Born FreeBorn Free
Score Classic
What it's about
In the 1950s Joy Adamson's husband George, a game warden in Kenya, shot a lioness that charged him, then found she had been protecting three cubs. The Adamsons raised the cubs, and kept the smallest, Elsa. This is the story of raising a lioness and teaching her, slowly, to return to the wild.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 13 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list, and the 1966 film was a worldwide hit. It helped change how the world saw wild animals.
You'll love it if you liked
Out of Africa
Raising Hare: A Memoir
The Snow LeopardGood to know
It's illustrated with photographs. The Adamsons' methods would be questioned by conservationists today.
By the numbers
- Readers72 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
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Quick answers
Is Born Free worth reading?
Yes. It spent 13 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list, and the 1966 film was a worldwide hit. It ranks #892 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Born Free about?
In the 1950s Joy Adamson's husband George, a game warden in Kenya, shot a lioness that charged him, then found she had been protecting three cubs. The Adamsons raised the cubs, and kept the smallest, Elsa. This is the story of raising a lioness and teaching her, slowly, to return to the wild.
How long does it take to read Born Free?
About 12 hours (460 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Born Free?
If you liked it, try Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen, Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton or The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen.