Water for Elephants

During our recent road trip, we listened to the audio version of the best-selling book, Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen and were most pleased with this choice. Jacob Jankowski reflects on his life with the circus as he lives out his days in a nursing home. In often poignant words, this character introduces the reader (listener) not only to Depression-era circus life, but also to how many older adults spend their last days. Although not a complex plot, we could see, hear, smell, feel and/or taste each part of the tale through Gruen’s word use and looked forward to hearing how the story would unfold. One needs to know that some of the language and situations are rather rough and colorful and could be offensive to some. Although not easy to hear, it does make the story more authentic. The use of two readers as the older Jacob and the younger Jacob is very effective in telling the story in this flashback method. Faithfulness and loyalty are key themes and could provide good discussion. It also could be argued that the class structure within the circus community is mirrored within our lives in many ways. Obviously, I recommend this to others as a book to read or hear.