West with Giraffes

I've had this book on my TBR for a while now. I don't remember what drew me to it in the first place aside from it being historical fiction, so I went into it fairly blindly.    I was surprised in the opening pages to see it set in the future (2025) where we meet Woodrow Wilson Nickel toward the end of his life. After the introduction, the book follows him in the 1930s while tensions are building around the world when two giraffes are found to have survived a hurricane in transport. We follow their cross-country journey along with Woodrow and others.    It didn't register as I was reading that this book is inspired by a true story. I might have appreciated it more had I realized. I didn't find myself overly absorbed in the story, though I did enjoy the premise. It kept me good company during a day of commuting and waiting room visits, so for that, it was perfect. 

Very moving story, a good reminder that wild animals are not pets, and that animals are not at a lower category compared to people,  in fact they are better than us. And it's human responsibility to keep them safe in their original environment. The book also shows a little bit of how life was in US back in 1920s, with racisms, misogyny, poverty and the illusion of California as the land of honey. The beginning of the audiobook was a little tough for me as the narrator way of speaking and the narrative that keeps jumping back and forth past and present days got me lost in the story. It was o my after reading the first 20% that I was able to start listening again.