Loved this memoir I am looking at my two rescue bpups right now,this is a subject close to my heart.Laurie’s story drew me in her at times heart wrenching story can bring you to tears.Laurie and her mothers strength spirit and love for animals kept me turning the pages.Highly recommend.#netgalley #st.Martins books

A Crazy, Loving Life with Rescue Animals

Laurie Zaleski grew up on a rescue farm. Not the fancy kind where donors pay to keep a variety of animals that are not wanted by their owners, or headed for the slaughterhouse. Her mother, Annie, escaped a brutal marriage with her three children and set up housekeeping in a one bedroom house with animals everywhere. Annie couldn’t bear to see animals mistreated or euthanized.

Laurie wasn’t ambitious for that kind of life, but she loved her mother. When she could afford it, she purchased a small farm and planned to move her mother to it. Unfortunately, her mother died just before the move and Laurie found herself in the rescue business. Now she has six-hundred animals and a wonderful group of volunteers to help.

If you love animals, this is a must read book. Laurie tells the story of her family and their struggles interspersed with tales of the animals. The family’s story is sometimes a little dark, but the animal stories are wonderful. The whole book is a heartwarming tribute to Annie and to Laurie’s desire to keep on with her mother’ dream.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Loved! Loved this place and a,l that went on.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy.

This is a memoir of Laurie, the woman who started and runs the Funny Farm animal rescue. At times heartbreaking, others hilarious, it tells her story starting with her mother and siblings escaping an abusive father, to her childhood growing up in poverty, to finally realizing her mother's dream of an animal rescue after her death. The story of her life is interspersed with stories of some of the animals on the farm.
This book was so much more than I expected. So inspiring and emotional. I loved it!
I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

From a comfortable life with her parents and her brother and sister, Laurie Zaleski led a life that looked good from the outside. From the inside is was a horrible, dangerous prison. Her father was an alcoholic and an abuser. Her mother stuck it out as long as she could until there was no choice but to run, to escape to an uncertain situation but one that was safe. Her plan had been to save enough money but instead she had to leave with nothing but her children. Her strength, grit and determination is an amazing story right there but there is so much more to her story. Laurie tells the story beautifully.
The sanctuary her mother, Anne, created for her family was a broken down cabin without running water and electricity but it also had some land. As a rental it was just about one step up from a tent but Anne made it work. She not only rescued herself and her children, she rescued animals, of all kinds. Cats, dogs, cows, horses, goats,...if it was an animal in need Anne was there to help. Everyone, two legs or four, deserved a chance.
Laurie found her way and it included joining in her mother's animal rescue work. Her mother's dream is now Funny Farm Rescue located in Mays Landing, New Jersey. Her story is so uplifting and her mother was such a special person, I was engaged from page one, from the low points to the high points, all of the hope and love comes through. This is a must read.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Zaleski's memoir is wonderful. It is well written, engaging, entertaining and informative. She tells us how her parents separated. Her mother took five year old Laurie and siblings to a run down rental house with some land. Annie Zaleski's dream was to run an animal rescue. Even while working hard to feed her children, Annie would take in stray animals. Most of the animals were misfits so she called her collection a “funny farm.” It was a dream finally fulfilled by Annie's daughter. The Funny Farm Animal Rescue & Sanctuary became a reality in South Jersey, unfortunately, two weeks after Annie's death.

Zaleski includes an informative section about an interesting animal at the end of each chapter in this memoir. These animal vignettes are heartwarming. I learned about unusual animal behavior, puppy mills, odd diseases and treatments, and more. There were times I laughed and times I wanted to cry. The stories are a touching witness to the value of rescuing animals cast off by others.

I am impressed with how Zaleski overcame childhood poverty to establishing a successful photography and graphic arts company. She was also determined to fulfill her mother's animal rescue dream, juggling a career and requests to take in just one more animal. The total now is 600 rescued animals and counting. This memoir is well written and captivating. It shows the heart of one who truly loves animals. It also praises the many volunteers without whom the farm would never continue and reminds us of the transforming experiences urban children have when they hug a four legged rescued outcast.

I highly recommend this memoir. It is an inspiring story of the will to overcome difficulties with a determination to help others.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski is a heart-wrenching and heart-warming memoir. Whether you love memoirs or just love animals, this book is a compelling read. Ms. Zaleski tells her family’s story by alternating between the story of their lives and those of the animals they ultimately rescue. Funny Farm was a cute family name for the crazy household that was filled with all sorts of castoffs and misfits. Funny Farm eventually becomes the name of the farm that Ms. Zaleski buys for her mother so that she can properly house all the rescue animals she takes in. Ultimately, Laurie becomes the keeper of the farm and the animals.

My heart was broken while reading Laurie’s story. Her difficult childhood, was filled with love from her mother and siblings as well as hardship and hunger. Her mother’s fantastic outlook and attitude clearly carry the family through a lot of rough times. Her compassion isn’t reserved just for her children. She took in animals and people who needed help in their escape from neglect or abuse. To read of Laurie’s ultimate success, both professionally and personally, was sweet and satisfying. The stories of the animals to whom she give refuge are equally compelling.

Funny Farm is a real farm that is operated as a nonprofit; you can check out their good works, get involved or donate by visiting their website: https://funnyfarmrescue.org/

“You never know what you are capable of until the day comes wen you have to go places you hadn’t planned on going.”

Laurie Zaleski knows how to make a debut. Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life With 600 Rescue Animals has created a tremendous buzz, and all of it is deserved. My thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy. This book will be available to the public Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

Laurie’s early childhood was in many ways an enviable one; her mother stayed home to raise Laurie, her brother, and her sister, and her father made enough money to hire household help and buy a couple of vacation homes, too. There was nothing they lacked for, other than physical safety. Because while her father could be warm, and loving, and generous, and funny, he could also be a monster. His reign of terror was worsened by alcohol consumption. As the beatings became uglier and more frequent, Annie, their mother, chose poverty for the children and herself over the constant terror and danger of living with their dad.

“’I almost became a nun,’ Mom would joke years later. ‘Then I met the devil…’ Annie McNulty and Richard Zaleski fell in love like tripping into an open manhole: one wrong move followed by a long dark plunge.”

There’s one searing episode Zaleski recounts, toward the end of their life with Dad, in which they are all hidden in a bedroom with the door blocked shut, and their father is sneaking up on them, commando crawling up the hallway toward them so they won’t see his shadow approaching, and he has a large knife between his teeth. It sounds like something from a Stephen King novel, doesn’t it?

And so, when Annie’s efforts to build a modest nest egg to finance their flight is uncovered, she has no other option but to leave without the money. She finds a dumpy cabin in the woods, half fallen down and in no way legally rentable, and strikes a bargain with the owner. To say that their standard of living decreases is the understatement of the year, but they make it work.

Once she has made her escape, apart from the creepy forays from an unseen enemy that occur from time to time, Annie can’t turn away anyone else, human or otherwise, that is in a dark and vulnerable place. The woods surrounding their little shack begin sprouting makeshift outbuildings; there’s a little lean-to here, and a sort-of paddock there. And it keeps growing.

Zaleski is a gifted storyteller, and she alternates her narrative from the present to the past, breaking up the nightmarish episodes of her childhood with hilarious stories, most of which are about the critters. Her writing is so nimble that I find myself repeatedly checking to see what else she’s published, because there’s just no way this can be her debut. But then, that’s what they said about Harper Lee, right?

Perhaps the most glorious aspect of this book is seeing how Annie McNulty’s can-do attitude, sterling work ethic, and positivity transformed her life and lit a path for her children. She provided them with an outstanding role model, and in return, they did everything possible for her when cancer forced her to slow down.

This book will inevitably be compared to Educated and The Glass Castle because it is a memoir of someone that has overcome horrifying challenges in childhood and emerged triumphant. But make no mistake, Zaleski’s story is in no way derivative, and likely will be held up as an example for future writers. It makes my feminist heart sing!

Highly recommended.

What a marvelous book full of beleaguered animals, their rescues and the light they brought to the world. Coupled with those stories is one of resilience, hard times and can do spirit. Escaping a brutal domestic situation, Laurie Zaleski's mother, Annie, gathered up her three small children and fled to a ramshackle house without running water or electricity in the woods of New Jersey. As they made it a home, the animals kept arriving and arriving bringing their own lessons in love. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free review copy.

Funny Farm is a memoir about Laurie Zaleski and a great read. We learn about her child hood, the highs and the lows, we meet some animals that she still has, or had in the past. We read all about love and loss, growing and growing apart. As someone who is a huge animal lover, and always trying to rescue what I can afford, I loved this book from start to finish. After I was done, I found her Funny Farm page on Facebook, and watched many videos she has posted there, and learned a little bit more. Highly recommend this memoir and enjoyed reading it early. Comes out February 22nd, 2022.

What a wonderful book! It's beautifully written and I hated to see it end. I loved it!! This is a *Must Read* book.
I received a complimentary copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Funny Farm is Laurie Zaleski’s story of abused abandoned and neglected people and animals. The resiliency of two footed and four footed when respect, love and basic needs are met. I loved this story thinking it would be all about the animals. It is about the animals but it’s also Laurie and her mother’s Annie’s story too.

I cannot recommend this story enough. It is an inspiring if heartbreaking at times story beginning with Yogi and Boo until the very last word. My number one book to have read this year which is saying something since I usually read fiction. Real is so much better this time. I would give it give more than 5 stars if I could.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wonderful story about a family with a strong mother, proving with love and hard work you can overcome any obstacles and be better people for the hardships!!

This book was a joy for this animal lover to read. It gave me all the feelings - laugh out loud to tears all in one chapter. I had never heard of this amazing story - but I won't soon forget it!

I selected this book and was so glad I was approved to read. I love animals and enjoyed reading about all the rescues described by Zaleski. It was interesting how she described her family as rescues which parallels the animals she spent years saving. Both Zaleski and her animals were survivors and it definitely was an interesting read.

Annie McNulty married to a college professor seemingly had a perfect relationship and life with three kids in a wealthy suburb but one day that changed and Annie’s only recourse was to flee from the abuse that would assuredly find her children at some point. They ended up in a dump of a house almost in the middle of no where, or at least it felt like that. There, Annie started over again, teaching her kids along the way that there were more important things than possessions. Into their life, came lost souls as well as lost and found animals needing a fresh start. Lots and lots of animals. And this is how Funny Farm started in Laurie Zaleski’s story, Funny Farm.

Funny Farm gives anecdotes about the numerous animals who have come to Funny Farm which are interwoven with Laurie’s story of her mother and two siblings. Both threads show how good people can be but also how bad they can be. There is no glossing over here.

For most of Funny Farm, I considered myself lucky that I hadn’t let go of the waterworks and was pretty sure that I’d make it to the end without destroying a box of Kleenex, but with about a third of the way to go that ended. As is mentioned in the blurb, there are happy parts and sad parts because that’s what makes up life. It’s unavoidable. And even though I cried, there is so much hope and happiness surrounding the establishment of Funny Farm that I couldn’t help but be inspired. It’s stories like this, about people going out of their way to help those without a voice, that makes me believe that may be more good people out there than sometimes seems. I liked the forthright generosity of an individual who will give an animal a shot at a quality life even if the quantity might be short.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable, inspiring read, check out Funny Farm. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I’d never heard of the Funny Farm Sanctuary, but I loved reading about the founder and her childhood. Her book reminded me of other well known gritty memoirs by powerful independent woman. Between each paragraph is a story about a rescue animal, and I’ll admit these stories often got me out of the main story. It felt like there were two books here, one about a tough childhood, another about the founding of a sanctuary. I’m giving this four stars because I really really loved the main meat of the memoir, I just wish it was a bit more cohesive in the style and theme. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publishers for this ARC!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started to read this story, but I ended up being very pleasantly surprised that along with some hilarious depicts of animal escapades there were some raw emotions I felt throughout the story. It's a story of struggle, fear, anger, hope, love, humor, and courage.

Annie McNulty fled with her three kids, leaving behind the posh home. It wasn't the first time but would be the last. She found a run-down one bedroom shack without electricity or appliances to rent for $100. She told her kids it'd be just like camping. Believing that it was just temporary, Laurie had no idea that it would become the place she and her siblings would grow up in.

Laurie's mother had a soft spot for not just unwanted animals but people too. Over time, Annie would come home with another animal. Barely able to take care of her own family, Annie couldn't turn away an animal in need or people. Annie had the biggest heart and passed that on to her children.

Laurie had promised her mom to get a bigger farm. Today, that farm is an animal rescue and sanctuary for 600 animals. I laughed over Debbie, a goose with a crush on the UPS man, and Adele, a pampered chicken, and so many others. I highly recommend this book!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

I absolutely loved this book!! Being an animal lover myself, I really admire Laurie Zaleski and what she has done - thanks to the guidance of her mother. My emotions ran the gamut as I read this book. I laughed at the funny parts, smiled at the tender parts, and cried at the sad parts. I cried at some of the good parts too because they tugged at my heartstrings. I had to 'tip back my head' a lot while reading this book (read the book & you'll see what I mean) but there were times I gave in and just sobbed.

The book is well-written with wonderful descriptions of the animals - thanks in part to their unusual and fun names - and personalities. It's just a wonderful read!

If I could give this book 10 stars I would!!

A stunning biography full of courage, resilience, passion, and love. Mixing humour, sorrow, love, and loss; Laurie Zaleski writes about the experiences in her life that led to the Funny Farm being the animal rescue it is today. Reading what went on throughout her childhood, what Laurie has accomplished with the Funny Farm and the number of animals who have been saved is noting short of incredible, While each chapter chronologically accounts what was going on in Laurie's life, the last few pages introduce one of the animals and tell their story and all the antics that go on.

The Funny Farm was not Laurie's dream but her mother's, and the love for the incredible woman her mother was shines through. A privilege to read. If you want a story of incredible strength, love and loss, and if you like animals - read this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

Absolutely adored this book. I am fortunate enough to live about 45 minutes away from the Funny Farm but have never visited. Now it’s on my to do list ASAP! Laurie’s storytelling is so heartfelt and honest; I was laughing for half the book and crying the other half. I love what she does for all these animals! A role model for sure.