In 1938 it's the remnant of the Great Depression, Hitler is threatening war in Europe and a hurricane causes havoc in the Atlantic. Woodrow Wilson Nickel (Woody) has left behind his family dust bowl tragedy in Texas and joined a cousin in New York where the Great Hurricane has descended. Among the the debris left behind in New York Harbor are two crates containing giraffes bound for the San Diego Zoo. Woody seizes an opportunity to go to California, where many of those down on their luck are headed, and becomes the truck driver transporting the giraffes. The story progresses as Woody, at age 105, writes his memoirs of his time with the giraffes.
In West with Giraffes, Lynda Rutledge took many tragedies of the 1930s and turned them into a story of hope, friendship and resilience. Although many of the characters are fictitious, two giraffes were transported across country to the San Diego Zoo prompted by Belle Benchley affectionately known as "Zoo lady."
