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There are currently 21 member reviews
for Father of Lions
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Rene M. (NC)
Make Room On Your Bookshelf
When I start reading a new book if the words flow smoothly and the author captures my attention then there is a good chance the rest of the book will follow suit. This book does not disappoint. Louise Callaghan did her homework and pieced together a true story that reads like a novel. I encourage any reader, no matter how they feel about zoos in general (pro or con) to read this story because it about so much more. There was one part in the story where the reader is introduced to Dr. Amir, the vet who plays a vital role in animal rescues. The essence of the book is captured in the thoughts of Dr. Amir when he thought that if people cared for animals, they should care for humans, and if they cared for humans, they should care for animals. Kindness should not be divided. Too often we chose one side and neglect the other.
Make room on your bookshelf because this first book by Louise Callaghan is a must-read.
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Beverly D. (Palm Harbor, FL)
eye-opening!
Trying to live a "normal" life in Mosul during the Daesh occupation, the main character, Abu Laith, focused on saving the animals in the Mosul zoo...his special friends...sometimes to the detriment of his family. The research and commitment of the author to take the reader to an unknown place was astonishing. To get this perspective on the Taliban occupation was educational as well as necessary. The families whose stories are told here bring us into their nightmare. Highly recommended for book clubs that enjoy non-fiction.
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Kristen H. (Hagerstown, MD)
Humanity Prevails
Louise Callaghan did a wonderful job writing a story that is over a thousand miles away yet it can certainly be applied anywhere in the world and still seem so foreign to many of us. The story is very well written in where you can certainly sympathize with all the characters. Each one has a story that intertwines with Abu Laith - the main character in the story. His love of animals began at a young age and it allowed him to be passionate during a most tumultuous time in his life. This story took a nasty part of war and showed us a small bit of humanity, that at times was torn apart but still prevailed.
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Diane Y. (West Chester, PA)
Father of Lions: Storytelling at Its Best
Louise Callahan devoted a big chunk of her life to tracking down this true story and writing it. I, for one, am grateful. The backdrop of Iraq during Isis' reign was horrifying. I now have a much better understanding of the impact of their inhumane tactics on the citizens. The food shortage, constant attacks and unpredictable checkpoints made survival a huge challenge. Abu Laith, one of the most unique characters I've "met", loved his lion Zombie beyond reason. Despite the circumstances of his large immediate family, he did everything humanly possible to make sure Zombie and the other abandoned zoo animals survived. The facts are not Disneyesque, just real and often unsavory. This journalistic masterpiece is detailed yet intriguing. I found myself returning to its pages when I should have been doing my own chores.
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MJD,NY
Father of Lions
Sad story about the effects of a brutal war (ISIS) on families & the zoo animals. Abu Laith was obsessed with trying to keep the animals alive, even at the expense of the safety of himself & his own family. The beginning of the book was a bit hard to get into & the names difficult to keep straight but the List of characters was a great resource. The ending had you on the edge of your seat wondering what would happen.
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Erin J. (Milwaukie, OR)
Survival in a war zone doesn't come easily
Father of Lions is a fascinating glimpse into life in Mosul before, during, and after ISIS (Daesh) control. Until the last quarter of the book or so, it focused far less on the zoo and the few animals struggling to survive than it did on the humans, however. I hadn't expected this, so it seemed almost like reading a civilian survival story and its animal-rescue-themed sequel. Louise Callaghan has done an amazing job of evoking the tense, dusty waiting and mortar-driven hiding inherent in an urban battlefield. Her pacing intensifies throughout, although sometimes the timeline gets a bit confusing with seasons apparently passing during the span of days. For a Western reader many thousands of miles from the fighting, however, Callaghan's portrayal brings the conflict down to a comprehensible human (and feline/ursine) level. It should appeal to anyone interested in either animal welfare or the fight against ISIS.
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Gayle C. (Harris, MN)
Living in a war zone
A tough read for me, not just because of the animals and what happened to them. The story about the people and living in a war zone controlled by brutal and insane people -- one army of them after another -- was eye-opening and awful. The fact that the story was told in a factual way that almost made it seem like the backstory to the zoo and not intended to sound horrifying only made me understand better how life could be lived under those conditions. The risks people must take to eat, live, protect family, and protect what's important to them is wrenching and inspiring.
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