by: Linda Rutledge
Goodreads description:
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.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓 3/4
This coming of age story was well researched and wholesome. It was a nice break from the other two character driven dramas we read alongside it this month. I alternated reading and listening on audible. I felt like Jimmy Durante was narrating it- do yourself a favor and actually read it/ don’t listen. If you liked The Lincoln Highway, I think you would enjoy this as well- a young man on a cross country journey with nothing to lose. It would make a great movie- it might be hard to train giraffes though.
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓1/4
One hundred percent original, and my favorite book of the month. Based on the actual cross-country travel of a pair of giraffes who survived a hurricane, their chauffeur, Woody Nickel, who barely survived the Dust Bowl, will be your favorite literary hero of the year. In spite of the tough situations and difficult experiences in this novel, this story has filled with love. It will make you smile, and if you are an animal lover or have ever been up close with a giraffe, this one will tug at your heartstrings. If you read any of our books this month, read this one.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 