Well, this was a treat of a non-fiction book. Honestly not at all what I was expecting. When I read that this story was set during the Isis occupation of Mosul, I thought it would be pretty dreary. But the author does a great job of focusing on characters (note: real people), rather than the occupation, although she does describe some pretty harrowing events, and I can't imagine living with that amount of stress for years. However the rich characters provide a wonderful focus, and the story is magnificent. Really, what one man did to protect animals (sometimes to the exasperation of his wife and FOURTEEN children) during a time of war was truly spectacular. May we all have that big a heart.