The Next Chapter Book Group invites you to join our monthly book discussion on the first Wednesday of the month at 2pm. We will be meeting at the Senior Community Center. This meeting will be held in the Boardroom. Registration is not required, and masks are optional. 

This month's title is "West with Giraffes" by Lynda Rutledge.

"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."

Books are available for request via the library catalog. Email programs@newburyportpl.org or call 978-465-4428 x242 if you have any questions, or to have a librarian put the book on hold for you.

Relevant article of interest: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2024/jul/23/giraffe-relocation-in-kenya-in-pictures?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other