I enjoyed reading about a route that I have driven in parts myself but in an earlier time. Taking my time with the book made my reading time also a journey.
They had to drive slowly in their make-shift rig, stopping often for the giraffes to eat and for the crowds who came to see the giraffes. Woody’s trip from New York to San Diego was two weeks long. Generally I devour books as quickly as possible but for West With Giraffes, I ended up reading it bit by bit across a longer timespan which actually contributed nicely to the atmosphere. Road trips, animals, and history… These are things that I like and all three are included in this story! Listen to the author tell a “story about a story” in this video of a West With Giraffes book lecture.
There are also several great references listed here for anyone who wants to dig deeper. I particularly loved seeing her whiteboard mindmap that became the novel and a map of the route, as well as original photos of the traveling rig.Īlso, check out this in-depth article on Zoo Histories that talks about the book and adds historical background to the story (and more pictures!). Get More Background Info about the Hurricane Giraffesīe sure to visit author Lynda Rutledge’s website for more background information about the story itself as well as the writing process. 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. 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. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to become Southern California’s first giraffes. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic.
Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave… Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. “Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…” Woodrow Wilson Nickel, West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge Official Synopsis West with Giraffes is an emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.
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