An Elephant in My Kitchen: What the Herd Taught Me about Love, Courage and Survival

Be warned. This book will break your heart. While this book does reference The Elephant Whisperer a couple of times, it mostly focuses on how she coped with her husband's death. I read the Elephant Whisperer a couple of years back and as far as I can recall this book does just as much justice to the combined magic and tragedy that living in the bush entails. Although I do think that a few vague references to events of that book may leave those who are unfamiliar with the story wanting more. The author explores her struggles and successes and explores the unique challenges hat come from being a (foreign) white woman deep in rural South Africa (where tradition plays a major role in daily life) in a respectful way. She examines the way she show more contributes, admitting her own shortcomings (for example, being unable to speak the language creates a language barrier). She is torn between a desire to give up (as it all seems hopeless) and a need to fight for the hope and vision she shared with her late husband to create a safe space for wildlife. As a biologist in Africa this internal struggle between hope and the lack thereof is one I'm all too familiar with.

This book is part homage to her husband (she talks about their life together in multiple parts, including how they met and fell in love) and the animals she lost to poachers along the way (believe me, she isn't gentle when talking about the cruelty she saw) and part conservation story about running her reserve. This book had me in tears multiple times (and I may or may not be shedding a few while I write this quite a bit later than I intended to).

This is a book that hits hard and will stay with you. show less

This is a beautiful book and horrible too. It’s the story of a game reserve in South Africa trying desperately to save wildlife while fighting the growing professional and well-funded poachers. It’s an extraordinarily hard read in that regard, so huge trigger warning. But it’s a love story to animals as well. I loved it so much while also cringing from the horror stories. Highly recommended if you’re well-warned.

The story is about something with four legs and bit of fur, so of course I give it 5 stars. It was heartbreaking but mostly heartwarming. Francoise had a heart bigger than the animals she was protecting. Actually, she never thought she would HAVE to do what she did. Her husband that started the sanctuary was suddenly gone...killed and she either had to fight to protect the elephant herd or let the poachers kill them.... which thankfully she never considered that an option. There is an attack on an animal orphanage that is horrific, that some may want to by-pass, but overall, the story contains, hope, love, joy and, yes, sorrow, but it also shows why we need to protect our precious wildlife. I sympathized with her...because I worked show more almost half my life for an organization that was dedicated to doing this. Although my zoo did not have elephants there are 5 other Zoo's in my state that do and donate to Francoise's refuge. We have to really take into consideration that we, as humans, are not exempt nor immune to following the path that so many of the Earth's species have already followed. Extinction is forever. show less

Lawrence Anthony and Françoise Malby-Anthony, a married couple, ran the Thula Thula Private Game Preserve in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, starting in the 1990’s. Lawrence managed animal conservation and Françoise ran the lodge. Lawrence had written a book, The Elephant Whisperer, which told of the decision to establish Thula Thula and rescue a herd of elephants. When Lawrence died suddenly in 2012, Françoise, a native of France, was thrust into the forefront of the conservation community. Many thought she would return to France, but she had fallen in love with life in the African bush and decided to continue running the preserve. She learned and adapted through experience. She tells her story in this book, picking up where The show more Elephant Whisperer left off.

Malby-Anthony establishes a rehabilitation center, initially targeted at rhinos, to provide a safe haven until they can be reintroduced into the wild. In addition to rhinos, she and her staff care for an orphaned elephant and hippo. This book is replete with heart-warming animal anecdotes and heart-breaking tragedies. Her deep caring for these creatures shines through. The author is a vocal advocate for anti-poaching, particularly regarding rhino horns. Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same substance as our fingernails, yet they are coveted for their imagined healing properties. As she says, "I am constantly confronted by the brutality of poaching and it's hard not to lose faith in mankind, but I have also met so many beautiful people and organizations who remind me not to give up hope."

I read The Elephant Whisperer last year, and very much enjoyed it, so I was thrilled to receive an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the publisher. Anyone who loves African wildlife, has a passion for conservation, or has wondered about the challenges of running a game preserve will enjoy this book. show less

This book is an emotional roller coaster as it is a follow up to The Elephant Whisperer. Lawrence Anthony’s wife, Francoise, shares some stories of her life with Lawrence and how she carried on after his sudden death. She loves her South African home and is passionate about animal conservation. It’s impressive how she expanded their reserve by building a center for rhino orphans. For every heart warming story about her amazing animals, there’s a heart wrenching story of evil poachers.

I read her husband's book, The Elephant Whisperer, which I enjoyed very much, and I also enjoyed this novel by Francoise, too. I admired her strength and courage in staying true to her belief's and caring for the animals of Africa, particularly Elephant and Rhinos, ensuring a safe place for these animals to live life without fear of being killed by poachers. Her book reminded me how disgraceful it is, in my opinion, to kill rhinos for their horns just because they are considered to have (unproven) medicinal/magical qualities - I have been fortunate to be in Africa and see these animals in the wild, and I can't imagine taking the life of these beautiful creatures for prize or for unproven qualities. Francoise Malby Anthony did a great show more job reminding me that these animals deserve protection and respect by us, and I particularly liked the interaction of the young animals as they began to trust their 'human' friends - it was touching. show less

She’s not really a writer, but there’s lots of story to work with. In the end, it feels like an adventure told to you by an eccentric aunt in the comfort of her kitchen. You can’t help but empathize with the story and the characters.