Thanks to St Martins Press and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book, which I totally loved.

As an animal (and animal-rescue) lover, what I expected from this book was a charming story of an accidental animal rescuer, but what I got was so much more! I had not come across the Funny Farm on social media, even though it’s not too far away from me, so all of these stories and characters, both human and animal, were new to me.

This book was a total delight and I absolutely could not put it down. Zaleski has had such an interesting, eventful life; her story would be incredible even if it did not end up at an animal rescue (talk about a cherry on top!) When she was young, her mother, (a real you-couldn’t-make-her-up character full of gumption and grit and pithy sayings), escaped with her three kids from her abusive, unhinged husband and with him, the swanky suburban middle-class lifestyle to which they’d become accustomed.

They end up in a falling-down farmhouse shack next to a spa full of sex-workers, and, despite setbacks and shocking acts of retribution from her father, there, they rescue the needy, both human and animal. They share what little they have and building a new life for themselves with kindness and hard work. Interspersed in the chapters of Zaleski’s colorful life story is the story of an animal who the farm has rescued, perfect for fans of unlikely animal friendships or anyone who is craving a heartwarming story.

Overall, this is a hugely inspriational story of resilience, determination, and wild success. Just a great read that I would recommend to every reader (and now I can’t wait to visit the Funny Farm in person!)

CW: I’ve got a big aversion to books with animal suffering, and this book has some, but it’s not cheap or done for shock, and the book is overall extremely uplifting and feel-good. If you’re like me, you’ll want to know before you start that some bad things happen to animals in this book, but for the most part, the stories have happy endings, and the point of the book, overall, of course, is caring for and loving those animals.

I enjoyed this book and learning about the myriad of animals the author rescued. This is as much a memoir of her life growing and how dysfunctional her family was. Even after her mother takes the children and escapes from an abusive relationship, their lives remained troubled and chaotic. While a large portion focuses on her formidable years. The stories of various animals that were a part of her life were touching. I enjoyed learning about the funny farm so much that I have started following it on social media. And I’ve added it to my bucket list of places to visit. Whether or not you’re an animal lover, I strongly encourage you to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Author Laurie Zaleski's love of animals began early in life. Her mother Annie loved all kinds of animals and had a dream of rescuing the unwanted, abused and abandoned animals who needed a second chance. First, her mother had to escape her abusive life at the hands of Laurie's father Richard, a wealthy professor with a mean streak. She along with Laurie and her two siblings had fled the family home several times only to be coaxed back by Richard. Finally they were able to escape for good but, they were never really rid of him. It was the mid-1970s and a difficult situation for a mother to be in. With almost no money of her own and no alimony she made the best of a bad situation with multiple lower level jobs. One of Annie's jobs was in animal control and she was forever bringing a soon to be put to death animal home. Her big heart planted her dream of having her own rescue. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for her -- she passed away at 52. Laurie, however, was able to live her mother's dream. She bought a 15 acre parcel in New Jersey's Pine Barrens region and began taking in helpless creatures: horses, pigs, goats, calves, llamas, cats, wounded birds and many other varieties of unwanted or neglected animals. Today some 600 creatures call Funny Farm home.

I loved this memoir and the way it was written. The chapters alternate between the past Laurie's and her sibling's childhood and her mother's need to see that her children learned compassion by help animals. The chapters that focus on the present - are about "funny farm" and how various animals that live on the farm found their way there. I loved the resilience of this family and how they didn't dwell on misfortune but picked themselves up and made it their mission to help the helpless. Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary is open to the public and has many loyal volunteers and supporters today. I highly recommend this memoir.


https://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/2022/03/book-review-funny-farm-my-unexpected.html

Who doesn't love a good animal rescue story. Of course, animal rescue stories come with their share of pain, anguish, and difficult times. I still had no idea the depths of storytelling I was in for when I cracked open Laurie Zaleski's Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals. Zaleski didn't start the rescue, but continued it as a labor of love for her indomitable mother, Anne McNulty, who started it accidentally, borne out of kindness and necessity. Anne McNulty may be one of the greatest people I've ever read about and Zaleski did a brilliant job of painting a full-color portrait any mother would be proud of.

Zaleski was born into wealth. Before they were thirty, her parents had three homes with a housekeeper and nanny for the kids. Her father, however, was domineering, controlling and violent. At twenty-six, Anne McNulty took her three children and ran for their lives. With no child support or alimony, the foursome ended up living in a run-down structure (I can't even call it a house) with no electricity or functioning bathroom.

What Anne did to create even one loving, united, warm memory of that time is nothing short of amazing. She had multiple low-paying jobs, but her main position was cleaning cages for the local animal control (you see where this is going). Despite scraping the bottom of the barrel for their own existence, Anne McNulty couldn't say no to an animal in need.

With plenty of them, the "Funny Farm" turned into a free-range free-for-all full of assorted rejects who lived together, often in the house and on the couch. Eventually, the farm opened to the public and donations helped the family and the continued growth of the rescue.

Zaleski, "a tomboy, an ass-kicker, Tarzan and Jane rolled up into one propulsive locomotive of a girl," turned into a force of nature just like her mother. She became a successful designer and founded her own graphic design company, Art-Z Graphics, of which she is also the President and CEO. Her life goal, however, was to fulfill a promise to her mother to buy a real farm where she could retire and rescue animals full-time. Of course, in McNulty fashion, that road wasn't smooth either.

Told in alternating chapters, Zaleski weaves the tale of her family's horrific (and beautiful) past into the present, where, in 2019, the Funny Farm's 600+ denizens welcomed over 100,000 visitors from all over the world. A story of hardscrabble existence, exhausting work, ongoing terror, and the power of family, love, and the healing nature of animals, Funny Farm is a triumph. It made me want to get on the next plane to the remote Jersey Pinelands and wish I could meet and hug Anne McNulty. Laurie Zaleski's writing is smart and engaging, informal and welcoming while flowing with ease. It uplifts and drops the bottom out, over and over, until you are both in love and can't take anymore. Highly recommended.

I thought this would be a story all about Funny Farm, but I'd say about less than half of it is. The rest is about the authors life growing up....and what a life she had! I enjoyed that part of the book, but I liked hearing stories about the farm more (though i 100% see how the backstory was absolutely necessary)

I think it would be super cool to turn Funny Farm into a picture book. Like a big picture of the animal, then a blurb about its life. I know my kids would enjoy it! Those stories had me laughing out loud.

Reading 2022
Book 34: Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals
by Laurie Zaleski

Listened to this book on audio and had the hard copy from #NetGalley. This was an unexpected find. Audio really has become my preferred method for memoirs. This sadly was not read by the author, but the narration was good nonetheless.

Synopsis: Funny Farm is Laurie's story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It's the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money and no resources, dragging three kids behind her, and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it's the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued.

Review: Looking for a good audio book, pick this one. In addition to the dark moments in this book including divorce, abuse, animal cruelty, poverty, bulling, there are so many light moments especially the stories about the animals. Learned a few things about rare animal pets and some interesting facts. Light hearted at its core, you may want to take a trip to NJ to visit the Funny Farm after you read this book. 5 🌟.

Super cute and fun read. It always looks like such a dream when you see videos of people rescuing animals but the extremely hard work puts everything into perspective.

Loved this book! I brought it in for our store and have told quite a few customers about it. It was such a compelling read and really pulled at my heart strings. Laurie is a fighter and I loved h reading about her life’s journey and how the farm came to be. As soon as I finished the book I looked Laurie up on social media to start following her

I am so glad I was sent a widget to read this. I now follow Funny Farm on social media and am grateful for Laurie's heart and this rescue. Some of Laurie's journey is heartbreaking and I took a few breaks while reading. It's a beautiful story and she is an animal hero for sure.

I had not heard of this sanctuary and I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about rescues. I am grateful for her compassion and tenacity. A lot of what she has done has not been easy. I enjoyed reading about her journey to open the farm and rescue Funny Farm has become. Some stories were hard to read as she did not shy away from writing about the death of some of her beloved rescues. Her father was an evil man and it was hard to read some of what he did to some of their pets growing up to get back at her mother, who left him due to abuse.

I highly recommend this and wish to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy to read for review. It is a beautiful story.

Laurie Zaleski didn't plan to care for 600 animals, but in a way, she had no choice. When you read her memoir, “Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life With 600 Rescue Animals," caring for others is part of her genetic makeup. From the time her mom Annie escaped an abusive husband, the example she created for Laurie and her two siblings was simple - never neglect others.

Laurie's early life was one of privilege. Behind closed doors, though, it was filled with her father's alcohol-fueled beatings. When her mom left him, they traded luxury for a run-down shack in the woods. What it lacked in creature comforts was made up by the creatures, human or otherwise, who sought comfort there. Despite the small income Annie brought in, Laurie's family made the woods their home. And what little they had, they shared with abandoned or abused critters.

Laurie's memoir is a blend of resolution and compassion. She recounts the good times and the tough times with humor and a can-do spirit. The best parts, though, are the animal tales that go far beyond the usual cat and dog. Pigs, horses, squirrels, ducks - no species is turned away. There's Adele, a chicken that wears diapers and lives in the house. Yogi is a steer that arrived in the back seat of a Toyota. Emily the emu has outlived two mates, Elvis and Enoch. And the list goes on and on. The only negative I have is that there's not more animal stories! However, they have a website and social media presence.

It was her mother's dream to save animals, and when Annie got sick, Laurie made it come true. Thirty years later, the Funny Farm, as it was affectionately called, now is a nonprofit that promotes animal rescue and awareness. Annie died two weeks before the 2001 move-in day at the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie's mission to save abused and neglected animals.

This was a delightful, heartwarming read! Laurie does a wonderful job bringing you along on her journey from once running a graphic design firm to now managing 600 rescued animals at the Funny Farm! This is a beautiful story of bravery, resilience and laughter. Laurie writes with so much emotion - it gives you all the feels! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and the author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

Excellent book full of inspiration, humor and heartbreak!
This book tells the story of Laurie's life from childhood to present day and the lessons learned along the way. In between chapters of Laurie's life are chapters recounting how some of the animals ended up at Funny Farm.
Loved this book and after reading, I looked up her Facebook page and got to see some of the animals that are mentioned in the book.
Wonderful book that is sure to be loved by everyone!

I received this book from St Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book made you want to be present in everything that happened. From Annie finding the courage to flee her abusive husband with the kids with nothing but the clothes on their backs to all the wonderful animals that were rescued. Some of the animals just broke your heart but they never gave up on them. So many lived longer than any of the vets thought they would. Their lives were not filled with things but they had all that they needed. Food on the table, a roof over their heads and a good work ethic. Annie was all about the kids doing well in school to earn scholarships. The scars that were left on the kids is that they didn't trust enough to be married let alone have kids. Funny Farm is a tribute to Annie and the circle of life.

Okay I admit that the cute cover attracted me to this book. As I started reading it, I could not put it down! I laughed and I cried throughout this book. Zaleski skillfully alternates between her tough childhood to present day on her non-profit farm sanctuary and the troubled back stories of animals that end up calling the Funny Farm their forever home. I learned more about a variety of animals (from pigs to donkeys, etc.) and felt inspired by her persistence and love. For an incredibly inspiring read about overcoming hardships (as humans and animals) - I highly recommend this book.

Princess Fuzzypants here: This is an interesting book in that there are two stories being told alternately. We have the stories of the various residents of the Funny Farm over the years. Like so many animal tales from rescuers, they are filled with pathos and laughter. Each animal is so different from the other and some of the “hook ups” are downright wild. The different species who find love and companionship with a creature of another species gives hope to the world. If they can find common ground, why cannot we all.

The other story is one of abuse, cruelty, and promise. Laurie’s father was an evil man. Until her mother escaped with the three children, going from middle class comfort to abject poverty in one fell swoop, every day held the threat of violence. They thought they were escaping his brutal grasp but thanks the court systems, his money and power and his never ending need to make them suffer, he systematically tried to take away what little they had. He never paid any support but thought nothing of killing their beloved pets. It would not have been unusual if his children had not grown up warped and mean like him.

Luckily, they had their mother, who, although she had many faults including her taste in men, also had an unquenchable spirit and incredible grit. She passed that along to her children along with her love for animals. It was to honour a promise Laurie made to Annie that Funny Farm came into being. It was not an easy nor smooth transition and sadly, Annie would die before seeing it come to fruition. But she knew it was coming soon. And when it did, in spite of many a trial and tribulation, it is running now. Laurie has saved hundreds of animals and given them the best life possible.

High paw to Laurie and her family and volunteers. Five purrs and two paws up for the book.

Zaleski explores how she came to run the "Funny Farm," a refuge for animals that would not have a home otherwise, in this entertaining memoir. Zaleski brings readers back to her childhood to find answers as to how she got herself into this happy mess. She uncovers memories of domestic violence from her father leading to their eventual flee when she was still in elementary school. Where they ended up next gave her mother plenty of land to take in animals, who, like them, didn't have a safe home.

There are countless moments of fear and suffering throughout the book, but Zaleski continues to bring it back through humor and the importance of the mission she has for the Funny Farm that make this book a breeze to read, and kept me hooked throughout. I would recommend this book for anyone who doesn't mind exploring themes of abuse in childhood with a positive outlook coursing throughout the story.

This is one of those books that I’ve put off reviewing since I was afraid I couldn't convey just how meaningful the story was to me on various levels. It’s divided into lighter chapters with farm-related experiences. And stories of family life, which at times felt dark and emotional. Put the chapters altogether and you have a book that will stay with you long after you've read the last page.

The things that can be taken away from this unusual story are countless. At times I wanted to cry for, and with, Laurie’s mother. She basically went from riches to rags overnight when she bravely took her children away from an abusive lifestyle. Yet, she chose to adopt a survivor’s attitude and constantly set that example for her children.

Did she model everything correctly? No. Like all parents, she hit it out of the ballpark with some examples and struck out horribly with others. Unfortunately, her strikeouts greatly affected her children.

As I mentioned earlier, the author managed to weave stories about the animals expertly into her family story. Some might find it disturbing to weave the chapters back and forth breaking the flow of the story. But I think most will be happy for the balance of humor and the touching, many times emotional details of growing up in what most would label dire living conditions.

Zalesky made my heart sing as she brought back the past for me. Her mention of early television shows, brand names, stores, and much more was like watching a movie as it brought back memories. I’m always amazed at debut authors with such talent for bringing stories to life.

My Concerns
None

Final Thoughts
This is the story of survivors. A strong family living in a small house, with no running water or electricity manages to create some lasting memories. Some, as you will see aren't good memories, but many are.

Paralleling this strong family we see animals that are doing the same. Attempting to survive their unfortunate situations.

I would compare this book in some ways to The Glass Castle, Educated, Unbroken and A Child Called It. All of these people were survivors of their circumstances. No, much more than survivors. All were people who not only survived but became inspirational examples to others.

My thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book and the ability to post a review without any stipulations.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This was an interesting memoir, but not what I expected when I requested the title. I had expected more stories of the animals, with running an animal rescue. This was more of the author's memories growing up with her mom, with a few animal stories added in. With more details of the author and her mother, her growing up years, it was still an interesting memoir, but not the animal book I expected.
Still, a good book and I would recommend it to those who enjoy memoirs.

This is a memoir book of short stories about a family who adopted and rescued 600 farm animals. The short stories read as a novel and is very intriguing about the origins and lives of the different animals. It was a light easy funny read.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for this amusing read. If you love animals, this is your light easy read.
#Netgalley #StMartinsPress

This book is not quite what I anticipated from the cover and title. There is a fair amount of darkness in this book as other reviewers have noted it is not all happy go lucky type of story. But do not let this stop you from reading this book it is a very good read. The author and her family were the Jones everyone tried to live up to, they were the house that the neighborhood parties took place at. But underneath this house was hiding some dark secrets which eventually causes the mother to grab the author at the age of five and her brother and sister and make a run it for it. What a drastic change this family faced but, in some ways, they turned out better for it and this would lead to the precursor of the Funny Farm where they initially took some dogs in for protection grew to a menagerie. There are lighthearted and humorous parts of this book also like the story of the runaway Emu who people swearing they were not drinking when they reported the six-foot turkey or the sneaky skunk who would escape from his house and break to the Funny Farm souvenir shop and steal stuffed animals. It was interesting to read about the friendships of animals with one another that you would think would never happen. You will see how the author and her family took or taken animals who at one time had little to no hope and they thrived, they took animals who vets said they should put down and the animals proved the vets wrong. The Funny farm has given visitors a place to come to, to forget about their troubles for a while.