West with Giraffes: A Novel

In the modern age of books largely written using AI - yes, we readers can tell - it can be disappointingly difficult to find true literature. "West with Giraffes" is the real thing, not only hitting all the high notes of storytelling, emotional impact, social meaning and timeliness, but being just beautifully written. I will be buying this in hardcover reality, to add to my real-life library as one if my favorite books.

This is the kind of story that leaves the reader wishing there were more books like it. Touching, suspenseful, dramatic storytelling is such a rare find. The characters are wonderful, and the description life on the road in the1930's adds a nice taste of historical reference.

The pace and sequence of events of the story (based on historical events) keep it interesting, but what really stands out are the many facets of life in 1938 that are presented in some detail. Just a few: weather events, exotic animal behavior and care, long-distance road travel, Zoo operations and practices, expectations and constraints affecting women and Black people, poverty and homelessness. There are also some interesting ruminations on the nature of morality, killing and death, the effect of various experiences on the trajectory and outcome of a life, the nature of the relationship between people and other animals. Lots to think about…

This book was thoroughly enjoyable! The characters were rich and complex with back stories revealed at different points. I need to look into the actual history to see what was true and what was added. The Great Depression history is woven in well as it was such a tragic time for Oklahoma farm families. Woody, Old Man, Red, Boy, and Girl experienced so much in one week, memories that went with them for the rest of their lives. TRIGGER ALERT: The chapter on New Mexico was very difficult to read so this is a heads up for those who are sensitive to animal cruelty. Aside from that chapter, West With Giraffes was a rollicking ride of a story. Highly recommended!

A really good read . Simple story but so well told . Everyone I have recommended it to has enjoyed it .

In 1938, New York was hit by a rare hurricane of the size that wasn’t seen again until Hurricane Sandy not long ago. But in 1938 weather forecasting was almost non-existent and it took the city by surprise. Also taken by surprise was a ship entering the harbor with two massive crates on deck, crates too large to fit in the hold, crates that each held a young giraffe. Miraculously, the giraffes survived even as their crates were partially shattered and one received a severe leg wound. The giraffes were to be trucked across America to the San Diego Zoo, at a time long before any Interstate system was even dreamed of and when highways were relatively primitive and road trips were still an adventure. It was also a time when giraffes were a rare sight outside of Africa and little was even known about how to raise and care for them in captivity. After a time of quarantine, followed by a 2-week journey across the continent on a makeshift rig built on the bed of a flatbed truck, the giraffes were delivered to San Diego, one of the most progressive zoos in the world at the time, and directed by a woman, Belle Benchley, though she was not given the title until shortly before her retirement in 1953 because, who ever heard of a woman zoo director? Those are the historical facts. This book is a novel expanding on those facts and what an enjoyable story it is. It starts out in the year 2025 with a healthcare worker at a long-term Veterans Administration elderly care center gathering up the possessions of a recently deceased man. Woodrow Wilson Nickel had lived to the ripe old age of 105, a century and a nickel. In his belongings was a porcelain giraffe from the San Diego Zoo’s gift shop and stack of notebooks and though the notebooks should be considered private, the first lines of the first notebook caught her eye. “Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes . . .” With those lines, she was ensnared and continued to read. And, if you read this book, you will be reading what she read. From the author’s nickname, Woody Nickel, you can guess that while this book is a dramatic story, there is also a touch of whimsy as well. Woody was a young boy living in the Texas panhandle during the Dust Bowl years and watched as the “dust pneumonia” slowly took the lives of his neighbors and his family. As an orphan, he bummed his way to New York to find the only relative that he knew, a cousin working on the docks, but he arrived only a month before the hurricane which also killed his cousin. And yet, as the wind died down and the rain stopped, he was fascinated to see two smashed crates being unloaded which contained the most majestic animal he had ever seen. When he heard that they were going to be taken to California, he knew that he had to follow. Author Lynda Rutledge has crafted a road trip like nothing you have ever imagined. There are dangers around every turn from the winding roads with steep dropoffs across the Shenandoah mountains, the crossing of the Mississippe on a plank “add-on” to a railroad bridge, long stretches across the desert, run-ins with sleazy circus directors who try to “kidnap” the giraffes, and more. There is a bit of romance thrown in with a young woman, Augusta Red, following them in a Packard, trying to get photos to sell to “Life” magazine. And there is the crusty “Old Man” who is tasked with delivering the giraffes. Is this how the journey really happened? I’m sure it is not. It is fictionalized and much is placed in there to make it a good story. And yet, that trip must have truly been an adventure back in 1938, with the Dust Bowl weather system still in force, with the rudimentary roads, with the lack of services for travelers, and with two animals on the back of a truck who are not going to just stand still, who need to be fed and watered, who have very long necks that had to stick out of the top for air. But what this book provides is just a really good story with the ring of truth and where at least the outline is true. It would be hard not to enjoy this book.

This book dragged at times for me, but only in some early scene setting pages. I believe it was due to character development. The author is writing from the viewpoint of an elderly man and he’s a fairly irascible fellow. He passionately tells of an earlier cross country journey, very detailed…and the story’s a whopper! Now, on the other hand, by the second half of the book, I couldn’t stop reading. The opening of the characters’ hearts, due in large part to their connection with the two giraffes who are being moved from New York City to the San Diego Zoo, was worth the 300-page read. 1938 America as seen from the Lee Highway (I’ll let you find out as you read) was its own character in the book. Here’s a fascinating tale of a two-lane road from sea to shining sea that allows the author to let the 21st century reader get a good look at the times close to 100 years ago. What was it like for a seventeen year old boy from the Texas panhandle seeing the country end-to-end? What would you encounter under the conditions that year? How are women treated back in the day…women with dreams and ability and plenty of gumption? There’s all that AND you get to fall in love with a couple pretty big-hearted animals as well. Who knew about giraffes? Giraffes in small quarters no less! This is clearly a good read for animal lovers, yet also for those looking for a picture of commitment to the dream one holds in their heart. It’s a story of what it takes to see it through. And more…what the journey can help you find out about yourself.

Great read! Of all the historical fictions I have read, I did not know about the giraffes! What a great story. If you love animals be ready to love this book. The story of the giraffes journey made me wonder about other great historical situations that occurred and we never knew until this book.

Lovely story. Totally enthralling. A wealth of characters woven in a beautiful tapestry of human and animal connections. A must read.

I’ve given this as a gift since I read it. A really good, unexpected novel. You won’t regret reading it.

Es ist ein interessantes Buch, sehr abwechslungsreich

It's so interesting that the book is inspired by the true story of two giraffes who survived a hurricane when they were being transported to America by sea. There then followed an epic journey from the east coast to the west coast where they were headed for San Diego zoo. As you can imagine, the public were fascinated by the journey of the giraffes and it was reported in hundreds of newspapers across the States. It maybe doesn't sound that a story about driving giraffes thousands of miles would be all that interesting but it really became very compelling. It was a most unusual and epic road trip time story with some brilliant characters. It's also a coming of age story for the main character, Woody Nickel, who we encounter both as a young man who becomes captivated by the giraffes and as a very old man writing his life story before it's too late. It's also a love story as Woody falls in love for the first time with young photographer Red. Through the story the author evokes 1930s America. We read about the effects of the Dust Bowl, the grinding poverty experienced by the people in those areas and how unwelcome they were in other parts of the US. We see racism, a world heading towards war once again and very different approaches to the treatment of animals. There's a lot to think about in this book with its themes of home, resilience, attitudes to women, overcoming dangers and secrets. I was particularly taken by this quotation: "Life is life no matter who or what is living it, boy–a thing to respect.” Given some of the events in the books, it's certainly something that makes you pause. West With Giraffes is a really memorable read. It's not every day you read a book about giraffes after all! A compelling and thought-provoking read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Book is beautifully written and moves between time periods in an engaging way. Based on a true story so it was interesting to look up newspaper articles and pictures online of the actual journey. Very moving and emotional book. Great story.