Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This wonderful story is about so much more than just giraffes and their travel across USA. It is about life before and during Dust Ball in Panhandle, about 1938 hurricane in New York, about driving through treacherous Sky Drive in Shenandoah as well as about many other dramatic events and adventures I can not disclose without spoilers. The main character, a 17 years old Woody, is far from being a model citizen, he survived very harsh times and is determined to keep surviving by all means available. Traveling with Woody, Old Men, a female photographer, and with giraffes from coast to coast is full of dangerous undertaking and gives reader a fascinating picture of USA in 1938. But, most of all, the story is about building relationships with other people and with animals. I loved that the plot is loosely based on true event and enjoyed authentic newspaper clippings and correspondence from these times. I longed for a map and a drawing of the rig. I did not enjoyed as much the short interrupting chapters from year 2025 when very old Woody writes his memoirs. But they add a little of nostalgic/poetic touch and (fortunately) are very short and not distracting from the main plot. Bottom line: Although I fully agree with the citation at first page of this book (“ Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.“), one does not need to be an animal lover to enjoy this story. It is much more about people and US history than about animals.