Official Review: Lessons from the Zoo by J. D. Porter

[Jabril Miller]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Lessons from the Zoo" by J. D. Porter.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The story Lessons from the Zoo by J.D. Porter is a story about a man who has worked in the zoo industry for most of his life. Throughout his experiences, he has encountered various animals, and a sizable percentage of them have left an impression on him. In this story, he describes ten of those animals and the important life lessons that he learned from them.

The lessons he often learns are simple ones, but when working with animals, the path to them often carries dramatic results. By working with elephants, he learns how important trust can be, though this is only after realizing that trust is a necessity in a relationship with a large African mammal that can easily harm you. Lesson four involves apes and only comes after he witnesses the long-term suffering that they undergo as the result of our actions (both to hurt and help them). In this case, his lesson-the Golden Rule- is topped off with the bible verse that it originated from: So in everything, do unto others as they would do unto you (Matthew 7:12).

These and eight other lessons are included in the narrative, and the author formats them in a way that’s easy to understand. The lessons themselves are simple, but the stories themselves are impactful and leave a definite impression, like his encounter with a female African Leopard that almost resulted in him losing his hand (in this case, the lesson learned was “Slow and steady wins the race.”). It’ll be difficult to forget the messages in this book after putting it down, and it makes for a relaxed and straightforward read.

I found this book to be exceptionally well done—it was well-formatted, easy to read, contained no spelling errors, and contained very potent lessons backed up with engaging stories to carry them. It’s not difficult to imagine many of the situations the author is in, and feel as if you’re there, whether you’re on a face-to-face encounter with a loose bear named “Ladybug,” or handling two free-thinking mules named “Thelma” and “Louise.”

I give this book a 4 out of 4 stars for that reason. I recommend it to anyone interested in learning lessons inspired by interactions with animals, or just reading about interactions with animals in general. I would recommend it mostly to adults due to some historical references only they might catch (such as references to Jaws and Barnum Bailey), and the description of a primarily adult profession (that is, zookeeping), though it should also be acceptable for teens to read this as well. Due to the implication of some levels of violence (the natural consequence of working in a profession with animals), and unsettling content (such as the death of a few of the animals in the story), I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone younger.

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Lessons from the Zoo
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[quaintrelle4]

I find the cover of this book to be so captivating such that it instantly draws you into the story. I also love how this book indirectly teaches you about animals through the author’s personal encounters. Thanks for introducing us to a great read