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West With Giraffes,
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S Anderson
My book club met this week and these were “Our”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Woody’s interactions with the staff vary greatly as he is writing his story.
What do you think is different about Rosie, the nurse’s aide that Woody had told parts of his story to already?
Woody begins his journals with the line
“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes, one that didn’t kick me dead and one that saved my worthless orphan life and your worthy precious one.”
Are animals truly capable of being friends with humans?
Woody is writing his story in 2025, a few years in the future from the present day.
If you had the chance to meet him today what parts of his adventure would you ask him to expand upon?
Woody repeatedly addresses “You” in his thoughts while writing his memoir.
Were you surprised at the revelation of “You’s” identity?
How do you think “You” reacted after receiving the notebooks the VA liaison sent to the San Diego Zoo?
Is it likely that “You” already had knowledge about the giraffe’s trip across the county?
During their twelve day road trip Woody Nickel finds a kindred spirit in Riley Jones AKA “The Old Man.”
What factors contributed to their bond and how did Woody mature under “The Old Man’s” guidance?
Why do you think “The Old Man” was not as racist as most people in the country were during that time period?
Twenty-one year old Augusta “Red” Lowe and seventeen year old Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Nickel are about the same age but in different stages of their lives. She is a young adult married to a much older man while he is a teenager out on his own.
What traits do they share and how realistic are the goals each of them set for themselves?
Did Woody and Red have enough in common to build a life together after their road adventure ended?
Red lists four famous women that she’d like to meet on her “Things I’m Doing Before I Die” list (AKA a Bucket List).
Are there any celebrities that you would include if you created a list of your own?
Do you have any theories about how Red managed to keep evading the law while driving a distinctive green Packard?
When Woody pressed her in 1938 Red told him that her feelings for her husband were between the two of them. When he tracks down Lionel Lowe after the war he realizes that Lionel did indeed love Red.
Do you think that Red returned Lionel’s love before her adventure or was she trapped after using him to escape her “bad situation?”
How might their relationship have changed when she returned?
Do you feel that circuses and zoos exploit animals for our entertainment?
Many zoos work to preserve species threatened with extinction through cooperative breeding programs.
Have cases of surplus animals being euthanized simply because their DNA is already well represented in those programs influenced your feelings about visiting or supporting zoos?
(e.g. In 2014 Marius, a healthy two year old giraffe in Copenhagen, was shot and dissected in front of zoo visitors before his body was fed to the lions despite many offers to save him from other zoos (including one that had his older brother) and private individuals.)
This novel was inspired by real events.
Did Lynda Rutledge help bring the story to life by including the newspaper excerpts?
If you’ve read Sarah Gruen’s “Water For Elephants” how would you compare the two stories?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Woody’s interactions with the staff vary greatly as he is writing his story.
What do you think is different about Rosie, the nurse’s aide that Woody had told parts of his story to already?
Woody begins his journals with the line
“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes, one that didn’t kick me dead and one that saved my worthless orphan life and your worthy precious one.”
Are animals truly capable of being friends with humans?
Woody is writing his story in 2025, a few years in the future from the present day.
If you had the chance to meet him today what parts of his adventure would you ask him to expand upon?
Woody repeatedly addresses “You” in his thoughts while writing his memoir.
Were you surprised at the revelation of “You’s” identity?
How do you think “You” reacted after receiving the notebooks the VA liaison sent to the San Diego Zoo?
Is it likely that “You” already had knowledge about the giraffe’s trip across the county?
During their twelve day road trip Woody Nickel finds a kindred spirit in Riley Jones AKA “The Old Man.”
What factors contributed to their bond and how did Woody mature under “The Old Man’s” guidance?
Why do you think “The Old Man” was not as racist as most people in the country were during that time period?
Twenty-one year old Augusta “Red” Lowe and seventeen year old Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Nickel are about the same age but in different stages of their lives. She is a young adult married to a much older man while he is a teenager out on his own.
What traits do they share and how realistic are the goals each of them set for themselves?
Did Woody and Red have enough in common to build a life together after their road adventure ended?
Red lists four famous women that she’d like to meet on her “Things I’m Doing Before I Die” list (AKA a Bucket List).
Are there any celebrities that you would include if you created a list of your own?
Do you have any theories about how Red managed to keep evading the law while driving a distinctive green Packard?
When Woody pressed her in 1938 Red told him that her feelings for her husband were between the two of them. When he tracks down Lionel Lowe after the war he realizes that Lionel did indeed love Red.
Do you think that Red returned Lionel’s love before her adventure or was she trapped after using him to escape her “bad situation?”
How might their relationship have changed when she returned?
Do you feel that circuses and zoos exploit animals for our entertainment?
Many zoos work to preserve species threatened with extinction through cooperative breeding programs.
Have cases of surplus animals being euthanized simply because their DNA is already well represented in those programs influenced your feelings about visiting or supporting zoos?
(e.g. In 2014 Marius, a healthy two year old giraffe in Copenhagen, was shot and dissected in front of zoo visitors before his body was fed to the lions despite many offers to save him from other zoos (including one that had his older brother) and private individuals.)
This novel was inspired by real events.
Did Lynda Rutledge help bring the story to life by including the newspaper excerpts?
If you’ve read Sarah Gruen’s “Water For Elephants” how would you compare the two stories?
Carol
Adding to Cheryl, not to mention human's relationships with animals (and other humans), tolerance of lying and stealing, the unanswered questions about the Old Man's past, and just for fun: what the heck did that rig actually look like! (I kept trying to picture it).
Cheryl
Yes! Topics might include: life during the depression, the dust bowl and other ecological issues, human nature, the morality of having zoos and circuses, treatment of blacks in those times, treatment of women, treatment of people in old folk's homes, how our childhoods shape us, and more!
Fran
Your book club could take a little side trip and research the actual event and see pics of the rig, the giraffes, and Belle Benchley. She's an interesting woman who wrote four books and served as the San Diego Zoo's managing director for twenty years but was never given the title til just before she retired. (Another discussion topic)
Also the author's website includes a lot of info and she posted her storyboard there which I found fascinating.
Also the author's website includes a lot of info and she posted her storyboard there which I found fascinating.
Char Freund
Others listed good discussion points. I would add the concept of story telling.
1. As an end of life need.
https://www.storii.com/blog/life-stor...
2. As a sales strategy. Think of those vignettes on home remodeling shows. And also presenting your ideas to a team.
https://www.core77.com/posts/98362/St...
3. To get empathy and support for a project. See info in Author’s Notes about Jon Mooallem’s TED Talk.
Bonus question: Were the various journey incidents plausible? Have your travels had a series of unfortunate events?
1. As an end of life need.
https://www.storii.com/blog/life-stor...
2. As a sales strategy. Think of those vignettes on home remodeling shows. And also presenting your ideas to a team.
https://www.core77.com/posts/98362/St...
3. To get empathy and support for a project. See info in Author’s Notes about Jon Mooallem’s TED Talk.
Bonus question: Were the various journey incidents plausible? Have your travels had a series of unfortunate events?
Blackberry
How did the story end?
Lorraine Donner
Absolutely. This is not only a great read but an enlightenment around a special historic event. The characters all have such different personalities and backgrounds, with varying motivations, but they manage to accomplish what sounds almost impossible. The impact their journey had on the whole country was a ray of light and hope in a very dismal time. So, there are so many aspects of this that can be used to formulate questions - the journey, the reception, the circus competition and theivery, the boy's background and what pushed him to go on the road, and the giraffes themselves.
Carol
Here is a book club guide that will help your conversation: https://libromaniacs.com/west-with-gi...
Vicki Riske
Yes, the book presents many social issues that can be discussed as well as attitudes towards animals. It looks back at a time when the world was a harsh place to live for many people.
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Jun 23, 2022 05:41PM · flag