Benjamin Mee

This remarkable true story, already a BBC documentary miniseries, is a profoundly moving portrait of an unforgettable family living in the most extraordinary circumstances. In 2006, Benjamin Mee and his wife, two children, and 76 year old mother moved into the Dartmoor Wildlife Park, a dilapidated zoo ... (more)in the English countryside, with the dream of refurbishing and running it as a family business. What follows is a magical exploration of the mysteries of the animal kingdom, the power of family, and the triumph of hope over tragedy.

Find out what happened when Guardian columnist Benjamin Mee decided to uproot his family and move them to a dilapidated zoo in the English countryside. There was lots of work and things didn’t always go well—like the time the tigers broke loose, or the monkeys who wouldn’t stop fighting. On top ... (more)of that, during the course of refurbishing the zoo Mee’s wife had a recurrence of cancer and passed away. He and their children resolved to continue work on the zoo in her memory. He’ll share more details from his family’s moving and unexpected journey to their new home.

“We Bought a Zoo”

PLEASE NOTE SPECIAL TIME

In the market for a house and an adventure, Benjamin Mee moved his family to an unlikely new home: a dilapidated zoo in the English countryside. Mee had a dream to refurbish the zoo and run it as a family business. His friends and colleagues ... (more)thought he was crazy.
But Mee's pipedream became a reality when, in October of 2006, he and the rest of the Mee clan-wife Katherine, son Mil (age 6), daughter Ella (age 4), brother Duncan, and his 76-year-old mother, all moved into the Dartmoor Wildlife Park. Their extended family now included: Solomon, an African lion and scourge of the local golf course; Zak, the rickety Alpha wolf, a broadly benevolent dictator clinging to power; Ronnie, a Brazilian tapir, easily capable of killing a man, but hopelessly soppy; and Sovereign, a jaguar and would-be ninja, who has devised a long term escape plan and implemented it. The grand reopening of the zoo was scheduled for the spring, but there was much work to be done and none of it easy given the family' lack of experience as zookeepers. Tigers broke loose, money was tight, the staff was skeptical, and family tensions ran high. Then tragedy struck. Katherine Mee, Benjamin's wife, had a recurrence of cancer-a brain tumor-and died at the age of 40 in April, forcing Benjamin and his children to face the heartbreak of illness and the devastating loss of a wife and mother. But inspired by her memory and the healing power of the incredible family of animals they had grown to love, Benjamin and his kids resolved to move forward. Inspired by the memory of his wife and the power of his surroundings, Benjamin and his family opened the revitalized zoo to great success in July 2007. We Bought a Zoo is a profoundly moving portrait of an unforgettable family living in the most extraordinary circumstances.

Bookshop Santa Cruz is proud to welcome Mr. Mee here and here is unconventional tale of family, love, and healing.

In the tradition of Marley and Me comes Benjamin Mee's We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Changed Their Lives Forever (Weinstein Books), an unforgettable memoir about the mysteries of the animal kingdom, the power ... (more)of family, and the triumph of hope over tragedy.