An Elephant in My Kitchen: What the Herd Taught Me About Love, Courage and Survival

In 1998, Malby-Anthony founded a game reserve in South Africa with her husband, conservationist Lawrence Anthony. When Lawrence died suddenly in 2012, the author was unexpectedly thrust into the role of managing the reserve and its employees. In this sequel to Anthony’s The Elephant Whisperer, cowritten with Willemsen (Shepherd’s Prayer), Malby-Anthony relates her struggles to maintain the safety of her animals and the mission of the reserve in the face of both vicious poachers and male employees who didn’t want to take orders from a woman. She makes mistakes and celebrates successes, and eventually establishes an orphanage for baby rhinos, often traumatized shortly after birth when, before their eyes, their mothers are killed for their horns. Her love for the animals in her care permeates the narrative, and the previously hurt animals—in particular, the resident elephant herd—help her heal from her own trauma after Lawrence’s death.