{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260418T162306Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542023343?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"1542023343","authors":["Lynda Rutledge"],"book_id":"9781542023344","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/west-with-giraffes-1542023343","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781542023344.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","description":"An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. “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.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9781542023344","publication_date":"20210201","publisher":"Amazon Publishing","slug":"west-with-giraffes","subtitle":"A Novel","title":"West With Giraffes"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"FIC014000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Historical Fiction","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"FIC019000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Literary Fiction","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"FIC043000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Coming-of-Age","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}],"hint":[],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"FIC014000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Historical Fiction","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"FIC019000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Literary Fiction","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"FIC043000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Coming-of-Age","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Historical Fiction","score":1,"slug":"historical-fiction"},{"label":"Literary Fiction","score":1,"slug":"literary-fiction"},{"label":"Coming-of-Age","score":1,"slug":"coming-of-age"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy Historical Fiction","Good for readers interested in book club","Good for fans of Historical Fiction"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Rachel Wesson"],"book_id":"9781838889784","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781838889784.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":14.3437,"title":"A Home for Unloved Orphans","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781838889784"},{"authors":["Willa Cather"],"book_id":"9781627931373","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781627931373.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":13.5081,"title":"Song of the Lark","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781627931373"},{"authors":["Daniel Mason"],"book_id":"9780593597040","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780593597040.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":11.5484,"title":"North Woods","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780593597040"},{"authors":["Jessica Brockmole","Elle Newlands","Katy Townsend","Lincoln Hoppe"],"book_id":"9780345542625","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780345542625.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":11.5108,"title":"Letters From Skye","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780345542625"},{"authors":["Christina Baker Kline"],"book_id":"9780062356338","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062356338.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":11.4782,"title":"The Exiles","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062356338"},{"authors":["Eva Stachniak"],"book_id":"9780063119604","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780063119604.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":11.3286,"title":"The School of Mirrors","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780063119604"},{"authors":["James McBride"],"book_id":"9780593422953","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780593422953.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":11.2755,"title":"The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780593422953"},{"authors":[],"book_id":"9780060598327","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780060598327.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":11.2169,"title":"The Saving Graces","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780060598327"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["phrase_map_match"],"label":"Book Club","score":0.0914,"slug":"book-club"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:coming of age"],"label":"Coming","score":0.0839,"slug":"coming"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: Book Club.","Reading lane: Historical Fiction and Literary Fiction.","Publisher: Amazon Publishing."]},"llm_signals":null,"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":false,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":113194,"goodreads_ratings_count":204103,"goodreads_reviews_count":19681,"quality_score":1}}