She was presumed dead while every precaution was taken to protect the male. tells a story looking back at his youth of when he talked his way into helping drive a couple Giraffes from the East Coast to San Diego, California. Smith spent a few days easing her into the crate while attempting not to spook her, and getting kicked in return. 'jetpack-lazy-images-js-enabled' font-size: 14px !important; Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. Reading it was like falling into another world. I absolutely loved this book. Anatole France, Nobel Laureate, 1921". Benchley also once caught a rattlesnake by grabbing it by the back of the head. help you understand the book. I did some research too and found a website that gave me an idea of what the two crates looked like. It's 1938. You can see a map of it on this Tillman County Blog. I'm going to try to convince my kids to read it--they don't like to take suggestions from their mom, because I'm so uncool ;), I'm SO glad that I picked it out for my First Reads book. The Old Man reluctantly accepts, but only wants Woody to stay on for the first part of the journey. 8) How do you think the title, Such a Fun Age, relates to the story? We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. According to Benchley, Our relations as Boss and Man-Friday are ludicrously funny, and when he thinks he is working for me I am overjoyed. 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). 1940. 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. Just finished this wonderful book!! However, as soon as she was upright the crew could see that her left rear ankle was severely injured. } I have to say, though, that no matter what I write on this post, it won't do justice to this book. Lake Union Publishing, 371 pages, $14.95. Feel free to leave a comment! display: flex; align-items: center; Rutledge, Lynda. Just keep scrolling. 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. Why do you think the author chose to write their memoir? The synopsis of the book sounded ordinary to me, and I can't say I was excited to read it. 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. 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. 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. */ 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. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Pages : 372 pages. (And New York would not experience one as destructive until Hurricane Sandy in 2012.) Just as Romeo and Juliet are born to rival families, Tony and Maria are associated with rival gangs. Whats your story? They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. . Smith stayed with the giraffes during their time in quarantine, sleeping beside their stalls, nursing the females injury, and getting to know these towering creatures of Gods pure Eden. After their quarantine was complete, it was time to load the giraffes into their custom-made, heavily padded 12 8 crates, which were large enough for the giraffes to lie down on piles of peat moss and straw. Another indication that Benchley was loved by the zoo staff came after she found herself in the hospital for eleven weeks following an auto accident. 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. If you have what were the highlights for you? Wonderful to see the photos and learn the history! Thank you Lynda Rutledge for researching this story and writing this wonderful fictionalized account!! The game plays on that feeling a lot, with the fact that humanity now has to adapt to this new infection and do things that they didn't do before to survive. I finished the book last night and now after reading the background and seeing the pictures of the truck and the I really wish the book had included a photo of the truck that the giraffes were driven in, but I found this one online. It was fascinating to see my route through the eyes of someone traveling there nearly 100 years prior. Westward ho! 2, 86, 238) & Author's Note, Treatment of Blacks in those times vs. now, Treatment of women in those times vs. now, Zoos vs. circuses--then/now (See Author's Note), Tolerance of lying and stealing in desperate times, The unanswered questions about the Old Man's past and why the Author left us to wonder, Red's "bucket list": The spectre of a weak heart/short life to fuel her culture-busting dream-chasing, How childhood shapes us and how much power we have to change it. The 130-foot storm-ravaged cargo ship finally reached soggy and mangled Brooklyn on September 23. Thank you. Thats up to you. page 283. Hence, West with Giraffes. Have you ever visited a zoo? Cyrus Badger shares with Woody the depth of the Old Mans love for him, and Woody comes to California home. Woody learns that Red is pregnant, and that she lied about being a photographer for Life magazine. Everybodys got one. page 96. 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. Pictures taken just after unloading from ship. This attention, the time for which had to be borrowed from their all too few leisure hours, touched me deeply because it showed that I had won a place with them not based on relationship of boss and employee, but upon friendship and confidence, she reminisced in her memoir. Kindle Edition. Stephenson, Lynda Rutledge. "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.". 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). THAT'S how good it is! To me the crates look somewhat precarious for mountain switchbacks and other rough roads. Here are a few topics to chew on: Life during the Great Depression 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. west with giraffes ending explained west with giraffes ending explained. The Great Depression lingers. Giraffes are animals that have long legs, but their body is small in comparison. I loved the poetic, whimsical play with the words. How do you think zoos are important and when are they not? The Question and Answer section for West With Giraffes is a great But heres the really amazing part of West with Giraffes. This is the All Book'd Book Club pick for January! He has no money, no possessions, and no real direction for his life. The giraffes Girl and Boy sound great characters.The humans sound interesting and I do love a book that has good solid characters at its heart.Your line "The characters in the . 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. An aged veteran (105!) Lynda. It is as efficient in conveying all the necessary facts of the incident as the incident is seemingly absurd. 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. I highly recommend complementing the book with photos and/or audio. Disheartened, Red buys a ticket back east in Phoenix to be reunited with her husband Lionel. Here is the description from the publisher: "An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. Americas First Zoostory: 125 Years at the Philadelphia Zoo. 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. This book is AMAZING and it's one of those books that you just can't forget. In Tennessee, Woody and the Old Man get the giraffe rig stuck in a precarious position beneath a low bridge and are unable to get it out by themselves. And unlike the typical Broadway musical of the 1950s and before, West Side Story does not offer audiences a happy ending. matlab app designer popup message female comedians of the 90s kalena ku delima fnaf 6 ending speech. 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 (? .fun to weave the book with your stellar research! Sherr, Lynn. After loading the giraffes onto the truck, they headed to the U.S. She telegraphs WIRE ME TODAY, and you can bet she gets her wire. Knowing that the female giraffe barely survived the hurricane, I can imagine Benchley was quite worried throughout Smiths cross-country trip with the giraffes! Sexton, Timothy. 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. Others view zoos as limiting the natural inclinations and wanderings of animals, treating them as property and keeping them from their native lands. west with giraffes ending explained. As the giraffes leave quarantine, Woody jumps back on the stolen motorcycle and follows them. Im so glad you enjoyed it! Woodrow Wilson Nickel, aka Woody Nickel, almost 18, happens to be on a New York dock in 1938 when the hurricane-battered SS Robin Goodfellow limps into the harbor. text-decoration: none; Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Oh, the writing! } Woodrow Wilson Nickel is a 17 year old orphan boy who is forced to leave his home after his familys tragic death during the Dust Bowl. Down on his luck and unsure of his future, Woody sees the Old Man tending to two giraffes who almost died in the hurricane. } border: none; West With Giraffes, Lynda Rutledge "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes" Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. color: #3AAA11 !important; in death funeral tammy faye bakker. thissection. 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.". . An utterly beautiful novel.".. The Modern Ark: The Story of Zoos: Past, Present and Future. He finds his only living relative, a cousin in New York, where he works until his cousins death in a hurricane. 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. What secrets do animals hold? It is rare to pick up a book that is really DIFFERENT. I dont know how I was led to this book.Thank you to whomever suggested 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. West with Giraffes, a novel by Lynda Rutledge, gripped my attention from beginning to end. border: none; body.custom-background { background-color: #505050; } Old World Stone and Garden; Build; Glossary; Forum; west with giraffes ending explained. } Giraffes Will Ride in Truck to California. Miami Herald (September 25, 1938): 4. Home; About. I rode Miss Jim when I little every summer and even in her cage to feed her a carrot. "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. Wild Girl and Wild Boy are at the heart of this novel and throughout and directly in her Authors Note following the novel, the author shares her views of how we can be charmed and inspired by animals. 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. . I also really appreciate your review with the animal notes. Some people value zoos as a place to help individuals connect with animals they may never otherwise meet or a place to safeguard an animal from extinction. However, from Benchleys 1941 memoir it is obvious that Smith did not update her as much as she would have preferred. box-shadow: none; What senses transport you to another time and place? } Residential and Commercial LED light FAQ; Commercial LED Lighting; Industrial LED Lighting; Grow lights. According to Benchley, they were one of the few breeding pairs in captivity. I also recommend that you listen to giraffes humming in this YouTube video (really just audio). "West With Giraffes Study Guide: Analysis". ", "I've read some truly wonderful books in my life, but never one I'm convinced will stay with me forever as will West with Giraffes. What aspects of the story could you most relate to? Woody, havent you ever wanted something so bad you had to do it or die trying? page 156. Two giraffes miraculously survive a dangerous Atlantic . (272 kilograms). Benchley preferred to transport the giraffes by vehicle so that they could stop as deemed necessary to nourish and rest the animals. I eventually just chose the one called 'West With Giraffes', by Lynda Rutledge. .printfriendly a, .printfriendly a:link, .printfriendly a:visited, .printfriendly a:hover, .printfriendly a:active { You made the people come alive as you filled in the lives to match the historical facts. With Woody behind the wheel, true to the actual events, the giraffe truck stopped regularly at auto camps under appropriate trees with the top of the crates open to let Boy and Girl reach up and browse. What we called highways were barely tolerable for transporting people much less chauffeuring giraffes. FYI - the Google form doesn't appear to be working. Two African giraffes, who barely survive the 1938 Hurricanewhile crossing the Atlantic, make it to New York City. Lake Union. 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