Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save the Mosul Zoo

Louise Callaghan

Macmillan + ORM, Jan 14, 2020 - Biography & Autobiography - 390 pages

Father of Lions is the powerful true story of the evacuation of the Mosul Zoo, featuring Abu Laith the zookeeper, Simba the lion cub, Lula the bear, and countless others, faithfully depicted by acclaimed, award-winning journalist Louise Callaghan in her trade publishing debut.

Combining a true-to-life narrative of humanity in the wake of war with the heartstring-tugging account of rescued animals, Father of Lions will appeal to audiences of bestsellers like The Zookeeper’s Wife and The Bookseller of Kabul as well as fans of true animal stories such as A Streetcat Named Bob, Marley and Me, and Finding Atticus.

“An unexpectedly funny and moving book. ... Through the story of a man who loves both lions and life, Louise Callaghan shows how humour and defiance can counter cruelty, and why both humans and animals crave freedom.” —Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News and author of In Extremis: the life of war correspondent Marie Colvin.

About the author

Louise Callaghan is the Middle East Correspondent for the Sunday Times (UK), one of the youngest ever hired by the paper. She has had long-form pieces published in The Sunday Times Magazine, Vogue, and the Times Literary Supplement. She won the Marie Colvin Award for British Journalism, New Journalist of the Year at the 2016 British Press Awards, Young Journalist of the Year at the 2017 British Journalism Awards, and made Forbes' 30 under 30 in media 2018 list. Father of Lions is her first book.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save the Mosul Zoo
• Author: Louise Callaghan
• Edition: unabridged
• Publisher: Macmillan + ORM, 2020
• ISBN: 1250248965, 9781250248961
• Length: 390 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Environmentalists & Naturalists; History / Middle East / Iraq; Nature / Animal Rights