GFJ Book Club In-Person
Meeting are held on the 4th Wednesday of the month in the downstairs meeting room from 1-2 PM and via Zoom from 7-8 PM. Contact Head of Adult Services, Kenneth Roman, for more information.
This month we'll be discussing West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge.
“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…”
Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.
It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.
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’s too late.
- Date:
- Wednesday, April 23, 2025 Show more dates
- Time:
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Scott Room
- Audience:
- Adult
- Categories:
- Book Club
Kenneth Roman
Head of Adult Services & Tech Center Manager
Kenneth Roman has been a dedicated member of the George F. Johnson Memorial Library team since 2006, starting as a high schooler and transitioning to a librarian in 2016 after earning a Master’s in Library and Information Science with a School Media focus from Syracuse University. As the Head of Adult Services, Kenneth oversees the Adult Department, including adult collection development, programming, and the Tech Center services. For inquiries, you can contact Kenneth at en.roman@4cls.org or gfjtechcenter@gmail.com.