The group over at HBO is reading 'Water For Elephants'. I suggested this book because I loved the incredible balance of narrative and dialogue. The story is, despite the degradation and poverty of the American Great Depression, quite hopeful. It's about freedom and captivity. Here is a passage, my favorite of the book, that moved me deeply:


"The food and bedding for the animals arrives shortly thereafter, in wagons rather than trucks. When we cart the hay into the stable tent, the horses nicker and rumble and stretch out their necks, snatching mouthfuls before it even hits the ground.

The animals in the menagerie are no less happy to see us--the chimps scream and swing from the bars of their dens, flashing toothy grins. The meat eaters pace. The hay burners toss their heads, snorting, squealing, and even barking in agitation.

I open the orangutan's door and set a pan of fruits, vegetables, and nuts on the floor. As I close it, her long arm reaches through the bars. She points at an orange in another pan.

"That? You want that?"

She continues to point, blinking at me with close-set eyes. Her features are concave, her face a wide platter fringed with red hair. She's the most outrageous and beautiful thing I've ever seen.

"Here," I say, handing her the orange. "You can have it."

She takes it and sets it on the floor. Then she reaches out again. After several seconds of serious misgivings, I hold out my hand. She wraps her long finger around it, then lets go. She sits on her launches and peels her orange.

I stare in amazement. She was thanking me. "

The need to be understood, and loved, is universal.

JBelle

Bellemaison

The 'Kan EWA