A must-read for those who enjoy memoirs, Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski was such a good book! I really liked reading Laurie’s story of growing up dirt poor and sharing how her mother, even without much money, managed to create a farm, a place for all kinds of animals. It wasn’t unusual for Laurie to walk around the house and find a raccoon living there- on purpose. Though she had this cool rescue place to call home, there was a terrible struggle between her abusive father and her kind-hearted mother.

In between her childhood recollections, Laurie shares some details about the animals on the farm she runs today, called Funny Farm. I loved reading about these animals and their distinct personalities.

Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues—horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs—when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother’s dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie’s mission to save abused and neglected animals.

Don’t miss this book, out on 2/22

Annie Zaleski documents the highlights of her dynamic life as the "curator" of Funny Farm, an animal rescue community. From meager beginnings, and a quite dysfunctional childhood, Annie has held tightly to her mom's love and advise as she learns that sometimes animals can provide the companionship that humans just cannot.

This is such a sweet memoir, especially for those of us who are animal lovers, and grew up with lots of strays. Her account is well written, tying events from her childhood experiences to her life with animals. Each chapter starts with memoir, and ends with an "animal tail"! It's a really fun read and I highly recommend it to all who love their furry and feathered friends!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me this pleasant opportunity to read and review Funny Farm!

Third time is a charm! Annie Zaleski grabs her children and flees her nice home and abusive husband. The only place she finds she can afford is a shack in the middle of Southern New Jersey. It’s not much, but she and the kids do their best to make it a home. Living at a dead-end road well back from the main road, they become a drop-off for abused and unwanted animals needing some love. And this family has a lot of love to give. They take in anything, dogs, cats, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, ducks, chickens, geese, pigs, you name it. Often these animals require medical attention and the Zaleski’s provide as best they can.

As the Funny Farm grows so do the kids. The kids have all grown up and moved onto careers. Laurie has started a successful business and still manages to help out her Mom, caring for more than 300 animals. She promises her Mom that someday soon they will have a real farm. Unfortunately, Annie doesn’t get to see that. She passes before Laurie buys a big farm and moves all the animals. Laurie makes the Funny Farm a nonprofit, opens the farm to visitors, gets a bunch of volunteers, and opens the door to even more misfit animals. Now at more than 600 rescue animals, the Funny Farm is not only a refuge for the abused, unwanted, and sick animals, it is an educational center for children showing how every person and every animal needs to belong somewhere, and needs to be loved.

I absolutely loved this book! I am not much of a nonfiction reader, but I fell in love with the cover and found Laurie’s stories enchanting and heartfelt. She had me laughing and she had me crying. The message I take from this book is hope, that the world can be a better place if only we think of others, whether human or animals, before ourselves. Anyone who loves a touching animal story will devour this book.

Robyn Heil, Buyer for Brodart Co.

While this is a memoir with darker moments, overall it is balanced by the sweet and funny moments of Zeleski’s life, some lovely ones, as well as heartbreaking ones. With her life devoted to rescuing animals, it is necessary to learn to embrace the progress made, and the joy in witnessing these animals recover from neglect, abuse and health issues that plague them. The bonds formed between unusual friendships between animals - dogs and cats, chickens and dogs, squirrels and bunnies. These unusual friendships are testament that despite our outer appearances that the things we have in common can bond us rather than divide us. The question remains - why humans can’t do the same.

This begins with her relating a story of a man who comes down her driveway early after her return from her day job - after she’s shucked off her high heels and work attire, replacing it with overalls and boots - and sees him lifting an animal he obviously plans to abandon. She rushes out to give him a piece of her mind, letting him know that it’s illegal to dump any animal, along with a few other choice words.

Throughout this memoir the chapters share the stories of her life from childhood, the years that follow, alongside the stories of the animals that come into her life. Her childhood wasn’t an easy one, but her mother made up for the lack of love they received from their father. When events brought the children to tears, their mother’s catch phrase about crying would have them snickering in response.

Overall, while this has some darker moments, it is beautifully shared with more than enough charming and funny moments that leave the reader in awe of the author’s resilience. But it is the love that is so constant in this that kept me reading. A daughter’s love for her mother, despite her struggles, a woman’s love for those animals in need and deserving of love. A woman who believes in the healing power of love, and the courage and resilience to make a difference in their lives.


Pub Date: 22 Feb 2022

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

What a wild romp! Laurie Zaleski has written one of the most beautifully and touching memoirs I have read in a hot minute. We follow Laurie as she grows up through an abusive father, a poor mother, and through the animals that helped her find her way. At the end of each chapter, there is an anecdote about an animal member of the Funny Farm, usually an animal that I would love to meet!

Would happily recommend to everyone in need of a cry, a laugh, and some hope.

This title is misleading, as most of the book is focused on the author's hardscrabble childhood and the story of her mother. There are cute, funny, and/or heartwarming snippets at the end of each chapter about the animals on Zaleski's rescue farm, but I was expecting the animals to be front and center with somewhat of a narrative arc to the operation. I don't blame the author, as I know authors often don't get to choose their book titles, but I just wasn't that interested in the story that was presented, and the author's writing, while fine, was fairly straightforward and basic, so it lacked the lyrical poignancy of, say, <i> Crying in H Mart</i>. This will be the right book for lots of people, but it's just not what I tend to go for, and I wouldn't have requested an advanced copy if the title had been more accurately aligned with the content. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital review copy.

This book is fantastic! Going back and forth between the past and the present, the humans and the animals will make you smile, laugh, cry, and every emotion in between. It was just a lovely read - so much, in fact, that I went on Facebook about halfway through to follow the farm's page!

I absolutely loved everything about this book! I loved learning about Laurie's life, and about her relationship with her mother. I also liked that she didn't gloss over the bad parts of her life, specifcially her relationship with her dad. Mostly what I liked though, was reading about the different stories of the Funny Farm animals. Laurie is great at providing funny quips, but is equally as great conveying her emotions about her family, and about the animals. I really want to visit the Funny Farm some day!

A heartfelt story about the authors life. I was happy to read that the author was able to turn her own life around to better circumstances but I didn’t think her writing style was anything special.

This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. In addition to the stories about the animals on a rescue farm in New Jersey, it's also a memoir of the woman who runs the farm. A woman whose life got off to a rough start with an abusive father.
This is a heartfelt story. Zaleski isn’t a particularly talented writer. Her style is pretty basic. But the story she tells is real and engaging. After years of abuse, her mother finally leaves their father. Giving up a life of privilege, she moved into a shack with her kids. And then began rescuing a diverse group of animals. Not just dogs and cats, but goats, horses, pigs, chicken and cattle. It wasn’t an easy life but it was a fulfilling one for mother and kids alike. She was a role model for good and bad. Her horrible choice in men led Laurie to have a fear of commitment. But I loved her motto, “the more you cry, the less you pee.”
I recommend this for every animal lover. It’s a reminder that everyone deserves a chance.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What I expected was a lot of stories about the animals rescued and adventures on a rescue farm with a little background of her life and how she got there. What the book really was about was her life growing up and all of the heart-ache and struggle of her life with a few animal stories thrown in here and there; there was little animal story at the end of each chapter which was nice but that was pretty much it. I have started following their social media accounts which I think is what will give me the stories I want. It wasn't bad per say but just not what I was expecting. I also feel there needs to be some content warnings going in (maybe this is because I read mostly fiction but knowing it's a nonfiction makes this difficult to deal with?) for domestic abuse, child abuse, cancer, animal murder, and parental death (a few of those are alluded to in the description but not all of them and I might be missing some).

Sometimes this felt a bit disjoined and it didn't always flow very well. I would have also like more description but that was probably my fault for reading a 250 page nonfiction book directly after reading a 1000+ page historical fiction and 700+ page fantasy book.

This was the perfect book to start my new year. Full of hope, kindness, humor, and compassion, Funny Farm was impossible to put down. I will continue to recommend this book to all animal-lovers who are looking for a motivational non-fiction read. I am looking forward to learning more about the Funny Farm and supporting Laurie Zaleski in making the world better for both animals and humans. Highly recommend this one! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read a digital ARC. This is one I will definitely be purchasing to keep on my bookshelf once released!

This is one of those books I want to hug. Laura runs a farm for unwanted animals in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She is actually doing the thing that so many of us wish we could do, but we’ve managed to make enough excuses to keep ourselves out of the situation. Laura really had no choice. With her upbringing, it makes perfect sense, and it makes her the perfect caregiver for over 600 happy campers, animals who need a home.
Laura’s story is beautifully told. At times we’re reflecting on her upbringing. This alone explains a lot about where Laura is now. At times we’re enjoying stories about her adopted animals; some happy, some hilarious, and some very sad.
The end result is this beautifully written memoir. Laura clearly explains what makes her tick, and we love her for it. If I’m ever in her part of the country, I'm definitely paying a day-long visit to The Funny Farm Animal Rescue.
Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is February 22, 2022.

Very good read! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Genre: memoir
Pub date: 2/22/22
In one sentence: Laurie Zaleski tells the story of her childhood with mother Annie McNulty and how she fulfilled her mom's dream of saving neglected and abused animals at the Funny Farm.

Funny Farm almost reads like two books - the first half is Zaleski's abusive and impoverished childhood, and the later chapters tackle her mom's illness and her rise as a businesswoman. I enjoyed the second half more than the first, as the early chapters were very emotionally heavy. I loved hearing about Zaleski's efforts to get the Funny Farm up and running and the animals' misadventures. You can tell how passionate she is about her mission.

If you're an animal lover, I think Zaleski's story will resonate with you! 3.5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Round up to three and a half, just for the times it made me laugh aloud. The heart and soul of the author is clear, and her concluding statements regarding the importance of the animal human bond resonate. I love the concept of the Funny Farm, and the path taken to get there.

The book reads more like a collection of blog posts than anything else, so while it’s interesting and amusing, it feels a bit disjointed.

I like this book and the casual, conversational style that it is written in. The author alternates between her life story and difficult childhood and tales of the varied rescue animals that she and her mother have cared for. It all started with her mother’s love of animals, and taking in a stray or two, until it grew to a still thriving rescue of over 600 animals. No creature is excluded as this rescue has farm animals, wild animals, pets, birds and more. Their sometimes tragic and sometimes funny stories are interspersed within her personal memoirs, all coming together in the most interesting way. I highly recommend this book to animal lovers specifically, and to everyone in general. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

What a romp! And by that, I don’t mean to imply that it’s all sweetness and light. This is a well written memoir describing a strong, creative matriarch and her determined children who overcame serious hardships to build their own fulfilling lives.

What a heart warming memoir. I felt Lauri's pains thru her story.
I have volunteered an numerous animal shelters and see the pain, heartbreak and despair in these animals.
And I also witnessed the happy, hopeful signs when they are adopted.
This is one I will recommend to many of my friends and family.

Part memoir, part tribute to her inspirational mother, Zaleski also includes many anecdotes about some of the residents of her animal rescue, named the Funny Farm. She relates her childhood and the build-up to the current 15-acre property that currently homes hundreds of rescue animals - along with Laurie herself. It's a riveting read - the type of nonfiction that reads with the flow of fiction. It's funny, but also moving, emotional and definitely tear-inducing. Overall, despite the tears, it is an uplifting read. And I am sure that the finished book will include some photos - though with the help of Google, I was able to pull plenty along the way. I had never heard of this New Jersey rescue organization until I was invited to read this one and I am so glad that I did! It's well-written and a good balance between the author's life, her rescue's mission and the residents. If I am ever in the area, I definitely plan on visiting!