LIFETIME LEARNING ANNOUNCES 2022 WASHINGTON CO. READ BOOK
Brenham Lifetime Learning has announced this year’s selection for the Washington County READ: West with Giraffes by Texas author Lynda Rutledge.
Set in 1938, the novel is inspired by the true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of depression-era America.
The novel’s protagonist, 105-year-old Woodrow Wilson Nickel, feels his life ebbing away. However, when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he pens the unforgettable experience he refuses to take to his grave, a story he especially wants “her” to know.
When the Great Depression lingers and Hitler is threatening Europe, world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. A twelve-day road trip follows in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Texas Panhandle Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow Nickel.
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 is too late.
Brenham Lifetime Learning will host a reception, dramatic reading and presentation from the author on October 11th at Unity Theatre.