July Book Discussion: West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
This month's book is historical fiction, taking inspiration from the true cross country journey of Lofty and Patches, San Diego's Zoo first giraffes. West with Giraffes adds the fictional adventures, trials and hidden secrets of an older man, a young man, Woody Nickel, orphaned by the dust bowl, and a young woman, Augusta, who dreams of becoming a famous photographer, as they transport the giraffes across the U.S.
Comments
1. The book is told as a memoir written by Woody Nickelson, a man who is now over 100 years old, in the near future, after he learns giraffes may soon be extinct. Did this format work for you, especially as it is now the year the present part of the story was set? (In good news giraffe numbers are starting to increase, but they are still at risk of silent extinction if wildlife protection is not enforeced https://giraffeconservation.org/state-of-giraffe/#). Did the foreshadowing provided by Woody's second sight add to or detract from the story?
2. The book's characters represent different viewpoints of the value of animals. While the main characters value and learn from the giraffes, they also use animals for food and are not averse to farming or hunting. Other characters such as those running exploitative zoos and tourist stops and Woody's father see animals as purely for human use and expendable. Where do you stand on the spectrum of animal rights in regards to human use of animals and even the existence of zoos? Have you had a life changing experience with animals or has an animal made a big impact in your life?
3. Woody survives the dust bowl, but loses his family, including his father in a manner he feels responsible for. How does his childhood affect his ability to form relationships?
4. The characters face a number of natural disasters throughout the few weeks the memoir takes place in. Is this realistic? Given the number of natural disasters that happen and their increase due to climate change, why do we still not do enough to prepare for or work to prevent natural disasters?
5. How did you view the relationship between Woody and Red? Would you liked them to have ended up together in the end?
6. Why do you think Riley Jones was quicker to forgive Woody his mistakes and give him the benefit of the doubt than Red?
7. Were you surprised how Woody's life panned out after the cross country journey?
8. Were you disappointed Red didn't get to have any more big adventures?
9. Did the animals have to be giraffes? Would the story work if the animals had been less attractive or popular?
10. The giraffes featured in the story, who came to be named Lofty and Patches, lived until the 1960s. I am interested to know if any shipmates visited them at San Diego Zoo?
I like the fact that it was a frame story. The occasional intervention of scenes in the nursing home only added to the story.
2. The book's characters represent different viewpoints of the value of animals. While the main characters value and learn from the giraffes, they also use animals for food and are not averse to farming or hunting. Other characters such as those running exploitative zoos and tourist stops and Woody's father see animals as purely for human use and expendable. Where do you stand on the spectrum of animal rights in regards to human use of animals and even the existence of zoos? Have you had a life changing experience with animals or has an animal made a big impact in your life?
I’m a carnivore so I guess that gives my general point of view. I believe animals should be treated in a humane manner. I have not owned pets since I was 5 or 6. I did have a university roommate who owned a dog which I enjoyed walking.
3. Woody survives the dust bowl, but loses his family, including his father in a manner he feels responsible for. How does his childhood affect his ability to form relationships?
I think developing long-term relationships may have been hard for him having lined through a period of time when the length of a relationship was subject to the forces of nature.
4. The characters face a number of natural disasters throughout the few weeks the memoir takes place in. Is this realistic? Given the number of natural disasters that happen and their increase due to climate change, why do we still not do enough to prepare for or work to prevent natural disasters?
I think the natural disasters were realistic given the time period and geography.
5. How did you view the relationship between Woody and Red? Would you liked them to have ended up together in the end?
He was too young and inexperienced for Red. If hey ended up together Woody would just have lost her a few years later.
6. Why do you think Riley Jones was quicker to forgive Woody his mistakes and give him the benefit of the doubt than Red?
I think Riley could see a bit of himself in Woody.
7. Were you surprised how Woody's life panned out after the cross country journey?
No. It seemed like a well-lived long life.
8. Were you disappointed Red didn't get to have any more big adventures?
It would have distracted from the main story and pulled us away from the Woody writing his memoir for Red’s daughter.
9. Did the animals have to be giraffes? Would the story work if the animals had been less attractive or popular?
An exotic animal made the story more magical.
10. The giraffes featured in the story, who came to be named Lofty and Patches, lived until the 1960s. I am interested to know if any shipmates visited them at San Diego Zoo?
I have not.
1. The book is told as a memoir written by Woody Nickelson, a man who is now over 100 years old, in the near future, after he learns giraffes may soon be extinct. Did this format work for you, especially as it is now the year the present part of the story was set? (In good news giraffe numbers are starting to increase, but they are still at risk of silent extinction if wildlife protection is not enforeced https://giraffeconservation.org/state-of-giraffe/#). Did the foreshadowing provided by Woody's second sight add to or detract from the story?
I liked the past/present format, but didn't think it was necessary to have giraffes definitely going extinct in the wild. But that is because I don't want to believe they will, even though it is a serious possibility.
2. The book's characters represent different viewpoints of the value of animals. While the main characters value and learn from the giraffes, they also use animals for food and are not averse to farming or hunting. Other characters such as those running exploitative zoos and tourist stops and Woody's father see animals as purely for human use and expendable. Where do you stand on the spectrum of animal rights in regards to human use of animals and even the existence of zoos? Have you had a life changing experience with animals or has an animal made a big impact in your life?
I eat meat, but would struggle to kill my food myself. I don't like even killing spiders unless they are dangerous ones. I try to buy meat from animals that were treated well in life. I enjoy visiting zoos, and believe they play an important part in conservation, but they do display some animals and keep species alive that there is little habitat to return to. For example, apparently this is the case with chimpanzees.
4. The characters face a number of natural disasters throughout the few weeks the memoir takes place in. Is this realistic? Given the number of natural disasters that happen and their increase due to climate change, why do we still not do enough to prepare for or work to prevent natural disasters?
The number of disasters could be possible, but perhaps some were added to provide the characters with more adventure. I read the chapter on the Texas flood the day before the real flood disaster in Texas in July and was saddened that so often money is put ahead of safety. There is an element of people not believing bad things could happen to them or perhaps a fear of planning for disasters makes them more likely to happen. When it comes to climate change, people can make a lot of money in the short term in industries that are causing climate change so there is a lot of political pressure to do nothing. Plus it has become a culture war issue and some people refuse to believe in reality because their political opponents want action on climate change. I think we also would all struggle if we couldn't live our comfortable modern lives we have become accustomed too. Plus for people like me who rely on medicines and plastics to survive or live active lives, we don't even have a choice to reject modernity.
5. How did you view the relationship between Woody and Red? Would you liked them to have ended up together in the end?
Woody was too young for a relationship. I hope Red was able to be happy in her marriage for the short time she lived. At least it was a relief to find out her husband was a good man who loved her.
6. Why do you think Riley Jones was quicker to forgive Woody his mistakes and give him the benefit of the doubt than Red?
I feel there was some misogyny involved on Jone's part. I agree he could see something of himself in Woody and felt he was giving him an opportunity that could change his life. Perhaps he would have felt differently to Red if she wasn't running away from her husband while pregnant. I must admit I would have been frustrated with her for her dangerous driving.
7. Were you surprised how Woody's life panned out after the cross country journey?
I was expecting he would end up joining the armed forces during the war, but was surprised at his role of burying the dead and that he stayed in one place, working in a cemetery after the war. I thought he might have worked with animals or at a zoo. From comments about his relationships with women, I thought he might have a few failed marriages, but it turned out he was widowed a number of times.
8. Were you disappointed Red didn't get to have any more big adventures?
I was disappointed her photos were destroyed. Despite her heart issue I thought she might become a professional photographer.