West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

Facilitator : Dorothy Kelly

An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes
who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.
“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. Behind the
wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. 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.