Did that person’s identity surprise you? Who else do you think it could have been written to?

The book is told as a journal Woody writes, addressed to a “You” who is not identified until the end of the book.

What do you think he and Woody learned from each other?

The Old Man, who is driving the truck with Woody, is a complicated character.Do you have a list like that? If you do (or if you were to write one), who would be on your list? Red has a bucket list, including famous people she’d like to meet before she dies.Do you think their lives are as different as they seem on the surface? Could they have built a relationship and a life together under different circumstances? She is married to a much older man, and Woody is just beginning his life, although they are close in age. Red is the young reporter who follows the giraffe truck across the country.Having already escaped the West (the Texas panhandle) and the Dust Bowl, what do you think Woody expected to find in California? Woody was looking for a way to get to California when he found out the giraffes needed a driver.For this discussion, try asking: What is your favorite road trip memory? Whether it was a relatively short drive or a long one like Woodrow’s, what was one interesting thing that happened on the road? West with Giraffes Discussion Questions These can be silly or fun, and are not meant to be taken too seriously.

The Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, endangered and extinct species, human’s relationships to animals, how childhood shapes us as people, treatment of the elderly, the power of storytelling West with Giraffes Book Club Ideasīefore you launch into your discussion, it might be helpful to come up with an icebreaker question to help get the conversation flowing.

The 12-day drive is just the beginning of his adventures. Two giraffes miraculously survive a dangerous Atlantic crossing during a hurricane, and young Dust Bowl survivor Woodrow is hired to drive them across the country to the San Diego Zoo in a specially constructed truck. In 1938, the Great Depression is not yet a memory in the United States, and Hitler is becoming a major threat in Europe. In the year 2025, at age 105, Woodrow Wilson Nickel reads that giraffes are becoming extinct, and suddenly memories come rushing back. To get ready for your next book club meeting, check out our guide for how to run a book club, and then look over the West with Giraffes book club discussion questions we’ve prepared to help your discussion run smoothly! West with Giraffes Summary Lynda Rutledge’s novel West with Giraffes is a new book club favorite! This historical coming-of-age novel is a best-seller and critically acclaimed, and it’s the perfect book club read.

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