An excellent true story of a family and a team of strangers that fight to save the animals of a neglected zoo in Mosul. An informative and dramatic look at Mosul civilians that face danger all around them due to an on-going war just outside their front doors, and facing starvation, cruelty, and violence from the occupying soldiers of the Iraq Army then Daesh and Isis. With much sacrifice and unwavering dedication, Abu Laith (Imad Sabah) gave everything he had and more to care for the animals of the Mosul Zoo after they were abandoned by their owner during the ISIS occupation. Following his instruction, his children worked just as hard as he did to provide for the animals, with only the resources contained in their small neighborhood and every step outside of the house being a life or death decision, the children pleaded for help and begged for scraps and not to feed their near-starving family or themselves but to feed the animals of the zoo. A true sense of a struggle to help the helpless. I truly enjoyed the way this non-fiction work was delivered, from the alternating perspectives to the storytelling to the dialogue. This is a good read even if you don't think you are interested in non-fiction, this story reads like fiction while delivering a recap of actual events