As may be assumed by the name, Water for Elephants is a novel about a young Polish man, Jacob, who works in a circus.  The book bounces back and forth between two different timelines, one where Jacob is an old man in a nursing home, and one where he was back in the circus, working as an unofficial veterinarian, taking care of the circus animals.  He meets and slowly falls in love with a woman named Marlena, who he soon finds out is married to the ringmaster August, who is a mean-spirited man and abusive to his wife.  Whenever Jacob tries to assist Marlena in ridding herself of her husband, however, August threatens him and his friends with "redlighting" - getting thrown off the circus train in the middle of the night while it is still moving.

A wonderful coming-of-age novel, Water for Elephants deals with many issues that are still relevant today - even though the story takes place during the depression.  Difficult bosses, friends who make bad choices, and family trauma are all themes in this somewhat short, but powerful story.  The story-line is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish, with blossoming friendships and festering hatred.  It even deals with the touchy topic of both emotional and physical abuse, both through the relationship of Marlena and August, and the relationship between August and Rosie, the elephant that is claimed by the circus.

Jacob is faced with many difficult, life-altering choices throughout the course of the book, and these choices are similar to ones that would effect a person in any walk of life.  Water for Elephants is an underrated, wonderful novel that deserves more attention, and should be taught in more high schools and colleges because of the way it portrays the way choices in life can effect one's future.  "Those who do not learn from history [the past] are doomed to repeat it." - Winston Churchill.  This novel may be historical fiction, but readers can still learn from the character's life experiences through emotions and feeling.