We Bought a Zoo
by Benjamin Mee
Read by Gildart Jackson

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Memoir

Benjamin Mee tells the story of how he went from a DIY writer to a zoo owner, along with his family, and all of the difficulty that came with purchasing the zoo and getting the license to run it. Though normally, I don’t have a lot of negative to say about an autobiography or memoir, understanding that the author has shared what they wanted to share, whether I wish there was more or less of anything. I will say, though, that this book was quite slow and dry for a while. It picked up a lot when they actually acquired the zoo, and I especially enjoyed the various stories about the animals.

Various parts pertaining to Mee’s wife’s decline and death reminded me of my mom, who died just over a year ago from a quick-moving form of dementia. Mee’s enjoyment in spending time with her, even though that extra time was spent with him taking care of her in ways that aren’t so romantic, meant a lot to me. His difficulty with coping with his loss and the things that would remind him of his wife made me think of my husband—not that he’s gone, but how I think he’d be if he lost me, especially the part about various treats he would buy for her at the store. My husband does that a lot, and I can imagine just going grocery shopping being hard on him.

My least favorite thing about the book is Mee’s very strong evolution-as-fact worldview, which permeates most of the book. He even uses it to explain how people deal with loss, saying we’ve evolved to be used to the idea that a loved one might not come back from “hunting” or whatever. I’ve got news for Mee and anyone else with this mindset—we were not created to accept death. We were created to be eternal, and though man messed that up, God provided a way for us to live forever with Him through the sacrifice of his Son. I disagreed with a lot of Mee’s worldview, but I didn’t factor that into my rating. In an autobiography, I fully expect to get the author’s unadulterated worldview. Whether or not I would recommend this book for others, it’s hard to say, to be honest. Those who are interested in the business side of zoos may enjoy it, but as I said, it was a bit dry to me. If you’ve seen the movie and want to know if the book is similar, I haven’t seen the movie, but I’ve read that a lot of creative license was taken in making it.

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