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. Lake Union. It's 1938. I eventually just chose the one called 'West With Giraffes', by Lynda Rutledge. THIS above was the one I described in West with Giraffes.CLICK TO ENLARGE. Another regular occurrence, this one fictional, was the sighting of a fancy green Packard, driven by a redhead full of determination. what is a voter acknowledgement card nj. Females grow up to 14 feet (4.3 m) tall and weigh up to 1,500 . There is no real bluffing and nothing underhanded between Charley Smith and me nor is there between any of us; we are all working for one end, here in the Zoo, though perhaps by different methods. Animal Trainer Called by Death. Los Angeles Times (July 21, 1941): B16. I really wish the book had included a photo of the truck that the giraffes were driven in, but I found this one online. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. The past tense is used in Woodys recounting of the story, and the present tense is used in sections that describe Woodys writing process in the convalescent home. After examination and treatment, Schroeder deemed the giraffe worth saving and cleared her to make the trip. West With Giraffes Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to In normal conditions this would be a rough trip, especially for temperature-sensitive giraffes, which were placed in crates and forced to endure whatever the high seas threw at them. I dont want this story to evaporate from my memory. Imagine waves so severe that a rhino is tossed overboard. Besides the below book club questions, remember, the easiest way to be . New York: Scribner. At one point in the novel, Old Man stops at the zoo in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the night to procure some medication for Girls wounded leg. Early on when Woody says he has no story to Red she responds, Sure you do. An editor The 130-foot storm-ravaged cargo ship finally reached soggy and mangled Brooklyn on September 23. Its a foolish man who thinks stories do not matter when in the end, they may be all that matter and all the forever well ever know. page 339. https://zoohistories.com/2021/02/11/west-with-giraffes/. Rutledge, Lynda. (Side note: these events occurred one year after young Nicky Arundel got his wish for giraffes at the National Zoo.). display: none; Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), his wish for giraffes at the National Zoo, https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/3298.html, https://library.sandiegozoo.org/sdzg-history-timeline/#1930, http://timeline.sandiegozoo100.org/1930/1930-3/, https://www.sandiegozoo100.org/100-animals/lofty-and-patches, https://www.sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/timeline/1938/1938/, https://issuu.com/sdzglobal/docs/march_zn. color: #3AAA11 !important; Many zoos simply werent willing to take the risk or didnt have the funds. I'm about a third of the way through and really enjoying it. . Even so, this is a novel; a work of historical fiction. Rutledge didnt include photos of the actual trip with her novel, perhaps due to the expense of copyrights, perhaps because she wanted to keep it as Woodys story. The Great Depression lingers. Thank you! I remembered that I had gotten a book recently from Amazon's First Reads about an elephant or giraffe or something. How honest do you think the author was? January 19, 2023 . 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. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. The Question and Answer section for West With Giraffes is a great ), and some rabbits. I hope to die there, I do. 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. Discussing West with Giraffes? That puckish little ship battled the onslaught of the tempest for six hours and it is definitely worth keeping in mind that ships charged with transporting exotic animals back looked nothing like the state-of-the-art vessels of today. A couple of moments are flashbacks from Woody's childhood where his dad teaches him about animals and that they are "just animals" (basically worthless for anything that can't be beneficial to humans. There is a part where they come across a gas station with a "zoo" in the middle of nowhere in the desert, and the man who owns it is cruel to his "attractions"--a bear, a rattlesnake, a tiger (? ship I am getting all chocked up and tearing ..I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH ! Lets face it, the backstory leading to that appointment with Mother Nature at her most furious would almost certainlybeyond any doubthave to be a pretty great tale to tell. Stephenson, Lynda Rutledge. She also had a vocabulary that she kept in reserve that the [former] circus men could understand. The keepers came to call her Boss. She let them know that she admired their work, and responded to her with both respect and affection. .printfriendly.pf-aligncenter { The writer is a master story-teller, a beautiful story about why stories are written and remembered. The past tense is used in Woody's recounting of the story, and the present tense is used in sections that describe Woody's writing process in the convalescent home. Have you ever visited a zoo? I dont know how I was led to this book.Thank you to whomever suggested it. There are many photos of dust storms from the 1930s online. I finished the book last night and now after reading the background and seeing the pictures of the truck and the How did it feel to create a new story? But by 1925 there were reportedly only five giraffes in the entire country. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. West with Giraffes, a novel by Lynda Rutledge, gripped my attention from beginning to end. matlab app designer popup message female comedians of the 90s kalena ku delima fnaf 6 ending speech. Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. Others view zoos as limiting the natural inclinations and wanderings of animals, treating them as property and keeping them from their native lands. Guest Review by Julie Hilton. oh, those sky-high eyes of theirs. She was presumed dead while every precaution was taken to protect the male. That the animals survived at all was, as the headline rather politely insists, miraculous. Americas First Zoostory: 125 Years at the Philadelphia Zoo. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds . They experience the kindness of strangers when a poor black man named Moses enlists his entire family to remove the truck from under the bridge. 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. West Side Story shows how racism and xenophobia create a system that dooms the youths of working class families. In this week's Book Bites trailer, Shelly tells us about West With Giraffes by Lynda R. Stephenson. Imagine my surprise, then, when I read the very first sentence of the prologue and I was hooked immediately. I headed to San Diego and their new zoo, where Id heard that the animals get treated better than the people. poeticpoet 8 yr. ago You can carry around a heavy load only for so long, though, before youve got to set it down, and that does double if youre only eighteen. page 277, The thing about knowing youre doing something for the last time is that it takes the joy right out of it. page 301. If you want to skip over it, just skip to the horizontal line break. However, from Benchleys 1941 memoir it is obvious that Smith did not update her as much as she would have preferred. The family generously feeds them and buys them a new set of tires, getting them safely back on the road. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes". He done a grand job and he knew it. A crane was used to lower the giraffe crates out of the truck and onto terra firma. Sorry. "West With Giraffes" Author: Lynda Rutledge. . ISBN : 9781542023344. Anatole France, Nobel Laureate, 1921". 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). But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the . A newborn giraffe is about 6 feet (1.9 meters) tall at birth and weighs about 150 pounds (68 kilograms). Thats up to you. page 283. Charley Smith would update Benchley via telegram during the twelve-day trek. } Thank you for this! There they begin a cross country trip to their new home at the San Diego Zoo, followed all the way by newspaper accounts and a public weary of bad economic and political news. Pages : 372 pages. This month, the theme was "The One With the Chick and the Duck"--we were to choose a book that had an animal in it. Memoirs. Overall, I don't think that the subject of animal cruelty is present enough in this book to keep anyone from reading it. An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. "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 no money, no possessions, and no real direction for his life. West with Giraffes. 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 synopsis of the book sounded ordinary to me, and I can't say I was excited to read it. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. By this time, the hurricane giraffes had made national headlines. When he returns to the zoo, the Old Man has also recently passed away. I enjoyed West with Giraffes too, and your review was a delight -- remembering the book once again. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. Giraffesan animal most Americans had never actually see for themselves with their own two eyes at the timehad actually somehow managed to survive a wild ride aboard the SS Robin Goodfellow when it headed straight into a typhoon off the coast of Haiti. The story is told by a man living his last days in a nursing home as he writes his story. It is clear from Belle Benchleys memoir that she had a wonderful relationship with many of her keepers, particularly Charley Smith. Whats your story? 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.". Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, (Available in Hardback, Paperback, Audio, and Kindle E-Book), Many readers have asked to see an image of the real-life traveling rig. I also recommend that you listen to giraffes humming in this YouTube video (really just audio). } 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. Until, one day, I finally began to write: A few of the THOUSANDS of reader reviews: "It's not often I have to sit in silence and recover when I finish a book, but I needed to after this one. z-index: 1000; position: relative A remarkable network of veins and one-way valves prevent back-flow, keeping blood from. ETA: Ugh, this form wasn't working because I forgot to change the permissions last night. When have you felt joy with an animal whether domesticated or in the wild? 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. font-size: 14px !important; Many young giraffes, called calves, die from lion attacks during their first year of life. 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. The country had endured a Great Depression, filling the landscape with Hoovervilles and shantytowns, WPA and CCC projects, and migrants searching for a better life. 8) How do you think the title, Such a Fun Age, relates to the story? What was merely an idiosyncratic story of yet another uplifting tale of survival in the harshness of the Great Depression becomes through the authors decision to handle it through the conceit of semi-fictionalization a story that speaks to our times as well as scientists inform us that we are the dawn of the sixth great extinction. ); But this book is VERY adventurous and kept me on my toes the entire time. Orphaned during the Dust Bowl, he found his way to New York to work for a distant cousin. Little did anyone now that in September 1938, during the final few days of their trip, these animals bound for San Diego would encounter what was then the most devastating hurricane to hit the upper East Coast, killing nearly 700 people. An utterly beautiful novel.".. Amazingly, one of the crew saw the female giraffe move, so they covered and protected her as the storm raged on. As soon as Smith had apprised Belle Benchley of the giraffes poor condition, Benchley contacted Dr. Charles Schroeder from the Bronx Zoo to assess her condition. Gawky Giraffes to Leave Athenia Today for Coast. Paterson (N.J.) News (October 10, 1938): 35. But I would call this book a historical adventure with several parts that will keep your heart racing. . Did you notice any other prevalent themes? A treasure for sure. Looks like a granny, dresses like a schoolmarm, swears like a sailor, and still charms snooty zoo galoots with their fancy educations. Rutledge even includes reference to Benchleys encounter with an escaped baboon. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of West With Giraffes. It pumps 16 gallons a minute. (One is Industrial tractor pictured)." SUBJECTS; Animals: Clothing and dress: Hats: Suits (Clothing) What aspects of the story could you most relate to? "West With Giraffes Study Guide: Analysis". west with giraffes ending explained. West With Giraffes: A Novel Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. I have been recommending it to everyone! Reflector Series (Available in Hardback, Paperback, Audio, and Kindle E-Book)CLICK *HERE* to Sample or Buy on AMAZON__________________________. Tall Blondes: A Book about Giraffes. According to Benchley, they were one of the few breeding pairs in captivity. In the novel, Woody is able to stop chasing the truck as, after much begging and pleading, he is offered the driving job by Old Man after a falling out with Earl. The road to California leads straight through Woodys hometown of Arcadia, Texas. Rutledge brings to life the auto courts and roadside attractions of the 1930s. He resolves to follow them to California. He is full of talk and wit and fun when he is around, but when away he makes me wait for news day after day until I am nearly mad from worrying. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. Overview An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. How do you think zoos are important and when are they not? Home; Products. Woody, havent you ever wanted something so bad you had to do it or die trying? page 156. vertical-align: middle; Thank you so much for the feedback! "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. Notice that it is very different from the only image online (seen with Zoo Historian's book review BELOW), showing the wobbly, patched hurricane-whipped crates being moved off the ship by the empty truck before the real-life traveling rig itself was fashioned while they were in quarantine. Smith spent a few days easing her into the crate while attempting not to spook her, and getting kicked in return. It is as efficient in conveying all the necessary facts of the incident as the incident is seemingly absurd. A man from the zoo shows up to drive the giraffes across the country to the zoo, and that's where the whole adventure begins. It sounds like a really interesting book! This was kind of tough for me, because the books I read typically don't have animals in them. Did you think it was believable or too farfetched? The first giraffes could be seen in Central Park in 1872 and in Philadelphia in 1874, and the first baby giraffe in captivity was born in Cincinnati in 1889. She and Woody slowly form a relationship, but she does not share Woodys affections. In 1938, there was a terrible hurricane that caused massive destruction to New York. The circus people aren't being gentle, and wrangle the female with a rope, but she is uninjured when all is said and done. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. float: left; Thank you again. Realizing that punching all the TVs in the world wouldnt save the giraffes, he set out to document his story of how two giraffes changed his life forever. West With Giraffes study guide contains a biography of Lynda Rutledge, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. He plots to try to follow the giraffes to California, which proves more difficult than he hoped. It's 1938. With this novel, that true story becomes a parable of our times. There are many photos online of this time in history, below are just a few. Benchley, Belle J. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes". The 45-mile drive from Brooklyn to the quarantine facility through flooded and debris-ridden streets, avoiding potentially low-rise overpasses, was certainly a true test of how the giraffes might handle a drive across the country, which in fact had never been done before with the towering creatures. You need to read it yourself! 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. In 1938, the Great Depression is not yet a memory in the United States, and Hitler is becoming a major threat in Europe. I Loved this book, and hated to see it come to an end. . I just checked and I got that book as a first reads book also, I will have to add it to my good reads list so I remember I own it. The author added a bit of suspense that could have been more well-thought out and sure, a 105-year old man couldnt have reasonably written, let alone recalled, the events in the novel. After reading this,I'm ready to finish. The tone is so well-crafted, the dialog so realistic. padding: 0; However, as soon as she was upright the crew could see that her left rear ankle was severely injured. This is the All Book'd Book Club pick for January! Red follows the giraffe rig taking pictures she hopes will be published in Life magazine. 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. What a delightful story! Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. The key characters in both of these novels are animals that find themselves in a world foreign to them. Two African giraffes, who barely survive the 1938 Hurricanewhile crossing the Atlantic, make it to New York City. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave. After three days of being fed pancakes (and the giraffes are indeed fed pancakes at one point in the novel), she mustered up the energy to pull herself up. document.documentElement.classList.add( Thank you Lynda Rutledge for researching this story and writing this wonderful fictionalized account!! But he doesn't give up. Have you ever dreamed of taking or have you taken a driving trip cross-country? Determined to meet his cousin at that Brooklyn dock, he arrived only to find that his cousin was killed on board the Goodfellow during the hurricane. My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a review e-copy of this one. Traveling shows displayed them as early as 1837; however, they were difficult to capture and transport, making them expensive to procure. Building and using wood fired ovens, recipes, pizza, DIY, and forums. Jackson aka Big Papa: father of clan that owns Cottages for ColoredsMoses: eldest son of Big Papa, first to spot giraffes when they get stuck under overpass on detourPercival T Bowles: Circus ringmasterCooter: animal abuser who owns a run-down road side desert animal attraction. Sherr, Lynn. So very touching and heart wrenching!! During that time they had seven offspring, including aptly named D-Day, born June 6, 1944. Vol. west with giraffes ending explained. Oh, the writing! Once a giraffe reaches adulthood its height is often enough to protect it from lions. When have you created a new story for yourself? I started getting worried about something terrible happening to the giraffes so I thought I'd check for spoilers. A giraffe's super muscular heart is two feet long and weighs about 25 pounds. Giraffes are the tallest of all land animals; males (bulls) may exceed 5.5 metres (18 feet) in height, and the tallest females (cows) are about 4.5 metres. html:not( .jetpack-lazy-images-js-enabled ):not( .js ) .jetpack-lazy-image { 1947. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) But was he proud of the two beautiful animals! And if you end up buying a copy, I'd be grateful if you. The book was wonderful and reading this was the icing on the cake! But Charley Smith couldnt start the journey to San Diego just yet. West With Giraffes, while an historical novel, reads as a beautiful memoir of one brief and eventful journey. At the end of the novel, she sits down to read the true story of her mothers amazing journey across the continent with the giraffes. ), To enter the giveaway, just fill out this form below. I recommend reading the book before the guide. -moz-box-shadow: none; Residential LED Lighting. . West with Giraffes Quotes. As his life closes in on him in a convalescent home bed, Woody hears about the impending extinction of giraffes and punches the TV. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes". Be sure to add marmaladeandmustardseed@gmail.com to your contacts so the newsletters will come to your inbox. Woodrow Wilson Nickel aka Woody: 105 year-old man in 2025 writing about his experiences driving the two giraffes westMr. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. help you understand the book. That is when he locks eyes with the giraffes (Boy and Girl). Home. Why do you think the author chose to write their memoir? how many inches of rain did lincoln nebraska get; jojo script in japanese; 21 day weather forecast lanzarote puerto del carmen; I can't stand reading about animal cruelty, but this book is overall a feel-good adventure story. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Lofty and Patches. San Diego Zoo: 100 Years. National Geographic shared a 2-minute video of murmuration of starlings in the Netherlands with an audio track that is mesmerizing to listen to all by itself. The Old Man reluctantly accepts, but only wants Woody to stay on for the first part of the journey. I felt it worthwhile to let that go and just enjoy the ride as I was effortlessly transported on a cross-country drive in the autumn of 1938. 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. 2 vols. [NOTICE: The Kindle version has all the back information, including the Authors Note, Historical Notes, and Acknowledgements. Wonderful to see the photos and learn the history! Get ready to receive more awesome content from WFE soon! Old World Stone and Garden; Build; Glossary; Forum; west with giraffes ending explained.
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