Type of bind: Hardcover
EAN num: 9780060175597
ISBN number: 0060175591
Label: HarperCollins Children's Books
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Children's Books
Quantity: 1
Printing Date: 1997-09
Publishing house: HarperCollins Children's Books
Sale Popularity Level: 5710544
Studio: HarperCollins Children's Books
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
On a quiet morning in 1896, in a small German circus town, a boy and an elephant were born. The boy was named Bram, the elephant was named Modoc. Bram was the son of a local elephant handler, and even as a child he showed signs of becoming a master handler. Modoc grew impressively beyond anyone's imagination--exceptional intelligence, massive size, and a gentleness surpassing that of even the kindest elephants. The two were raised as siblings, and when news came that the circus was being sold, thirteen-year-old Bram did the only thing he could imagine: He stowed away to be with Modoc.
Weeks into their voyage to the United States, they were caught in a catastrophic storm at sea, and Modoc single-handedly saved the lives of Bram and thirty sailors. Taken to shore in India, Modoc and Bram were heroes to the elephant-loving Indian people. Their unexpected detour lasted many years, as Bram studied under the legendary mahout elephant trainers of the Far East while Modoc--fully grown and with Bram at her side--became a master harvester in the remote teak forests of rural India.
In the 1930s they finally arrived in New York, where for the subsequent two decades Modoc rose to great performing fame in the center ring of the world's most popular circus. Known as 'The Golden Elephant,' she was the only elephant of her time who could dance and perform without a trainer. Modoc was a major American celebrity.
Then a tragedy stuck, and the lives of Modoc and Bram were forever changed. On a routine stopover between circus towns, Modoc vanished from under Bram's protective watch. Weeks of searching turned into years, but he never lost hope that he would see Modoc again...
Modoc is an epic for the ages, destined to be a classic, and sure to be cherished by readers young and old.
The Greatest elephant story ever told, lovingly recreated by Modoc's owner during the last twenty years of her seventy-eight-year life, Modoc spans eight decades and three continents. It is a tale of love, loss, and the deep spiritual bond between a man and his extraordinary nine-thousand pound companion.
Amazon.com Review:
Modoc is the joint biography of a man and an elephant born in a small German circus town on the same day in 1896. Bram was the son of an elephant trainer, Modoc the daughter of his prize performer. The boy and animal grew up devoted to each other. When the Wunderzircus was sold to an American, with no provision to take along the human staff, Bram stowed away on the ship to prevent being separated from his beloved Modoc. A shipwreck off the Indian coast and a sojourn with a maharajah were only the beginning of the pair's incredible adventures. They battled bandits, armed revolutionaries, cruel animal trainers, and greedy circus owners in their quest to stay together. They triumphed against the odds and thrilled American circus audiences with Modoc's dazzling solo performances, only to be torn apart with brutal suddenness, seemingly never to meet again. Hollywood animal trainer Ralph Helfer rescued Modoc from ill-treatment and learned her astonishing story when Bram rediscovered her at Helfer's company. His emotional retelling of this true-life adventure epic will make pulses race and bring tears to readers' eyes. --Wendy Smith
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
I love this book. It starts a tiny bit slow, but is so engaging once you get into it. I gave it to everyone one Christmas. Great book.
Rated by buyers 
-
Much of the book is imagined dialogue between the elephant trainer and various characters. The relationships with parents, girlfriend and elephant are unrealistically idealized. The theme is pantheism and the trainer even assumes he was also an elephant in another life. I was not even able to finish this book.
Rated by buyers -
This book is a "must read". An incredible, true story! I've shared this book with at least 15 people.
Rated by buyers -
I discovered this book by accident and must say it was such a pleasant surprise. The story catches you from page one and takes you on an unbelievable journey with Bram and Modoc. I found myself sobbing when I read the chapter on the two of them being separated and the cruel treatment Modoc underwent. Their love for each other was overwhelming. Whether the book has elements of truth in it or not, it doesn't matter. Anyone who has been touched by an animal with find themselves falling in love with Modoc. What a magnificent animal and what a lovely story.
Rated by buyers -
This is a fantastic book and stands as the only book outside of Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and McCarthy's The Road that I've actually felt compelled to buy and give to others. I read the book solely because it too was pushed my way by someone urging me to read it despite it not being my typical cup of tea. The story was fantastic and every bit the tear-jerker you've read about elsewhere. A triumph of spirit and the bond that can be built between man and animal. I cried like a blubbering baby in my backyard while turning the pages of this book - and have enjoyed inflicting the same upon others. It's really, really good - and not just for animal lovers. Beats the heck out of stinker Life Of Pi too.
Find other books like this one:
