Water for Elephants

Sara Gruen (born 1969) is a Canadian-American author best known for her #1 New York Times bestselling novel Water for Elephants (2006), a historical fiction circus drama adapted into a film and Broadway musical. Born in Vancouver and raised in London, Ontario, she graduated from Carleton University, moved to the US in 1999 as a technical writer, and turned to fiction full-time after being laid off in 2001; her other notable works include Riding Lessons, Flying Changes, Ape House, and At the Water's Edge. She has won numerous awards including the 2007 Alex Award, Book Sense Book of the Year, and others, and her novels often feature animals.