Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

1. In your view, who do you think is the real protagonist of the story?
2. Woody went through a lot of injustices early in his life, how do you think his childhood shaped him into the person he became?
3. Woody had never met a Black person before his journey across the country, how did his internalized racism change after the trip?
4. "Time heals all wounds, they say. I'm here to tell you that time can wound you all on its own." What do you think Woody means by this statement?
5. How did Woody mature under the Old Man's guidance? What factors contributed to their bond?
6. Red has quite a bucket list. How did that list shape her as a character? Do you have a bucket list? If so, what are some of the items on your list?
7. Woody is known for stealing; do you think your tolerance for lying and stealing would change in desperate times?
8. The San Diego Zoo initially housed animals abandoned after the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. It was a pioneer in the concept of open-air, cageless exhibits that recreate natural animal habitats and is currently world-renowned for its endangered species breeding programs and conservation efforts. How has the role of zoos changed over time? Are some zoos more acceptable than others? What is your position on them?
9. Red and Woody are close in age; but Red is married to a much older man and Woody is just beginning his life. Do you think their lives are as different as they seem on the surface? Could they have built a relationship and a life together under different circumstances?
10. West with Giraffes is based on a true story. How do the newspaper clippings throughout the novel — which are taken from real papers and are nearly verbatim — add to the authenticity of the story? Did it make you feel more connected to the story and its characters, or did it distance you further from them?
11. What can we learn from Woody's relationship with the giraffes?
12. What obligation does humanity have to the rest of the animal kingdom? How have we been affected by past extinctions, such as the passenger pigeons that the Old Man remembers once blanketed the sky?
13. Despite the difficulty of his life journey, Woody stays resilient and determined. How did those experiences early on shape Woody's understanding of himself, the world and other people? Looking back on your own childhood, are there any specific experiences that shaped the person you became, such as events in your life or stories told to you by an older person?
14. What is your favorite road trip memory?
15. "It is a foolish man who thinks stories do not matter— when in the end, they may be all that matters and all the forever we'll ever know." What storytelling related themes stood out most to you while reading this book? What emotions did you feel as you read Woody's words?
16. While reading, who did you think was the "you" that Woody was addressing? What was your feeling when the "you" was revealed?
17. Many circuses in the US have either closed or have stopped using wild animals in their acts; but some still exist. What is your view of animal performances in places such as circuses and amusement parks? Are they acceptable if the animals are well treated?

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Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Lake Union Publishing. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.