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Adult Staff Picks

March Staff Pick

Book: West With Giraffes

Author: Lynda Rutledge

Genre:

Historical fiction. 

Subjects:  

San Diego Zoo from 1933-1945, Human-animal relationships, Animal rescue, Giraffes, Interpersonal relations, and Zoo keepers. 

The reason why it was picked: 

For the last 3 to 4 weeks, the buzz of this book has been talked about many times. This book is very new, only published in 2021, and one of our patrons suggested it to one of our circulation staff; it hasn’t stopped being talked about since. Because of the reviews of patrons, and circulation staff talking it up to everyone, the hold list is long at this time. The hold list is so long that none of our staff have gotten to read it, and yet we all can’t stop talking about it. So, join us on the hold list today! 

Summary:  

“‘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. 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”—Publisher- Bridges Café Catalog 

If this book seems as interesting to you as it has to all of us here at Town Hall Library, get on the hold list today!