by Lynda Rutledge
The PW Book Review Circle meets the third Monday of every month at 7:00pm in the church library and by Zoom. Anyone is welcome to join us at any time. We try to select books that are readily available at public libraries or are out in paperback.
Questions? Contact Susie Highley at shighley@aol.com
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. 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.
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.
Future Book Review Circles
- October 20, 2025: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Audio highly recommended!)
- November 17, 2025: My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner (Audio highly recommended!)
- or another memoir
- January 26, 2026: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (4th Monday)
- February 16, 2026: Author in Chief by Craig Fehrman
- or The President’s Wife by Tracy Emerson Wood
- March 16, 2026: The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
- April 20, 2026: TBD Wendell Berry Book
- May 18, 2026: The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
- June 15, 2026: The Martha’s Vineyard Beach & Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly
- July 20, 2026: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
