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

By Louise Callaghan

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250248949
• ISBN13: 9781250248947
• Release Date: January 2020
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Father of Lions was Amazing!

I usually don't read much nonfiction but I am really glad I saw Father of Lions and decided to give it a try. This book was amazing! I was so caught up with following the journey of Abu Laith as he did his best to protect the animals of a small zoo in Mosul during the occupation of ISIS. Much of the book was serious and sad but there were also humorous parts like when Abu Laith lived up to the meaning of his name and protected the animals by acting like a lion. It is nice to see that humans can show such love and devotion to all kinds of animals. The book varied between the viewpoint of Abu Laith and his family and Hakam and his family as Hakam was also part of the rescue of Zombie and Lula. There was also a bit of Dr. Amir at the end. It is really amazing that this is a true story! There are even photos of some of the people and places. I always have fun looking at those in non fiction books. I highly recommend it.