West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

 Leslie Polson surprised me by mailing me this book. She thought I would enjoy it, because she did, although she mentioned she got a little bit tired of the long trip along the road. I did enjoy it, and never once thought it was too long along the road! Every challenge that met this amazing transport seemed insurmountable, but somehow, they made it through.

The main character, Woody Nickel, tells the story from his point of view. It's really interesting to read his thoughts as an orphan, a criminal, a juvenile, later an adult of 18, a dustbowl victim, a child abuse survivor, and a growing young man. We get to see his skewed thinking processes, relate to his temptations, and always want him to catch a break. His Old Man, the zoo guy who accompanies the giraffes and eventually hires Woody to drive them is a colorful and unpredictable character, as is Red, the "reporter" who comes in and out of the story. 

It's an amazing peek into this period of American history; post dustbowl, and to read about all of the itinerant people who try to steal the giraffes, bribe Woody, and otherwise create mayhem. The writing is so descriptive and, at times, stunning. It was a great book to retreat to near the end of this very hot summer. I really looked forward to reading it when it was too hot to go outside, and when I was ready to do nothing but VEGE out. The writing is so good though, it never felt like I was avoiding life or wasting my time, which I sometimes do when I'm on a reading binge. This was a very, very good book!

It has also given me something to talk about with Linda Terry and some of the other women in our ward because they read it for their book club recently--before I joined. They all liked it too, and were also amazed by the story and how it unfolded. In some ways it's like a mystery as we learn about Woody's and Red's pasts. It also inspired me to learn more about this "Grapes of Wrath" period...such a despressing time. I've always been captivated by the old black and white photos of this era, and now I'm curious to learn more. I read the Grapes in eighth grade, I think, and I'm sure I've seen the movie, but sure don't remember when. Henry Fonda... Maybe it's time to see it again.