LEXILE 730
First of all, I hate the circus. I thought it was a cruel joke when a friend recommended Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. At her urging, I didn't give up on it, and truthfully I was easily drawn into the story which is told in flashbacks by a fiesty, 90-something, nursing home patient reminiscing about his wild days as a member of a traveling circus in Depression-era America.
Update: Even though I loved this book, I couldn't bring myself to watch the movie that was released in 2011 because elephant abuse is not something I can handle visually. It was difficult enough reading about it : (
