Monday Night Book Club at Canton Public Library has selected Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen as its May selection. The discussion will be held on Monday, May 12 at 7:00 PM.

At the age of 21, Jacob Jankowski is about to complete his course work in veterinary medicine at Cornell University when his parents are killed in an automobile accident. Unable to take his exams, he runs away to join the circus. His new life in the Depression-era, second-rate circus is less than romantic. The conditions are squalid, the animals are poorly fed and abused, and Jacob himself suffers abuse at the hands of the animal trainer. To further complicate matters, Jacob falls in love with Marlena, the wife of the circus boss.

The novel is told through the eyes of Jacob, age 90 (or 93), from his nursing-home bed as he reminisces about his life. The story is packed with circus lore and terminology and, as its title suggests, has much to say about elephants.