West with Giraffes: A Novel
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.
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Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *West with Giraffes* is a heartfelt historical novel blending a Dust Bowl youth’s journey with two giraffes' true 1938 cross-country trek....
What’s it about?
Woody Nickel is well over 105-years-old and feeling nostalgic. When he looks back on his life one grand adventure stands out. In 1938 two giraffes arrive in New York harbor after sailing through a hurricane. They are loaded on a truck and driven across the country to the San Diego Zoo. In one final last burst Woody frantically writes down how he came to know the Old Man, Red, and the giraffes.
What did it make me think about?
This is definitely the sweet, folksy story your grandmother would love. What a different world it was in 1938.
Should I read it?
Although this book seems to be loved by all- I feel pretty lukewarm about it. It is interesting, entertaining, and just a little too folksy for me. However I recommend it to anyone who likes light historical fiction.
Quote-
“Time heals all wounds, they say. I’m here to tell you that time can would you all on its own. In a long life, there is a singular moment when you know you’ve made more memories than any new ones you’ll ever make. That’s the moment your truest stories- the ones that made you the you that you became- are ever more in the front of your mind, as you begin to reach back for the you that you deemed best.”
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