Diane Hammond

Ruth Rabinowitz believes that her daughter Bethy is a terrific little actress. Hollywood, of course, eats people like Ruth and Bethy for breakfast. Surrounded by other aspiring child stars, they will discover just how far they can go--and maybe just how far they want to. Diane’s last novel, Hannah’s ... (more)Dream was an Indie Notable pick, and Seeing Stars has been chosen as an Indie Pick for April. An up-and-coming author!

For forty-one years, Samson Brown has been caring for Hannah, the lone elephant at the down-at-heel Max L. Biedelman Zoo. Having vowed not to retire until an equally loving and devoted caretaker is found to replace him, Sam rejoices when smart, compassionate Neva Wilson is hired as the new elephant keeper. ... (more)But Neva quickly discovers what Sam already knows: that despite their loving care, Hannah is isolated from other elephants, and her feet are nearly ruined from standing on hard concrete all day. Using her contacts in the zookeeping world, Neva and Sam hatch a plan to send Hannah to an elephant sanctuary—just as the zoo's angry, unhappy director launches an aggressive revitalization campaign that spotlights Hannah as the star attraction, inextricably tying Hannah's future to the fate of the Max L. Biedelman Zoo.

Author Diane Hammond will lead the discussion of Hannah’s Dream. Can a man and an elephant share a dream? Sam has been Hannah’s keeper for over forty years. He knows standing on cement floors, living alone in a zoo enclosure is taking a toll on Hannah. He also knows he will have to retire ... (more)soon, then what will happen to Hannah? Can dreams come true? Maybe. Join us for the author led discussion of this lovely book.

Join author Diane Hammond as she reads from and signs copies of her latest book, Hannah's Dream. From critically acclaimed Diane Hammond comes HANNAH’S DREAM, a charming and captivating story of an aging caretaker and his beloved elephant. In the tradition of Water for Elephants and Modoc, Hammond ... (more)brings her “clean prose, pitch-perfect dialogue, and keen eye for social detail” (Boston Globe) to the page once again in an honest and emotional new novel.

In the tradition of Water for Elephants comes Diane Hammond's Hannah's Dream (Harper Paperbacks), a charming, captivating story of an aging caretaker and his beloved elephant, with an extraordinary cast of quirky characters centered around a dilapidated zoo.