Water for Elephants

When I was in the 4th grade our teacher read to us each day after lunch. The book I remember was 'Toby Tyler'. It is about a young boy who runs away to join the circus and actually spends 10 weeks there. That seemed to be a dream life in our day.

This week I 'read' the book 'Water for Elephants' which is kind of an adult version of the same type thing. A Cornell veternarian student doesn't finish his finals for certain reasons and ends up jumping a circus train and spends his summer there--which leads to a life change.

It was a well-written book with lots of action and gives a good slant on the way circus life used to be. It also gives a clear picture of what it is like to live in an old folks home today. It sets a clear picture of how the elderly who live too long are a burden for their family and neither have too much in common with the other at that point. That part was sad but rang true but the hero in the book still had a very rich life. Good reading--I recommend the book especially for the over 70 crowd.