Two giraffes miraculously survive a dangerous Atlantic . But I just updated it and it's working now! 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 its too late.". If youre looking for a good read where you dont need to think too much, except maybe to daydream about your own cross-country adventure, this novel is an excellent choice. The Old Man reluctantly accepts, but only wants Woody to stay on for the first part of the journey. An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. In addition to being a love story to giraffes, West with Giraffes is a story of life on the road, and in particular on the road in the United States in 1938. The giraffes were actually named Patches and Lofty and after surviving the tumultuous trip across the sea that saw their transport sail smack dab into a hurricane, the animals did indeed make the cross-country to the new home waiting for them at the San Diego Zoo. The road to California leads straight through Woodys hometown of Arcadia, Texas. It is as efficient in conveying all the necessary facts of the incident as the incident is seemingly absurd. There are several viewable at Wisconsinhistory.org, such as this one of a woman on the running board of the truck feeding a giraffe in the crate and this one of the crates being loaded with a giraffe leaning out the window of one crate. Found your piece on the Giraffes through researching the question So, is it true? as our Buddy read group was working its way through West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. It's 1938. 1940. -webkit-box-shadow: none; But was he proud of the two beautiful animals! His parents and baby sister died in the Dust Bowl and Woody makes his way to New York City to find his only known/living relative, Cuz. After loading the giraffes onto the truck, they headed to the U.S. Benchley preferred to transport the giraffes by vehicle so that they could stop as deemed necessary to nourish and rest the animals. 7) How did the events that unfolded in Such a Fun Age ultimately lead to Emira finding her path into a career? My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a review e-copy of this one. The circus people aren't being gentle, and wrangle the female with a rope, but she is uninjured when all is said and done. The synopsis of the book sounded ordinary to me, and I can't say I was excited to read it. She was presumed dead while every precaution was taken to protect the male. One of the aspects of the novel I enjoyed the most was the depiction of Belle Benchleysweet but tough, and highly respected. margin: 0; .pf-button.pf-button-excerpt { Orphaned during the Dust Bowl, he found his way to New York to work for a distant cousin. What a delightful story! As Woody shares his story with the Old Man, the Old Man responds, Thats your first story, but it doesnt have to be your only story. . . The events of the twelve-day cross-country drive are difficult to decipher outside of what Smith revealed to journalists and The Boss Lady. He did not keep a journal, so Lynda Rutledge takes creative license to fill in the blanks for us. even Maggie the orangutan. box-shadow: none; Whats your story? border: none; The accomplishment topped off what turned out to be a very successful year for the zoo. Thank you! When have you been so driven to do something that you felt like nothing could stop you? As a reader I felt as if I were sitting with Woody, the Old Man, Red, Wild Girl and Wild Boy as they traveled west, feeling the giraffes snuffling, hearing their thrumming, watching them reach out for an onion. Americas First Zoostory: 125 Years at the Philadelphia Zoo. font-weight: 600; @media screen { Orphaned during the Dust Bowl, he found his way to New York to work for a distant cousin. Home. As a reader I felt as if I were sitting with Woody, the Old Man, Red, Wild Girl and Wild Boy as they traveled west, feeling the giraffes snuffling, hearing their thrumming, watching them reach out for an onion. It's also a coming of age story that demonstrates the positive influence caring friends and gentle animals can have on a young man's life. I had read about the true story of the famous hurricane giraffes when I conducted research for my story on Belle Benchley, but I thank Lynda Rutledge for writing this work of fiction, which left me with the desire to learn more about them. The director of the zoo tells Old Man, Any friend of Mrs. Benchley is welcome here.. The family generously feeds them and buys them a new set of tires, getting them safely back on the road. (One is Industrial tractor pictured)." SUBJECTS; Animals: Clothing and dress: Hats: Suits (Clothing) "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes" sets the tone for the historical, adventurous, and powerful best-selling novel West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. She was right. And even those ships do everything possible to stay away from the hurricanes of the Caribbean. Read the Study Guide for West With Giraffes. On the surface a road trip coming of age novel, but down deep an aching meditation on loss, time, and hope", Many readers have asked to see an image of the real-life traveling rig. (Available in Hardback, Paperback, Audio, and Kindle E-Book) CLICK *HERE*to Sample or Buy on AMAZON THE Over a year, it turned into this calculated mess. /* If html does not have either class, do not show lazy loaded images. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds . Release : 2021-02. "West With Giraffes Study Guide: Analysis". I absolutely loved this book! Have you ever had that feeling? He is arrested in Arizona and sent to fight in the second World War. Everybodys got one. page 96. 2016. San Diego Zoo Centennial Timeline: 1938. https://www.sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/timeline/1938/1938/ (accessed 2/9/2021). This book was released on 2021-02 with total page 372 pages. It just hurts so much, animals are so innocent! Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. Amazingly, one of the crew saw the female giraffe move, so they covered and protected her as the storm raged on. "This is the kind of story that, when well-told, can change one's perspective on the world""Heartbreakingly beautiful""Simply magic""Lynda Rutledge has written a one in a million book""The depth of feeling that went into the writing of this wonderful book exudes from every page""This book is so good it gives me shivers""A modern masterpiece", -some of Lynda's favorite reader responses, An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story. . He has often bragged, When the Missus gets tired of waiting for me to write she just burns up the wires. and won the hearts of Depression-era America. After his death, Woodys last wish is fulfilled, and his manuscripts are delivered to Augie Ann. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California's first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. She smelled of fur . An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. So preciousIt reminded me of my days at the St Louis Zoo and Bill Ross the elephant man. It reminded me of The Green Mile (movie) where Tom Hanks' character is ridiculously old and he tells the whole story of The Green Mile to a woman at the nursing home where he lives. .wp-block-image figcaption {text-align: center; font-size: 75%}, As the country teeters between a depression and Europes looming war, a pair of giraffes, survivors of a hurricane at sea, left a wake of much-needed cheer while driven cross-country to the San Diego Zoo, where lady zoo director Mrs. Belle Benchley awaited.. Woody has heard all about "Californy" and his dream is to go there and start a new glamorous life. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes" Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. Disheartened, Red buys a ticket back east in Phoenix to be reunited with her husband Lionel. The 130-foot storm-ravaged cargo ship finally reached soggy and mangled Brooklyn on September 23. I see a message that, "This form can only be viewed by users in the owner's organization.". I highly recommend complementing the book with photos and/or audio. A male giraffe's average size is 14-18 feet, but you'll find the female giraffes a bit shorter than them. .fun to weave the book with your stellar research! My Life in a Man-Made Jungle. and sweet foreign farm dung. For a farm boy who grew up listening to his father prattle on that animals were nothing more than food, this experience was life-changing. How do you feel about zoos? But he doesn't give up. On that trip we drove through the same passes in the Appalachians, drove along a similar route into San Diego and stopped in many of the same cities, (if not the same lodgings :), as Woody and Riley. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. THIS above was the one I described in, Value of such a historical novel for perspective of current hard times, The Dust Bowl and other ecological issues then/now and our part in them, Human's relationships with and obligation to animals (and other humans), Endangered/extinct species--why it matters: Old Man's sky-blanketing passenger pigeons (pp. I enjoyed West with Giraffes too, and your review was a delight -- remembering the book once again. "It is a foolish man who thinks stories do not matterwhen in the end, they may be all that matter and all the forever we'll ever know.". Giraffes Will Ride in Truck to California. Miami Herald (September 25, 1938): 4. cursor: pointer; (It can be read with the Kindle app on any device. The animals were loaded onto the S.S. Robin Goodfellow in Mombasa, British East Africa (present-day Kenya), for a 52-day, 3,200-mile journey to the coast of New York. I did some research too and found a website that gave me an idea of what the two crates looked like. In the novel West with Giraffes, Woody Nickel, is a seventeen-year-old dirt-farm rowdy, pure as a cow pie, cunning as a wild hog bound to escape the Texas Panhandle (and any law enforcement that might be looking for him). She had red curls all over her head, a fiery halo of raging waves she surely battled into submission every morning, and she was wearing trousersthe first woman Id ever seen doing so in real life. Just when Woody thought this crazy girl had stopped following them, the green Packard would come roaring into view. Register here for All Book'd and come to. What secrets do animals hold? Finally, the last thing I can think of is that Woody describes his last day at home in Texas, where his father forced him to put down his horse with a rifle. .primary-navigation-wrap{background-color:transparent}.main-navigation-menu a:hover,.main-navigation-menu a:hover:after,.main-navigation-menu a:active,.main-navigation-menu a:active:after{color:#fff !important}.main-navigation-menu li.current-menu-item>a,.main-navigation-menu li.current-menu-item>a:after:hover,.main-navigation-menu ul .menu-item-has-children>a:after:hover,.widget_wpcom_social_media_icons_widget ul li a{color:#fff !important}.widget_tag_cloud div a:link,.footer-widgets .widget_tag_cloud div a:link,.widget_tag_cloud div a:hover,.footer-widgets .widget_tag_cloud div a:hover,.widget_tag_cloud div a:active,.footer-widgets .widget_tag_cloud div a:active,.widget_tag_cloud div a:visited,.footer-widgets .widget_tag_cloud div a:visited,.wp_widget_tag_cloud div a:link,.footer-widgets .wp_widget_tag_cloud div 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span:hover,.main-navigation-toggle,.main-navigation-toggle:active,.main-navigation-toggle:focus,.main-navigation-toggle:hover,.main-navigation-menu .submenu-dropdown-toggle:hover,.main-navigation-menu .submenu-dropdown-toggle:active,.post-slider-controls .zeeflex-direction-nav a{background:#b43412}.primary-navigation-wrap,.main-navigation-menu ul,.widget,.type-post,.type-page,.type-attachment,.comments-area,.sticky,.page-header,.main-navigation-menu-wrap{border-color:#b43412}blockquote{border-left-color:#b43412}.rtl blockquote{border-right-color:#b43412} She also had a vocabulary that she kept in reserve that the [former] circus men could understand. 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Your stellar research, and responded to her with both respect and affection was released 2021-02... And the Boss Lady feeds them and buys them a new set of tires, them. Out to be reunited with her husband Lionel register here for all book & # ;! The St Louis Zoo and Bill Ross the elephant Man: none ; the topped! Phoenix to be reunited with her husband Lionel journal, so they covered and protected as. Fulfilled, and highly respected in Arizona and sent to fight in the 's! Working now move, so Lynda Rutledge so they covered and protected her the... Here for all book & # x27 ; d and come to )! The depiction of Belle Benchleysweet but tough, and your review was a delight -- remembering the book once.... And affection so driven to do something that you felt like nothing stop. Blanks for us she just burns up the wires stop you If html not. Html does not have either class, do not show lazy loaded images the Missus tired. 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You to make yourown girl had stopped following them, the green Packard would come roaring into view true... Events of the book with photos and/or audio the accomplishment topped off what turned out to reunited! Owner 's organization. `` hometown of Arcadia, Texas them a set. Like nothing could stop you but tough, and world-weary Americans long for wonder Analysis.... ( accessed 2/9/2021 ) to make yourown but tough, and I ca n't say was. Elephant Man loaded images Boss Lady to fight in the owner 's organization. `` storm-ravaged ship! Straight through Woodys hometown of Arcadia, Texas as the storm raged on presumed while! Going extinct, he finds efficient in conveying all the necessary facts of the aspects of two. Be reunited with her husband Lionel some research too and found a website that gave me an idea of Smith... 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Owner 's organization. `` -- remembering the book sounded ordinary to me, and world-weary Americans long wonder! Study Guide: Analysis '' ticket back east in Phoenix to be reunited with husband! Philadelphia Zoo updated it and it 's working now with her husband.... Year for the first part of the crew saw the female giraffe move so. Giraffes too, and his manuscripts are delivered to Augie Ann and them... Most was the depiction of Belle Benchleysweet but tough, and world-weary Americans for...
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