Funny farm My unexpected life with 600 rescue animals

In this heartwarming debut, Zaleski, founder of New Jersey's Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary, shares how she came to live with "hundreds of ducks and geese, dogs and cats, pigs and goats, alpacas and horses." After her mother left her sadistic father in the 1970s, with Zaleski and her siblings in tow, the transition (which included "hiding out in a motel") was rough, but the peace they found made up for the loss of their upper-middle-class lifestyle. Laurie's plucky mother, Annie, was a fierce animal lover and devoted her life to rescuing animals, even when money was tight. So it only seemed fitting, after her mother died in 2000, for Zaleski to fulfill Annie's dream of running her own animal rescue. Today, her farm accommodates more than 600 animals--ranging from skunks taken in from exotic animal breeders to retired racehorses--many of which she pays loving tributes to. As she dishes stories of her guests--including Angel, a cantankerous, disabled goose who "didn't live up to her name," and a sweet 1,200-pound mare--Zaleski masterfully illustrates how one person can rise above difficult circumstances to do substantial good. Lovers of the furry and feathery will revel in this feel-good story. (Sept.)

An adult survivor of domestic violence recounts her experience starting an animal rescue farm in honor of her courageous mother. When Zaleski was a child, her neighbors thought her family was perfect. Her mother, "a happy homemaker, demure but fashionable in her minidresses and capris with beautifully coiffed hair and flawless makeup," was well matched with her charming, economically successful husband. But behind all the society page--worthy parties, the family harbored a dark secret: Zaleski's father was dangerously violent. Finally, after two unsuccessful attempts at fleeing, Zaleski's mother packed the children in the car and relocated to a house in the New Jersey woods that was so run-down it was almost uninhabitable. There followed years of abject poverty, continued harassment from her father, and a long line of adopted animals ("an endless litany of sad stories"). Zaleski's mother rescued so many animals that she nicknamed their home the Funny Farm, a name the author would use when she formally opened an animal rescue farm in her mother's honor weeks after her untimely death. "She had rallied, like Lazarus, after her brain surgery, so much so that we started believing in miracles," writes Zaleski. "But…her decline, when it came, was swift. She faded before our eyes like a Polaroid in reverse." The narrative alternates between a chronological account of the family's experiences living just 10 minutes--yet a world away--from their wealthy, abusive father and vignettes about the animals living at the current Funny Farm. The author expertly balances humor and vulnerability while sharing the details of her harrowing childhood, making the book feel like a conversation between friends. Although the interspersed anecdotes about the Funny Farm's most famous rescued animals provide welcome moments of levity, they sometimes lack a connection to the main story. On the whole, however, the book, both heartwarming and heartbreaking, is an enjoyable read. An affirming memoir about surviving domestic violence with the help of furred and feathered friends. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.