Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
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
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Modoc, a story of love, forgiveness, and reunion.
Customer Rating:
Modoc is a beautiful journey of the heartfelt bond between human and animal, that knows no bounds. The author's note claims poetic license is taken in creating this story, and Helfer probably shouldn't have used the word "true." Interestingly, pictures of Modoc appear in the author's book, "Zamba," one with Sonny and Cher standing in front of what appears to be the same big Modoc with the same coloring and ears as in the book Modoc. Also, the author tells how Modoc (who lived on his California ranch) helped rescue fellow animals during a big flood. There is no mention of Modoc's beloved "Bram" during this time in his later life, which is incongruous with the information shared in Modoc.
However, I read Modoc as a "story" and didn't concern myself with truth analysis, and can say it was one of the most provoking and excellent stories I have read in my entire life. And I've read many. This book brings one through the most exquisitely beautiful and uplifting emotions, and down into the depths of the most forbidding and desperate, life-endangering emotions. Elephants have long been known to have a depth of emotional intelligence, so I see Modoc as an enlightening book - in the sense that it is not an anthropomorphic story, but one that was truly possible.
Amazon Kills Animals - DON'T BUY FROM THEM!
Customer Rating:
Amazon dot com kills animals by supporting the fur industry.
I liked the book, but am saddened that I bought it from a company that SELLS FUR. I am sick and sad that I ever gave Amazon a single dime. I am not the only one. Amazon execs should understand that there are many more people out here who are offended at the butchering deaths of helpless animals for ridiculous VANITY, than there are people who would actually go to amazon to buy their FUR COATS. I ask that others please reconsider buying any more products from these people until they stop selling fur, and stop sending out cookie-cutter form letters to those of us who give a damn about the lives of others. (No, it is not enough to claim that they're merely trying to "give the customer what they want even if it offends some people. Would they say that if I wanted to buy heroin? If I wanted to buy a nuclear weapon? If I wanted to buy an Indonesian House Boy??? Not good enough. Some things are so reprehensible that society demands that they NOT sell them. Although, I'm sure that if they could, they would, so long as it was profitable.)
Take the profit out of death and join me in boycotting Amazon. And tell your friends. There are hundreds of other sites that sell great books, often cheaper, that do not profit from the deaths of innocent animals.
Exhilirating and uplifting!
Customer Rating:
If you never liked elephants this book will convert you! Modoc is smart, generous and always willing to help his fellow humans, despite the horrors they have caused him.
Based on a true story, Modoc takes you on a adventure of a lifetime. I felt like reading a Jules Verne thriller.
Yet most memorable moments come from the friendship between the elephant and his trainer/partner.
Beautiful Love Story
Customer Rating:
I first read this book 3 years ago and am now reading it again. It is worthy of being made into a motion picture as many reviewers have suggested. The bond between man and animal is beautifully captured in this story. I would have liked to know Modoc and Bram personally. They are real and carry the reader through a lifetime of friendship, sorrow, heartbreak, humor, but most of all unconditional love. They accept each other for who they are which is more than most humans are able to do in a lifetime. It's a lesson we all can learn from. For those readers who don't believe it is true, just read the book for the pleasure of experiencing the bond that can never be broken. I believe that even in death, Bram and Modoc are together.
I LOVE THIS BOOK
Customer Rating:
Many many reviewers say this book is NOT TRUE. I DO NOT CARE. I still loved it and you will too.
Bram and Modoc have each other. Bram looses Modoc. Modoc is abused. Ralph finds Modoc. Bram and Modoc are back together. They die happy.
Look up THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST on the internet (Kenya,Africa). You can adopt a baby elephant for $50 a year. I adopted MAKENA several years ago. I get monthly updates and photos. It has been featured on BBC. Its legit and wonderful.
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