When Will There Be Good News 3

In this section, many different pieces of information come together. Dr. Hunter's first name is revealed, Joanna. This is when the reader makes the connection to the beginning of the story with the young girl whose mother and siblings died. Joanna is now in her thirties and the mystery of the killer is still unsolved. Louise is a detective that is trying to find more information on Mr. Hunter. Up until this point Neil Hunter has been a shady guy. We don't really hear about where he goes, all we know is that he gets back late every night. I am surprised that Joanna is such a kind well rounded person. Oftentimes when someone goes through something hard as a child, it never leaves them. A death could really scar a child's memory. On the outside Joanna seems like she has a perfect life. When Louise pays a visit to the Hunter's house she wonders why Joanna is married to a guy like Neil, "Just what the lovely Dr. Hunter was doing being married to someone with business interests in the public triangle of Bread Street, with its strip joints, dodgy pubs and show bars, was any one's guess. Shouldn't she be married to somebody more respectable -- and orthopedic surgeon, for example"(71). This is when we learn that Mr. Hunter is up to no good wherever he works. It also brings up the question of why Joanna and Neil are married. They seems like totally different people. This fact starts to make one wonder that maybe there is something different behind Joanna Hunter, maybe there is something that the reader doesn't know.

Later in the section that I read, Reggie is on her way home when she is confronted by someone. She feels a hand grip the back of her neck and something jabbed into her lower back a man then whispered, "Don't make a sound, I've got a gun"(81). When she turns around she sees her brother with a grin on his face. This is only one example of how violent her brother is. He seems to always be into trouble. Although her brother, Billy is nineteen, three years older than Reggie, she still feels the need to look after her brother. Reggie is very embarrassed of her brother, Billy. "Reggie worried that one day Billy would drive by Dr. Hunter's house and offer Reggie a lift home and she would have to introduce him to Dr. Hunter. She could just imagine how this pinched, ferrety features would light up at the sight of all the lovely things in the Hunter's home. . . Reggie thought she would have to deny him. ("He's not my brother. I don't know who he is.")"(83). From this quote, one can tell that Reggie and her brother don't have a very good relationship. Reggie is ashamed of her brother and doesn't trust him. If Reggie would go so far as to pretend to not know her brother! I think there is more to Billy, there must be a bigger reason for Reggie's mistrust.

When Will There Be Good News 2

This next section cuts to a whole new story. A man named Jackson is sitting in his car lost in the middle of nowhere. "He was alone. Not another car in sight. no tractors or Land rovers, no other drifters on the high plains, no fellow travelers at all. No farmhouses or sheep barns either, only grass and barren limestone and a dead December sky. He was on the road to nowhere"(52). When one can get alone time memories usually come back. This quote is describing how alone he is. He could see nothing. The author does a very good job of describing what the setting looks like, after reading this passage I could really imagine the emptiness. This emptiness makes the reader start to wonder what Jackson is doing the in middle of nowhere. As he sits there he thinks back about his past life because he has nothing better to do. First it flashes back to his ex-wife Josie. Then later he drifts to thinking about his daughter, Marlee. This section really tells the reader a lot about the character Jackson. His memories are mostly about his old life and family so one can tell that his family means a lot to him.
Later in this section a figure appears in the distance, which seems crazy because earlier the author describes the emptiness of where Jackson is. When a human appears is says, "There was someone else ahead, on foot, walking towards him. The sight was so unexpected that for a moment he wondered if it was a kind of mirage brought on by staring for too long at the road, but no, it wasn't a phantom, it was definitely a human being, a woman even"(57). This sight is so unexpected he thinks its almost a miracle. Jackson is lost and when he sees a person it surprises him. This again makes the reader wonder why he is in the middle of nowhere. The book then goes on to describe Jackson, "He was a man on the road, a man trying to get home. It was about the destination, not the journey. Everyone was trying to get home. Everyone, everywhere, all the time"(59). This quote describes Jackson as a man trying to get home. This implies that he is looking for a place to be, a home to live at, most likely a family.

When Will There Be Good News

In the beginning of this book, Johanna and her family are walking home when suddenly a strange man appears and stabs her mother, brother and sister. Johanna is the only one that survives because she runs into the corn fields. Then the book shifts to a whole new scene. Reggie, a sixteen year old girl who's mother died many years ago, Nanny's for Dr. Hunter. While Dr. Hunter is at work, Reggie watches her son. Judging from the beginning of the book, I think that it will jump around a lot and move from different scenes very fast. I think that in the end of the book, these two stories will intertwine. Reggie dropped out of school this year and now Dr. Hunter tutors her. Dr. Hunter asks Reggie, "Shouldn't you have stayed on at school, Reggie"(44)? and Reggie replies, "Yes, I should have"(44). Dr. Hunter is implying that it would have been better if Reggie had stayed in school, then Reggie agrees with her. I think that Reggie is happier with Dr. Hunter than at school. With her mother gone, Reggie believed that there was no point in going to school, "Mum had been so proud when Reggie got her scholarship place, but once she was gone, there didn't seem much point, and it was bad enough leaving for school in the morning with no one to say good-bye to her, but coming home to an empty house with no one to say hello was even worse"(30). This quote is a glimpse at what Reggie's life was like before she started working for Dr. Hunter. It also shows how hard it is to live without anyone, living alone. I think that its a good thing that Reggie quit school. She is still learning the material, she is just in a happier environment.

Dr. Hunter is a very intelligent character. One can realize this because of all of the books in her house and how she speaks. Dr. Hunter is always referring back to books she has read in the past. She tells Reggie that she has read every book there is to read. Also, Dr. Hunter is always giving Reggie good advice. She says, "Knowing that when light is gone, love remains for shining"(50). This quote is very interesting. When Dr. Hunter says this I believe that she is trying to give Reggie advice and knowledge. I think Dr. Hunter knows that Reggie has a hard life and she is trying to tell her that even though things may look hard, she will always love her. The reader is never informed about how Reggie's mother died. This makes me want to keep reading to find out. One day Reggie randomly asks Dr. Hunter, " How long does it take to die from drowning"(46)? This makes me think that Reggie's mother died from drowning. Reggie doesn't bring up how her mother died again. I this this book is really good and I am interested in what will happen.


Atkinson, Kate. When Will There Be Good News? Boston: Little Brown & Company, 2008.

The Zoo Keeper's Wife

While reading the end of The Zookeepers Wife, I was stunned by how quickly the Zabinskis returned to their previous lives. Soon after the war ended, Antonina brought Rys back to the zoo, and Jan returned from battle. They start up the zoo again, and it seems like everything is back to normal. I don't think that everything is back to normal though, people have horrible memories of the war, no one will ever be exactly the same. Antonina is described as, "Antonina wasn't involved in politics or war, and was timid, and yet despite that she played a major role in saving others and never once complained about the danger"(314). Antonina I believe was a very strong character throughout this book. She saved many people and was confident about what she did. When German officers would challenge her, she would confidently reply and they would back off. Antonina also kept her son save from all harm. In some ways one could say that being a "housewife" during this time was braver than going to war. She kept the underground railroad going and kept her family undercover.

This book really uncovered the holocaust for me. I never realized that it was this brutal. Because I read World War II from an actual perspective of the victims, the war became more real. To be in the Zabinski's shoes when bombs are going off all around the zoo, was breathtaking. All of the tough situations the Zabinskis went through. I was very pleased by this book and it makes me want to learn more about World War II. The book ends with a happy ending, Jan retires and to make a living writing books on zoology. Antonina becomes a children's book writer. The book ends with a poem describing Warsaw, Poland after the War. It describes how life goes on after the war, "Spring through fall, the horses live unaided by humans, wading in the ponds and grazing on bushes, tree branches, algae, and grass. Snow falls in mid-October and remains until may"(316). This quote I believe is showing that the seasons past and nothing changes. Life is still again. Poland went from intense chaos to slow moving, normal life again.

The Zookeepers Wife

The German forces continued to advance and a German officer assured Antonina that they needed their valuable fur farms and they should prepare to pack their animals and move them to safety. As bombs started landing closer and closer to the zoo, Antonina planned to move her family too. Choosing pets to leave behind tortured Antonina and Rys. They traveled light and Antonina, Rys, Jan's mother, two girls and fox man left for Lowicz on August 23. About a week before they left, Russians intruded the zoo looking for anything worth stealing. Antonina approached them hiding all of her fear and used her best Russian and commanded, "Not allowed! Your mother! Your wife! Your sister! Do you understand"(283)? She placed her hand on one of the men's shoulder and the "manic fury drained from his eyes"(283). Suddenly the man's attitude changed dramatically. He then gave the baby candy and smiled at Antonina offering her a ring from his own finger. Then the man unexpectedly ordered his soldiers out of the house leaving all they had. It seems to me that when Antonina shouted at them about their mothers and wives and sisters, that meant something to one of them, and touched his heart. He might have thought about his mother and sisters and his love for them. I think that by shouting this, Antonina made a connection to the Russians. By slightly touching the officer's shoulder, I believe she comforted him, which he probably doesn't get alot of. He quickly relaxed. I was surprised by the severe change in attitude of the man. He went from getting ready to steal everything in sight, to giving Antonina a ring and leaving everything behind. This shows that that war didn't make everyone evil and proves that there is no such thing as pure evil.

Later that week another officer appeared in the house. Antonina heard the squeak of the kitchen door and hurried downstairs to find a German officer in her living room. He wandered over to the piano and looked through the music. He demanded that she play for him so she started to play a German favorite song. The German officers shouted, "No, not that! Not that! Why are you playing that"(286)?! Antonina pulled her hands away from the keys confused and pulled out a different book. The officer pointed at "The Star- Spangled Banner" she played and he sang along. He then saluted her and left. This confused Antonina, she couldn't understand why he would want the American anthem played and why he was so fluent in music. Later the read the lyrics to the German song she had been playing, "They understand the bosom's yearning, they know the pangs of love, They can touch every tender heart with their silvery tones. Let them move your heart also; beloved, hear me! trembling, I wait for you; come, give me bliss"(286)! This makes more sense because the song is about a broken heart and a broken heart can rattle anyone's emotions. When someones heart is broken, one will never forget it, so when Antonina played this song, I am guessing the German officer was reminded of his broken heart and then demanded a different song. Love has the ability to relate to anyone and can rattle anyone's emotions.

The Zookeeper's Wife

The Polish people start to realize that surrendering to Germany and Adolf Hitler was a bad idea. The zoo is bombed and the surviving animals are sent off to another zoo. This devastates Antonina and Jan because the zoo and it's animals are their life. Jews are soon sent off to concentration camps and mass killings start. Hitler wants to purify the human race by killing off people that don't have the right features. Jan grew up in a Jewish school so he is good friends with many Jews. The underground housing of Jews is in desperate need of space. The zoo is perfect for this, because of the lack of animals the Zabinski's have a lot of extra space. Housing Jewish people is very risky, at times the Zabinski's would have 300 people hiding in the zoo until they get the right documents for them to live somewhere else. One suspicious footstep could lead to an immediate death to everyone living in the zoo. This puts the Zabinski's and everyone living in the empty animal cages in grave danger. Adolf Hitler commands the Nazis to kill every Jew they see. This is proof that when people get in a killing mood they can become savage. Hitler will do anything do get what he wants. It was hard for people to know who to trust and who not to trust. Heck, a zoo owner himself was interested in rescuing many of the Zabinski's animals. He repeatedly swore to the Zabinskis that he would take care of their animals, Antonina and Jan weren't convinced"(94). Antonina suspected he was lying, that he wielded enormous influence with higher-ups, and he might even be personally responsible for their fate"(93). Heck assured them that he had nothing to do with the closing of their zoo but no one can be fully trusted in times of war. Mostly people working for Adolf Hitler. Antonina writes in her journal, "We knew that Heck was a liar and with great sadness we understood that now there was no hope for saving our zoo;Germans were not interested in keeping them alive." Germans didn't care who lived and who died, as long as they got done what needed to be done according to them.

When one's life is in danger, they will go to extremes to survive. Killing became a sort of game to the Germans. One day Heck and his friends arrived drunk and armed to the zoo, "suddenly gunshots broke the winter silence, each one followed by its echo, as rifle fire crackled across the grounds, loud enough to hear through shuttered windows." Heck and his friends killed many of the zoo animals only for their own pleasure. Antonina and Jan valued the lives of their animals, on the other hand the Germans put very little value on life. The Germans increase in killing for fun worried everyone in danger. Antonina wrote in her journal, "Beyond politics or war, of sheer gratuitous slaughter, the savagery didn't serve hunger or necessity, it wasn't a political gambit, the doomed animals weren't being culled because they'd become too abundant in the wild... the brief frisson of killing outweighed the animals' lives. How many humans will die like this in the coming months"(96)? It was easy for the Germans to go around killing aimlessly for the fun of it. They were in power so they could do whatever they wanted. Another time the book demonstrates a time when the Germans portrayed death as a joke. One day a couple of Germans showed up at the zoo and implied that they were planning on killing Antonina and her two kids. Antonina used her best German and pleaded,"Calm down! Calm down" The Germans laughed and kept their guns aimed in her direction. They ordered Rys to walk around to the back of the shed and one of the Nazis followed him with a gun. "Antonina saw her son's face shriek with fear, the blood drain out of it, and his lips turn a light purple. She couldn't move and risk their killing her and Teresa, too"(280). She heard a gunshot come from the back of the shed. Then the man shouted, "Hey , boys! bring me that rooster! Get him from the bushes"(280). Rys then walked out from behind the shed, shaking with fear holding a dead chicken. The German soldier exclaimed, "We've played such a funny joke"(280)! The Germans faked that they had killed the young boy, and laughed about it. This shows that the Germans take death as a joke. They then ran away laughing. Antonina had been sure the gunshots had killed her son and was horrified to find it was just an evil prank. Many Germans took life as just a joke.

The Zoo Keeper's Wife

In this section, the bombing continues and Jan returns from the battle. Eventually Poland surrenders to Germany and the Nazis take over. The Poles believe that it is a better decision to surrender, they will so find out otherwise. Governor-General Frank issued a new law called, "Decree for the Combating of Violent Acts." This means acting or observing were equally punished. "Human nature being what it is, most people didn't wish to get involved, so few people were denounced, and fewer still denounced for not denouncing others . . .somewhere between doing and not doing, everyone's conscience finds its own level; most Poles didn't risk their lives for fugitives but didn't denounce them either." Similar to the play All My Sons this book categorizes people into whistle blowers and people who let it go. Many Polish people have the choice of ratting out on their friends, or risking their own lives by letting it slide. This is very similar to All My Sons because in that play, many characters have this decision too. The Nazis came in to Poland and changed all of their ways of life. They changed everything, Antonina walks through the city and says to Jan, "I can't breath, I feel like I'm drowning in a gray sea, like they're flooding the whole city, washing away our past and people, dashing everything from the face of the earth." Antonina feels as though the Nazis are destroying everything in sight. To the Poles, the Nazis just started a war in their territory and then invaded and basically ruined their lives. Took everything away, loved ones, houses, the city and much more.

Although it says most people just didn't risk their lives for fugitives, and I think this is true. The few people that did risk their lives for fugitives we hear about. These stories always amaze me. I think it takes a very brave person to hold fugitives, someone that cares for others more than the safety of themselves. I also believe that many of the Poles didn't get credit for holding fugitives because they either lost their own lives, or weren't discovered. It takes a true hero to do this. People were rewarded if they turned in people they knew so this gave a big incentive to turn them in. The happy medium in these two consequences is neither turning in your friends or holding them. It amazes me how violent the Nazis were, all for nothing. The Polish people never did anything to deserve all of this death and devastation the Nazis imposed on them . Many people were probably very scared for their lives during this time period.