Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived

ANYONE WITH A HEART WILL BE MOVED BY THIS BOOK. I READ IT, THEN I HAD MY MOTHER READ IT, THEN MY FATHER, THEN THEIR BEST FRIEND. EACH OF US CRIED AND EACH OF US AGREE THAT MODOC IS THE BEST ELEPHANT THAT EVER LIVED.

Modoc has to be the most amazing story ever told about one's love for the animal kingdom. I was astonished with the retold accounts throughout the text........always reading on to find out what happened next to Bram and his beloved Modoc. I can honestly say it is my favorite book of all time for it touched my heart and actually did bring tears to my eyes as I completed it aboard an airline. I've handed it down to my sister to be read to my 6-year-old nephew. He's intrigued with the story and loves hearing it aloud. It's a book for all ages indeed!

"Modoc" isn't a 'circus' book or even an 'elephant' book. "Modoc" is a 78 year odyssey of love and survival through the symbiotic relationship of an elephant (Modoc/Mo/Mosie) and a boy/man (Bram) . Bram and Modoc clearly are soul mates in a way that most of us spend our lives searching for, and very few of us find. At times 'Modoc' reads like Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan series, only it's true. Other times it may remind you of Redfield's "Celestine Prophecy", only this book is well written, and you'll like it. Yet still other times "Lassie" may come to mind, only Lassie is a worthless mutt by comparison. It's hard to heap enough praise on this book. It's one of the truely great stories.I'd expect Hollywood to do something with it sooner or later. There's a minor time line continuity problem, and the first 1/3 moves a little slowly at times, which seems to lead to the former problem. These are minor problems that will be long forgotten by the time you finish 'Modoc'. The writer was intimately involved in the story as He 'owned' Modoc for the last 20 years of her life. The only place this information is spelled out is the back of the book jacket. Personally I think it's a bit of information that warrants more attention. About half way through I kept expecting the author to be revealed as 'Bram', only to find out after finishing the book that it was the last 'owner' instead. It's a mighty cold heart that will remain unmoved by 'Modoc', a story where love conquers all, including you.

It's been a while since a book produced the sort of emotive response, upon completion, that Modoc did. The last few chapters were the ones that caught me feeling pain and pathos for the great elephant, and a smiling appreciation of her love for her trainer. This sweeping epic tells the story of a boy and his female elephant, inseparable from their dual births on the same day in turn of the century Germany. Born to the circus, Modoc and Bram forge a career of adventures as they travel the world experiencing metaphysical lessons in life and love. These lessons are taught through their interactions with Bram's two great [human] loves, the bigoted and megalomaniacal circus owner, ship and circus mates, and Indian leaders, spiritual and temporal. It is billed as a love story first, adventure second, and it is plain to see the special, almost supernatural bond the elephant and the trainer hold as they both age well into their 70's. This novel gives one pause thinking about our own interactions with animals, and pets. I chuckled to think of how things would be different if my Siamese cat were suddenly 10 feet tall and 3 tons. Playtime would take on a slightly different dynamic. Yet Modoc was always gentle and a constant lifesaver to Bram, aware of her immense power and always desirous of his happiness. It was also interesting to see that the author Ralph Helfer, was also the same Ralph in the story who found Modoc and employed Bram and her for the last 20 years of their lives. I'm not sure what the target audience age was but it proceeds easily and swiftly, and reminded me of the Black Stallion books I read back in 7th grade. Ultimately a feel-good, slightly embellished, true story that is recommended reading.

This story starts with the birth of a boy and a girl. A human and an elphant. Born at the exact same time on the same farm, from the beginning their futures were together. Modoc tells of the amazing journey of this pair from life to death, beginning to end. Filled with heart-wrenching hi's and low's, before the end you'll have used a full box of Kleenex at least.

Bram (the boy) and Modoc (the elephant) travel all over the world. Their status changes from lowly son of a circus elephant trainer to stowaway, from fugitive to star. It even weaves the author's own part in this epic into the tale of life and death.

Modoc is a fantastic novel from start to finish and definitely worth the read.