Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie
Zaleski
2/22/22, 256 pages
St. Martin's Publishing Group
Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Zaleski is a highly recommended collection of stories about animals rescued alternating with an autobiography.
Currently Laurie Zaleski is the founder and owner of New Jersey’s Funny
Farm Rescue & Sanctuary and the founder, president and CEO of Art-Z Graphics.
It was actually her mother's dream to own an animal sanctuary and Laurie now continues that legacy. Laurie's mother, Anne
McNulty Zaleski, left her abusive husband in the 1970's and fled with
her children to keep them safe. The family also left behind a very
comfortable life to live in poverty in a ramshackle house. What they had
was love for each other and a can-do attitude. Along the way the family
took in various stray animals and Anne, a fierce animal
lover, devoted her life to rescuing animals.
In between the autobiographical chapters that are also a fierce
tribute to her mother Anne, Zaleski tells the stories of various animals
that have been rescued over the years. The many animal stories are
entertaining and showcase the variety of animals that she takes in as
well as the struggle and work it takes to keep an animal sanctuary
running. Today the Funny Farm has more than 600 animals and is a
non-profit organization which runs with help from the Zaleski family and
lots of volunteers.
This is an engaging book and the writing is straightforward and
accessible. Alongside the facts and tough circumstances there are
humorous and inspiring occurrences too, which makes for a well-balanced
narrative. As someone with a house full of adopted animal family members
it's always wonderful to read anything that supports adopt don't shop.
Be sure to check out the Funny Farm website.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Macmillian.
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