14th Annual
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West with Giraffes by fifth-generation Texas author Lynda Rutledge is the Washington County Community READ selection for 2022. This emotional, rousing novel is inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of depression-era America.
The novel’s protagonist Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he pens the unforgettable experience he fears he will take to his grave. A story he especially wants “her” to know. Set in 1938, 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. 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. West with Giraffes is available at The Book Nook, 108 S. Douglas Street in downtown Brenham.
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Help spread the message about the READ by making a tax deductible donation:
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Oct 11, 2022: The READ Event
Brenham Lifetime Learning will host our reception, dramatic reading, and author presentation on October 11th, starting at 5:30, at Unity Theatre. Admission is free and the public is welcome! In the meantime, enjoy a summer of reading Lynda Rutledge’s West with Giraffes.
The Author
Lynda Rutledge is a fifth-generation Texan and lifelong animal lover. A professional writer for over twenty-five years, Lynda has petted baby rhinos, snorkeled with endangered sea turtles, and dodged hurricanes to write articles for major newspapers and magazines such as the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Poets & Writers, Houston Post, San Diego Union-Tribune and more. She's also crafted book-length nonfiction for such famous organizations as Habitat for Humanity and the San Diego Zoo Global.
Lynda holds an MFA in creative writing, an MA in American literature, and has won awards and residencies from the Illinois Arts Council, Writers League of Texas, Ragdale Foundation, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Squaw Valley Community of Writers.
She is also the author of the well-loved heartwarming novel Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale which was the basis for the major French film "Le Dernière Folie de Claire Darling" starring Catherine Deneuve. Lynda lives with her husband and resident dog outside Austin, Texas.
Lynda holds an MFA in creative writing, an MA in American literature, and has won awards and residencies from the Illinois Arts Council, Writers League of Texas, Ragdale Foundation, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Squaw Valley Community of Writers.
She is also the author of the well-loved heartwarming novel Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale which was the basis for the major French film "Le Dernière Folie de Claire Darling" starring Catherine Deneuve. Lynda lives with her husband and resident dog outside Austin, Texas.
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Previous Community Reads:
2021: The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate 2020: Getting Life by Michael Morton 2019: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer 2018: The Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell 2017: News of the World by Paulette Jiles 2016: City of Refuge by Tom Piazza 2015: My Boys and Girls Are in There by Ron Rozelle 2014: One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni 2013: The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber 2012: The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton 2011: One Ranger: A Memoir by H. Joaquin Jackson and David Marion Wilkinson 2010: Twelve Mighty Orphans by Jim Dent 2009: Final Salute by Jim Sheeler |