Many of the books we read in the Whitney Book Bistro have been well-reviewed and made lists of recommended books. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge was recommended by a friend of a friend, who wanted her book club to read it. Our library system didn’t have enough copies – but we ordered them! Truly word-of-mouth.
Inspired by the true story of two giraffes who traveled from Africa by boat in 1938, through a hurricane, and then by truck from New York to San Diego, West with Giraffes is peppered with historical facts, memorable references, and fictionalized action. As our last responder noted, it isn’t anything you haven’t seen a million times, but it is a charming read – and she had already recommended the book to several others. An email responder said, “it was an easy, interesting, enjoyable read.” Another wrote, “I enjoyed the giraffe story but found some of it hard to believe. Not my favorite for sure.” Still another hadn’t yet finished it but said that what she read so far was “great fun.” I’ll post more email reviews in the comments. One non-member made a special effort to stop by and let me know how glad she was to have read it – she laughed, she cried, she cared.
During our meeting, we bounced around finding connections. Our first responder was reminded of his own travels – the Burma-Shave ads spaced along the highways in his youth, Stuckey’s roadside stops, the dust storms in Texas that continue past the Dust Bowl, and his own visit to the San Diego Zoo as an adult. Another member thought the novel started slowly, but he was hooked by the time Woody and the giraffes got to the Midwest. He was reminded of other stories that mention The Negro Motorist Green Book by Victor Green.[i]Many of us were surprised to learn that California had a police barrier outside Yuma, Arizona, to keep the poorest Americans from entering. One of us shared that his family was turned down the first time they tried to immigrate to the U.S. because his parents had six kids and officials did not think his father could support them all. We laughed as we discussed the roadside TP motels! One member believes that the interstate highway system ruined a lot of roadside attractions. We segued into suicide and the availability guns – without descending into controversy. We also asked how is our view of crime changed by circumstance, desperation, and empathy. One member thought the book was easy to read and the author worked hard to create a story given that there were no journals of the actual journey; the drive probably went through without so much adventure. He got tired of it.
We loved the giraffes. We could imagine that the sight of those giraffes uplifted depression-era Americans. We talked about how animals can be emotional support for humans. One of us finds joy/comfort when a hummingbird visits him when he is wearing a colorful shirt. “I am a flower!” Another member noted that the humans were bonding with the giraffes, but were the giraffes bonding with the humans? We talked about conservation and wondered when it goes too far. Should we be saving insects? The Nevada pupfish? The Mt. Charleston blue butterfly? We seemed mostly to agree that the conservation efforts of zoos make them worth it. We watched an interesting video about the Hurricane Giraffes from The History Guy, which details much of what is covered in the book, but with pictures of giraffes.[ii] Did you know that humans and giraffes have the same number of neck bones?[iii] Did you know that Henderson has a resident Giraffe that paints?
This month we travelled with giraffes along the Lee Highway in 1938. Next month, we will discuss a book titled The Lincoln Highway. The story takes place in 1954. A very different book but connections abound when we look for them – and sometimes even when we don’t. We have record-breaking heat outside yet adventures await. Keep reading and stay connected!
OTHER WORKS DISCUSSED:
- The Green Book (2019) Film directed by Peter Farrelly
- Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck
- Lessons In Chemistry (2022) by Bonnie Garmus
- My Life in a Man-Made Jungle (1940) by Belle J. Benchley
- The Wager (2023) by David Grann
[i] https://www.loc.gov/item/2016298176/
“An annual guidebook for African-American roadtrippers founded and published by New York City mailman Victor Hugo Green from 1936 to 1967. From a New York-focused first edition published in 1936, Green expanded the work to cover much of North America. The Green Book became “the bible of black travel” during the era of Jim Crow laws, when open and often legally prescribed discrimination against African Americans and other non-whites was widespread. Green wrote this guide to identify services and places relatively friendly to African-Americans so they could find lodgings, businesses, and gas stations that would serve them along the road. It was little known outside the African-American community. Shortly after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed the types of racial discrimination that made The Green Book necessary, publication ceased and it fell into obscurity.” The Library of Congress online record.
[ii] https://thehistoryguy.com/videos/san-diegos-first-giraffes/
[iii] https://www.britannica.com/one-good-fact/how-are-the-necks-of-giraffes-and-mice-similar#:~:text=Virtually%20all%20mammals%20have%20the,%2Dtoed%20sloths%20(nine).
WhitneyBookBistro 
From JS: Sorry to say I will miss tonight’s discussion! It’s still 118 outside; just don’t want to chance it with the extreme heat! Woody did a lot of growing up on “the great adventure.” His kinship with the giraffes was priceless! Enjoy the Bistro!
From MM: I sure am glad I stopped over and picked up the next two book club selections because I just finished reading West with Giraffes, and I really liked it! It was an engaging book and hard to put down. The characters were interesting and well-developed. Impressions of the dust bowl, the Hoovervilles, and all the Depression era references were vividly described. I loved the connection all three main characters, Woody, Old Man, and Red had with the giraffes. It was an easy, interesting, enjoyable read.
From WH: A very nice story, recalling a moment of life, which helps define the before and after. Many years come and go, but some moments stand out, when our decisions have impact forever. Meeting that special someone, or in this case of helping special animals. To have an adventure, which only seems to exist in fables, to be willing to risk it all, for the betterment of the cause.
Running from our childhood, which we all end up doing, it is time to do the right thing, even though we fail at it often. Everyone in this time frame is trying to keep their family alive, but it can become more than a person can handle. Poverty, death by dirt, depression, immoral laws, disease and bad luck are everywhere, but a glimmer of hope for the future rests on our fragile giraffes.
It took a few chapters to realize I was going to like the book, since it is often difficult to introduce so many things at the beginning. Using generic non-names didn’t help in understanding their relevance. It does continue to get better, more exciting, more tragedy, more danger, and more sobering wrap ups. Very glad he was able to write it all down and share such personal important stories. All in all a very pleasant read.
Wild giraffes still exist, but just barely. So many of their brethren and fellow savannah travelers have died over the years, but a few humans keep trying to do the right thing. Preserve and protect the wild animals. Many humans are actively trying to eliminate all ape species, fish of all kinds, whales and sharks also. Within a century the largest land mammal alive might be a cow. Very sad reality.
From CB: I’m enjoying West With Giraffes, although I haven’t quite finished it yet. My parents moved to San Diego in 1957, and I remember a tour bus driver pointing out Patches when we visited the zoo. I had no idea she’d had such a fascinating journey to California. I find myself comparing the retelling of an event as a fictionalized account versus a nonfiction account, like the two recent selections, Crow Mary and The Wager. I think I trust the nonfiction account more, but enjoy fiction to a greater degree.
I really like the voice of the narrator Woody, and feel like the author has done a good job of transporting me to the 1930’s. It’s too bad a journal wasn’t kept of the trip, but I like the insertion of telegrams and newspaper accounts woven together with the colorful cast of characters and the fictional episodes. One person I’d like to know more about is Belle Benchley. She seems like quite a woman. I wonder if it was easier in those days to come up through the ranks on sheer merit. Nowadays, I can’t see a female bookkeeper becoming a zoo director in fact, even if not in title. Likewise, her zookeeper, who was in charge of transporting the giraffes, started his career by joining the circus at age eleven. Nowadays, it seems like you have to have a lot of college degrees to be considered for these kinds of positions, not just real life experience.
It’s nice to think that there are a lot of people in the world who care about the animals on our planet and will make extraordinary efforts to ensure that they don’t become extinct. I’m glad the author discovered the story and brought it to us in this storybook form.