West with Giraffes

West with Giraffes

• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Originally Published: 2021
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: Divided into chapters; approx. 371 pages, approx. 10 hours and 29 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: West with Giraffes is a historical novel inspired by real events. It follows Woodrow Wilson Nickel, a Dustbowl orphan, and two giraffes on a cross-country road trip during the Great Depression. The novel explores themes of adventure, resilience, and the human-animal bond as Woodrow and the giraffes embark on an epic journey from New York City to California. Along the way, they encounter challenges and unexpected friendships.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Themes of historical hardship and the challenges faced during the Great Depression; suicide; occasional use of outdated, offensive, or racist terms in both the novel and paired texts; animal abuse

Lynda Rutledge, Author

• Bio: Contemporary American author known for her storytelling and ability to blend history, human connections, and unexpected journeys; writes fiction, nonfiction, restaurant and film reviews, and articles for national and international publications; has an MFA in creative writing and a BA and MA in American literature; often highlights the extraordinary of everyday life in her works
• Other Works: Woven of Water (2011); Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale (2012)
• Awards: Writers League of Texas Novel of the Year (2013); Texas Great Read (2023)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Adventure as a Catalyst to Self-Discovery
• Animals as Sentient, Wise, and Valuable
• The Power of Memory and Storytelling

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the history of zoos and circuses in both the Dustbowl and the Depression Era to contextualize the text and increase understanding of the characters and conflicts in West with Giraffes.
• Study paired texts and other resources to make connections to the text’s themes: Adventure as a Catalyst to Self-Discovery, Animals as Sentient, Wise, and Valuable, and The Power of Memory and Storytelling.
• Discuss, analyze, and compare historical and textual elements, such as style, conflict, symbolism, allusion, characterization, and structure, and construct essay responses tying these elements to the novel’s meaning.
• Trace major actions and events in a map of the protagonist’s journey to identify shifts in conflict, motivation, and character development.