West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge: Book review

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. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. 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.

The trip across the country was full of breathtaking tension interspersed with
really sweet moments. The author did an incredible job writing the voice of Woody Nichols, “Peeking out, I saw the Old Man wave Earl to the cabin, ease down on the truck’s running board, and pat himself a cigarette from a Lucky Strike pack. That he could afford store-bought smokes, instead of rolling his own, was an impressive sight for my farmboy eyes.”