But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds . If you want to dip your toe in the water you can read a few tips on line such as How to Tell Better Stories: 4 Simple Tips for Introverts from Introverts, Dear short and to the point! I also recommend that you listen to giraffes humming in this YouTube video (really just audio). I had to turn on comment moderation due to a ton of spam comments, but I will approve your comment ASAP. But was he proud of the two beautiful animals! But I just updated it and it's working now! Of course, I knew your zoo history background already, so I was delighted to see your additions to this beautiful story. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. 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. ISBN : 9781542023344. A newborn giraffe is about 6 feet (1.9 meters) tall at birth and weighs about 150 pounds (68 kilograms). Regardless, it is worth checking out some of the photos that are online as they emphasize the absurdity of transporting two very tall giraffes in a truck across the United States. San Diego Zoo Centennial Timeline: 1938. https://www.sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/timeline/1938/1938/ (accessed 2/9/2021). It is clear from Belle Benchleys memoir that she had a wonderful relationship with many of her keepers, particularly Charley Smith. I did some research too and found a website that gave me an idea of what the two crates looked like. 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! The book was wonderful and reading this was the icing on the cake! West with Giraffes is a wonderful novel based on the true story of the cross-country road trip America's first giraffes took in 1938. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the worlds 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. Book excerpt: 1938: The Great Depression lingers. 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. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the . That is when he locks eyes with the giraffes (Boy and Girl). Down on his luck and unsure of his future, Woody sees the Old Man tending to two giraffes who almost died in the hurricane. So I'll give a SPOILER WARNING HERE. what is a voter acknowledgement card nj. display: inline; West with Giraffes, a novel by Lynda Rutledge, gripped my attention from beginning to end. 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. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the . Smith spent a few days easing her into the crate while attempting not to spook her, and getting kicked in return. 219 Reviews. 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. -webkit-box-shadow: none; Lynda. You need to read it yourself! 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. The Modern Ark: The Story of Zoos: Past, Present and Future. and ocean . Thanks for the review, I'm definitly going to read it now! As I looked for more historical information, I found your page. This is the only image available, a newspaper article offering a glimpse of the finished traveling rig, with a tarp over it. 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. He grabs a rabbit and drops it onto the cage of the tiger, who eats it right away. 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. "A boy running from his mystery past, two giraffes, a gruff old zoo keeper, a red headed photographer and an adventure so extraordinary it has given me goosebumps", "West with Giraffes, along with Water for Elephants, The Last Bus to Wisdom, News of the World and Where the Crawdads Sing are the kind of books that the reader wants to devour in a dayonly to immediately turn back to the beginning to savor each page.", "This is a book unlike any I have ever readThere is black humor, heartbreak, and hope all balled up into a crazy road trip and a story that spans 100 years that will touch heart and soul", "Read this book. west with giraffes ending explained. Woody happens to be standing nearby when a cargo ship that had two giraffes aboard (who were bound for the San Diego Zoo), arrives at shore after disastrous damage to the ship. 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. .figcaption {font-size: 75%;} 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. A male giraffe's average size is 14-18 feet, but you'll find the female giraffes a bit shorter than them. font-size: 14px !important; 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. I will start by saying that the second I finished this book, I moved it into the Top 3 books I've ever read. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the . . Thats up to you. page 283. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. ), To enter the giveaway, just fill out this form below. But he doesn't give up. -moz-box-shadow: none; New York: Scribner. Best-selling "West with Giraffes" author Lynda Rutledge took time out to zip around the village during our interview. Why do you think the author chose to write their memoir? float: left; Red was an aspiring photojournalist trying to sell her giraffe story to Life magazine. The Great Depression lingers. The Book Report Network 16 Mount Bethel Rd, Suite 365, Warren, NJ 07059 212-246-3100 I had every emotion through the course of reading this book. box-shadow: none; .printfriendly { There is not a man now on the animal staff who is not in the work because he would rather be in it than anywhere else in the world, and because he feels that his contribution is important to the Zoo and to the community. According to Ken Stott, a former San Diego Zoo curator, . I remembered that I had gotten a book recently from Amazon's First Reads about an elephant or giraffe or something. ", "Rutledge brought to life a remarkable story that few know about, and tells it so beautifully as a plea for the preservation of the Earth's most exotic creatures", "Ms. Rutledge has spun a masterpiece. Did the ending answer all your questions? Train travel did not allow that freedom. ", "The author manages to wrap a travelogue, a historical novel, a social and political commentary, a coming of age story, and a love story together in one book. Part 3: War Years, 19371946. ZOONOOZ, March 2016. https://issuu.com/sdzglobal/docs/march_zn. 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. Home; Products. font-weight: 600; I'll stop here, because I don't want to give anything away. My sister passed it on to me and knew Id enjoy it. 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. One of those books that make you not want to even start another cuz. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California's first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. I'm about a third of the way through and really enjoying it. justify-content: center; ", "It had me both laughing and crying. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.I. Worley, Karen E. 2016. Two huge broken-up crates are lifted off containing amazing cargo: two Baringo giraffes. Two African giraffes, who barely survive the 1938 Hurricanewhile crossing the Atlantic, make it to New York City. Thank you for such an amazing story! I highly recommend complementing the book with photos and/or audio. .pf-button-img { I refuse to give out any spoilers about the novel, but I encourage you to pick it up. San Diego, CA: Zoological Society of San Diego. .printfriendly.pf-aligncenter { .pf-button.pf-button-excerpt { Woody Wilson is a 17-year old boy from the Texas Panhandle in the 1930's. Sold! I started getting worried about something terrible happening to the giraffes so I thought I'd check for spoilers. z-index: 1000; position: relative I'm like your sister. 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. Using prehensile tongues almost half . } I hope to die there, I do. 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'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. We had us an adventure, didnt we, Woody Nickel? west with giraffes ending explained west with giraffes ending explained. 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. 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). Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. . Best for: 12 and up. } I got this book as one of the amazon first reads as well but I hadn't started it yet because like you I wasn't sure I was going to like it even though I love animals but I thought it would bother me with what happens with the animals and that it may be too historical. He called me pickle puss and remembered me when I brought my 4 children to meet him. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge tells the great adventure story of 17-year-old Woodrow Wilson Nickel, who drives two giraffes cross-country in 1938 America, finding himself along the way through the joys and conflicts of the voyage. 1. oh, those sky-high eyes of theirs. By this time, the hurricane giraffes had made national headlines. Whats your story? Two giraffes (later to be called Lofty and Patches) travelled to New York surviving . } 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. Be sure to add marmaladeandmustardseed@gmail.com to your contacts so the newsletters will come to your inbox. Lofty and Patches lived at the San Diego Zoo for nearly 30 years. 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. Read the Study Guide for West With Giraffes. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes". The headline of that article is a textbook example of the art of that particular type of composition: MIRACLE GIRAFFES RIDE HURRICANE AT SEA. When the storm finally abated they tried to get her out of what was left of her crate, but they were not successful. 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 (? Everybodys got one. page 96. 7) How did the events that unfolded in Such a Fun Age ultimately lead to Emira finding her path into a career? In 1938, the Great Depression is not yet a memory in the United States, and Hitler is becoming a major threat in Europe. Instead of running away from the crazed primate, she stretched out her arms and caught it in mid-air and carried it back to its pen. West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. How do you think zoos are important and when are they not? 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. 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. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Quotes and a Free Quiz on I too felt the love for the giraffes and all animals really. . Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. While I believe great storytelling is as much art as science, Science of People shares tips from the science side. He plots to try to follow the giraffes to California, which proves more difficult than he hoped. Baby Giraffes from Africa Reach San Diego Zoo. Los Angeles Times (October 27, 1938): 14. 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. But in many ways, the San Diego Zoo had been built on risk taking, and Dr. Harry Wegeforth, the zoos former director and then Belle Benchleys right-hand man, was darn good at fundraising. 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. 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. even Maggie the orangutan. 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. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. @media screen { @media print { There are many photos online of this time in history, below are just a few. How do you feel about zoos? The story begins with a centenarian named Woodrow Wilson Woody Nickel sitting in his nursing home watching a TV documentary on the near extinction of giraffes and other endangered species in Africa. West With Giraffes, while an historical novel, reads as a beautiful memoir of one brief and eventful journey. So very touching and heart wrenching!! This book sounds really interesting! I'm doing a Friends-themed read-athon for 2021, and each month there is a different "Friends-based" theme to choose a book. "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. 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