elsa left the camp, Elsa returned to the camp, Elsa ate, Elsa slept, Elsa ate, Elsa left the camp......... Already towards the middle of the book all these repeating activities become so monotonous, that I had a hard time trying to show interest in the story I was reading. Again, being physically there and observing this behavior must be phenomenal, but when reading about it, it quickly gets tedious.

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that perhaps did most to inspire a generation to learn more about natural history and to support the work of conservation. When the film of Born Free was made it was.phenomenally powerful. I must have been about 8 or 9 when I first saw it and I have never forgotten it. To read Joy's own words as she talks about Elsa and her cubs is a very moving experience. Of course Jot Adamson was a driven woman who often or roughshod over the feelings of those nearest to her, but this should not diminish her vision and achievements. Her tragic death, murdered by someone who knew her for a while overshadowed this but as time recedes we can out that too into a clearer perspective.

Joy's voice continues to rise off the page as we follow her soul searching..

[g-na · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 40th anniversary edition of this classic book, and it contains a new forward. I remember seeing this movie as a child, and it had a very sad ending that made me cry. This book, however, did not end on a sad note; now I think the movie may have included part of the storyline from the book's sequels.

Born Free is a cute, bittersweet story of a couple in Kenya and their lioness, raised from a cub and successfully returned to the wild. It took place in the late 50s and retains a tiny bit of the cultural attitude that was prevalent at the time. Nevertheless it is highly recommended for anyone who likes animals.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice read. I enjoyed the story and the pictures of Elsa. The author starts the book off when she and her husband first find the lion cubs. She talks about their playfulness, shyness, and intelligence. I thought it was amazing how intelligent Elsa was. In many ways she was smarter than the typical canine. Elsa must learn how to hunt and survive on her own with only her human parents to teach her. There were many skills that she picked up from instinct alone. Again great book! This is what "Born Free" the movie is based on.

[Elissa Fox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank God the idea of conservation has evolved over the years. The number of animals killed in this book for bogus reasons is mind blowing. Found the adamson’s to be bizarre, unethical and unlikeable. I know it was a different time but hard to read today.

[Rishi Prakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got lucky in finding this book in a 100+ year old rest house in Uttarakhand :)! Born Free is the remarkable true story of Elsa, an orphaned lion cub raised by Joy Adamson and her husband, George in 1950's in Africa.

With great sensitivity and vivid details, Adamson chronicles the mutual affection and bond between an amazing lioness and the humans who loved her enough to set her free.

It’s one of the most moving and inspiring “animal story” I’ve ever read. The animal psychology in the wilderness described here will always stay with me... a must read.