Publication
Seattle : Lake Union Publishing, [2021]
Collection
Call number
Fiction R
Physical description
356 p.; 22 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
"'Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes...' Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave. It's 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California's first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world's first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes. Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it's too late"--Publisher.… (more)
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member Romonko
This one has been sitting in my TBR for far too long. I decided it was time to read it. The book is set in 1938 America, and it begins in New York Harbour and ends at the San Diego Zoo. Woodrow (Woody) is a 17-year-old boy fresh from the Texas Panhandle where he has lost his family to the endless
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dust. He heads to New York to find his Cousin as that is the only family he has left. Woody has a secret as big as the Texas Panhandle, but hopes he'll be able to start a new life with his cousin. Then the big hurricane of 1938 hits and kills Woody's cousin. And the strangest thing the hurricane unearths is a pair of African giraffes which washed ashore in the harbour. One is injured, but one is fine. Woody meets an Old Man (and that is what he calls him throughout) who was in New York to pick up these giraffes and take them to the San Diego Zoo where he is the head zookeeper. The book is based on a true story and has many real people included in the tale. Woody follows the giraffes riding in their specialized big rig until something happens with the driver who leaves in a hurry. The Old Man can't drive the rig himself, so Woody volunteers even though he's never driven any motorized vehicle except a stolen motorbike and his Dad's old truck. The adventure of a lifetime begins, and for 12 days, Woody, the Old Man and a female cub reporter whom Woody calls Red, set out on their epic journey. This book is one that firmly picks up the reader and deposits them right smack in the middle of the action. I felt that I was there all along in their journey. It was hard to get back to reality when I closed the book and I couldn't wait to open it up again. There are all kinds of characters in this book that Woody and the Old Man encounter. Some are good, some are not so good, and some are downright evil. But ithe book is exciting from beginning to end, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. A truly wonderful story, and the best I've read so far this year. Show Less
LibraryThing member Whisper1
This is a novel based on a true story of a pair of giraffes who sustained a hurricane while others were thrown overboard by the power of the gusts.
A fascinating book that held my attention throughout. I read it quickly, and like all books that I give five stars, I wanted to start reading all over
This is the tale of two men traveling across the country from the New York harbor where the Giraffes set shore, to the final destination of the San Diego Zoo. The time frame is 1938, pre WWII, with a backdrop of a poor young man who lost his family in the dust bowl.
Hired to drive the truck (even though he didn't really know how to drive a truck,) there were many adventures along the way, including a down and out traveling circus with a way-ward leader who wanted the giraffes for his raggle taggle operation.
Somehow, despite many nasty events, these giraffes did indeed, in real life, arrive at the zoo, to be greeted by the first woman director of a zoo.
Here is information gained from Wikipedia:
Belle Jennings Benchley (August 28, 1882 – December 17, 1973), known as “The Zoo Lady,” was the director of the San Diego Zoo from 1927 to 1953, guiding its expansion from a small collection of animals to an innovative, world-class zoo.
Highly recommended!
A fascinating book that held my attention throughout. I read it quickly, and like all books that I give five stars, I wanted to start reading all over
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again. I could only imagine the rapt attention given to these wild animals that many never knew existed. And, something to note is that along the way, there were precarious events wherein the necks of the giraffes were too high for some bridges that that men needed to navigate.This is the tale of two men traveling across the country from the New York harbor where the Giraffes set shore, to the final destination of the San Diego Zoo. The time frame is 1938, pre WWII, with a backdrop of a poor young man who lost his family in the dust bowl.
Hired to drive the truck (even though he didn't really know how to drive a truck,) there were many adventures along the way, including a down and out traveling circus with a way-ward leader who wanted the giraffes for his raggle taggle operation.
Somehow, despite many nasty events, these giraffes did indeed, in real life, arrive at the zoo, to be greeted by the first woman director of a zoo.
Here is information gained from Wikipedia:
Belle Jennings Benchley (August 28, 1882 – December 17, 1973), known as “The Zoo Lady,” was the director of the San Diego Zoo from 1927 to 1953, guiding its expansion from a small collection of animals to an innovative, world-class zoo.
Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Woody is a lost Oakie boy - driven off his Dust Bowl farm by the death of his family, lost again when he comes through the hurricane of the century. But fate brings Woody face to face with the miracle giraffes who survived the storm and are on their way to the San Diego Zoo. The story is small -
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one of redemption and hope - but it manages to pack small details with a big punch to paint a picture of a time when things were desperate but not hopeless. I loved the way Ms. Rutledge entwined the story of Woody with the true life facts of the first two giraffes to come to the San Diego Zoo. Show Less
LibraryThing member furrykidz
I enjoyed this very much. It was a well written novel.
LibraryThing member judithrs
West with Giraffes. Lynda Rutledge. 2021. How could I not love a book about giraffes!? This novel is based on the true story of the giraffes that were taken from New York to the San Diego Zoo during the Depression. Peppered through the book are reproductions of newspapers describing the trip. I
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think the author must have been writing for a young adult audience as she included a glossary of terms relating to the New Deal and the Depression. This was a fun read for me. By the way shortly after I finished the book, I was able to pet a giraffe in the Gulf Shores Zoo!!! Show Less
LibraryThing member nyiper
Historical fiction with some really sad overtones in terms of the extinction of so many creatures---and in this case, an emphasis on giraffes. The book seemed a little slow in the middle but the story is....sweet, ultimately sad in so many ways, but sweet.
LibraryThing member hobbitprincess
The main characters are largely fictitious, but this novel is based on real events. A pair of giraffes are transported cross-country from New York to San Diego in 1938. Their journey was followed by many people and newspapers, making for an interesting diversion during a hard time in our history.
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The main character, Woody, is writing his memories of this adventure as he approaches his last days in a nursing home. The story is sad in places and joyous in places, definitely worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member dfazzi23
This is one of the best books I’ve read in years. It will make you laugh, cry, and hope for a better future. Based on a true story this book takes you to the times of the great dust bowl and how a young man went west with two giraffes!
LibraryThing member LindaLoretz
In the final stage of life, an old Woody begins writing a journal and telling Rosie, a nurse’s aide in the facility where he is being cared for, a story about a cross-country trip he took as a youngster. He begins, “Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes, one that didn’t kick me
Woodrow Wilson Nickel (Woody) is seventeen years old and on the run when traveling cross country with Riley Jones and two giraffes. It is 1938, and Rutledge’s setting includes Depression and Dust Bowl anecdotes. Additional topics and themes include women’s issues, racism, orphans, law enforcement, circuses, and animal rights.
The story is about a love for animals and a special relationship with two giraffes that had made it across the Atlantic, survived the hurricane of 1938 and headed for the San Diego Zoo. But, of course, there are obstacles along the way. As Woody comes of age, Old Man, as he refers to Riley Jones, has a significant influence upon his development, as does Augusta Red, a woman who follows Riley and Woody, posing as a Life magazine photographer.
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dead and one that saved my worthless orphan life and your worthy precious one.”Woodrow Wilson Nickel (Woody) is seventeen years old and on the run when traveling cross country with Riley Jones and two giraffes. It is 1938, and Rutledge’s setting includes Depression and Dust Bowl anecdotes. Additional topics and themes include women’s issues, racism, orphans, law enforcement, circuses, and animal rights.
The story is about a love for animals and a special relationship with two giraffes that had made it across the Atlantic, survived the hurricane of 1938 and headed for the San Diego Zoo. But, of course, there are obstacles along the way. As Woody comes of age, Old Man, as he refers to Riley Jones, has a significant influence upon his development, as does Augusta Red, a woman who follows Riley and Woody, posing as a Life magazine photographer.
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LibraryThing member ReluctantTechie
I loved the core of the book, about the journey cross-country. There was incredible immediacy in their adventures. The opening premise that a 105 year old man was writing all this was off-putting and unrealistic. I think the author could have just left it out. Putting that aside, I would heartily
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recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member mlhershey
Good, folksy different sort of adventure driving Giraffes from a port in NYC to the San Diego Zoo. Didn't like the ending.
LibraryThing member Beth.Clarke
Charming story that was inspired by true events. Although this was about animals going to the San Diego Zoo, it made think how lucky we are to have the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha and what it must have been like when the animals arrived when it opened in 1894.
LibraryThing member tinkerbellkk
A lovely story of a young man's adventure when he drives two giraffes across the country to their new home at the San Diego zoo. While this book was based on a true story the characters and their trek was fictionalized. It was a heartwarming story told in retrospect by the young man as an elderly
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man. Different concept and enjoyable to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member rmarcin
In 1938, 2 hurricanes survived the Great Hurricane and needed to be transported across the US from NY to the San Diego Zoo. Riley Jones is hired to handle the giraffes and get them across the country. Woodrow Wilson Nickel is a 17-year old boy who left his home in TX during the dust bowl to live
This is a beautiful story of a young boy down on his luck and his growth, his friends, and the lasting story he knows he needs to tell for a very special woman.
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with his relative. When that didn't work out, and he saw the giraffes, he plotted a way to follow them to CA. The result is the story of Woody, the Old Man (Jones), Red-a beautiful photographer hoping to document the story for Life Magazine, and the 2 giraffes. The female giraffe has a wounded leg from the hurricane jostling, which endangers her life. Along the way, the group encounters danger and various troubles. This is a beautiful story of a young boy down on his luck and his growth, his friends, and the lasting story he knows he needs to tell for a very special woman.
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LibraryThing member khoyt
What a great adventure! I want to go hug a giraffe's neck! Based on a true event you feel like you are accompanying the giraffes on their cross country trek. You can feel all the emotions of these wonderful characters as they go from one adventure to another. You can feel the despair of the country
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at the time. The joy the giraffes brought to the nation provided some much-needed hope. The novel is a good read and reminds us that there were other hard times in America and we lived through them. And we will do it again. Show Less
LibraryThing member hemlokgang
I did not enjoy this book. It may have been the reader, but I also did not enjoy the characters. Just didn't work for me.
LibraryThing member bereanna
Historicalbfiction based on African giraffes ordered by the San Diego zoo that landed in a hurricane in New York. The injured giraffe had to be cared for on the trip, so that along with an eventful drive across the country forms the story. All good except that there is no historical documentation
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of what went in, only the beginning and the end of the trip. It was nice learning a bit about giraffe behaviors along the way. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
Pandemic read before we quit Charleston.
LibraryThing member janismack
Story of Woody as he travels from New York to San Diego with two giraffes as the cargo. I could only admire the dedication and tenacity of the Zoo administrator and the driver to get these two giraffes safely to San Diego. It wasn’t easy since it is 1938 and the roads are not exactly pristine.
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Many adventures and misadventures occur in this epic roadtrip. Show Less
LibraryThing member edwardsgt
Based on the true story of the journey by road of two Giraffes in 1938, from New York to San Diego Zoo, the author cleverly imagines what may have happened en route. The author has researched to period to build an accurate, but fictional picture of what the journey may have entailed. It throws a
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light on the depression, dustbowl and life as a person of colour, prejudice against the latter still prevalent today. Show Less
LibraryThing member cherybear
Orphaned Woody finds himself driving 2 giraffes across the country with a zoo keeper/animal handler, as they are followed by a young female photographer determined to make a name for herself documenting their journey. During their trip, which is not without perils, Woody learns a lot about himself,
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people, and animals. Interesting characters (including the giraffes!), and lots of geography and history thrown in. Based on the true story of America's first giraffes. The book begins as 105 year old Woody looks back on his life--a plot structure that works. Show Less
LibraryThing member mchwest
If I could give more stars I would! Best book I've read since Where The Crawdads Sing. This work based on a true story is full of life lessons and hope. Thrilling to think we can relate to a pair of giraffes as calm darling animals. I will remember what it felt like to read this book for a long
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time. And the giraffe will remain in my heart my favorite. Show Less
LibraryThing member WiserWisegirl
Road trip! 'Hanging with the boys'
I ate lunch with the boys more often than not in high school. Hanging with the boys is how this comfort read felt. On this road trip, there were plenty of obstacles to beat, and a couple of girls to be highly admired along the way. Red the photographer and girl the
I ate lunch with the boys more often than not in high school. Hanging with the boys is how this comfort read felt. On this road trip, there were plenty of obstacles to beat, and a couple of girls to be highly admired along the way. Red the photographer and girl the
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feisty member of the giraffe pair crawl into your heart and soul as the protagonist narrator protects them and places them high up on a pedestal. Set in the cruel times of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, this group of human and mammalian characters survive it all together - and make some GOOD memories for a change. All is not rosey, but the good parts overcome the bad. As the aging narrator recalls in his later years, the stories have lasted to create a lifetime of meaning. You do not have to be an animal lover to read this - but you will learn how the savage beast CAN soothe our souls, and that animals of all kinds are worth saving. Show Less
LibraryThing member WiserWisegirl
Road trip! 'Hanging with the boys'
I ate lunch with the boys more often than not in high school. Hanging with the boys is how this comfort read felt. On this road trip, there were plenty of obstacles to beat, and a couple of girls to be highly admired along the way. Red the photographer and girl the
I ate lunch with the boys more often than not in high school. Hanging with the boys is how this comfort read felt. On this road trip, there were plenty of obstacles to beat, and a couple of girls to be highly admired along the way. Red the photographer and girl the
Show More
feisty member of the giraffe pair crawl into your heart and soul as the protagonist narrator protects them and places them high up on a pedestal. Set in the cruel times of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, this group of human and mammalian characters survive it all together - and make some GOOD memories for a change. All is not rosey, but the good parts overcome the bad. As the aging narrator recalls in his later years, the stories have lasted to create a lifetime of meaning. You do not have to be an animal lover to read this - but you will learn how the savage beast CAN soothe our souls, and that animals of all kinds are worth saving. Show Less
LibraryThing member Smits
As an animal lover this was my kind of book to enjoy and it did not disappoint . I really felt like I was there with Woody, the Old Man, Red and the 2 giraffes, Boy and Wild girl along their epic trip from NYC to San Diago Zoo.It is a trip filled with adventures of all kinds showing us post
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depression life in 1938 in a cross country story. Woody as an old man is retelling us his story. He wants it written down as he learns of present day extinction rates including those of giraffes shakes his soul as it should ours at the thought of losing these” creatures of God’s pure Eden”, forever. Show Less
Awards
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2023)
Language
Original publication date
2021
ISBN
9781542021746