Friday's Harbor, by Diane Hammond

When a sickly killer whale is found in an ill equipped park in Bogota, a zoo in Washington state steps in to save his life.  Named Viernes, or Friday, the whale brings major publicity to his new home, as well as major controversy.  Although Friday begins to heal, improve, and eventually thrive at the zoo, some activists feel that he should not remain in captivity.

In many ways, this is a very sweet story.  I am an animal lover, and am a sucker for animal tales.  I loved reading about the characters interacting not only with Friday, but also with other animals in their lives.  The bond between man and beast is quite special, and in my opinion beautiful.  The characters, for the most part, are warm and likable, even the ones who are a bit "off".  

But do not let this book fool you.  The critter aspect is sweet, but it also does a great job highlighting the big business of zoos and animal parks, as well as the dirty business that can occur behind the scenes in animal activism.  This is not a fluff piece by any means; on the contrary I think this book very accurately portrays the difficult position zoo keepers and animal handlers are in.  All in all, this is a great read, not too heavy, but solid.

I received a review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  See the rest of the tour here.

  

Dancing Dog: Stories, by Jon Katz

Dogs can have a huge impact on the lives of humans.  And humans can have an even greater impact in the lives of dogs.  See the profound nature of the symbiotic relationships that can be formed between man and dog in this collection of short stories.

I feel like I was reading a totally different book than everyone else who has reviewed it so far.  I really disliked this book.  A lot.  I felt like the stories were trite, and the character development was very superficial.  And, in many of the cases, the stories portrayed humans perpetrating terrible acts upon these animals.  I anticipated that this book would be uplifting, and to me, it just was not.

One story actually made me pretty angry.  It involved a woman dying and visiting her dog in the dog portion of heaven.  In dog heaven, they can run all over, defecate and urinate all they want, eat rotten food and never get sick, tear apart homes and furniture, and that is their version of heaven.  And the angel that guards dog heaven says that hell is a place where dogs on tethered on leashes, forced to eat what the masters chose, must void themselves in specific locations.  In other words, dog hell is life on earth as pets to humans.  As an extreme dog lover and owner of two dogs, I take great offense to the idea that canine hell is life in a home that provides safety, shelter, and nutrition.  I do not crate or leash my dogs to be cruel or to have mastership over them, I do not chose their diet to be in control of them.  I do these things to keep them safe and healthy.  Hell might exist on earth for dogs with abusive owner, for sure, but to paint all life on earth as hell is a total slap in the face to people, like me, to would do anything to insure our pets are happy and healthy.

Perhaps I just missed something, but this book simply did not connect with me.  

I received this as part of the Amazon Vine program.

Following Atticus, by Tom Ryan

Tom Ryan lived a full, if not totally fulfilling, life as a reporter and newspaper man in Newburyport.  When an unwanted dog named Max enters his life, he opens himself up in a way he never imagined he could.  With Max's passing, Tom decides to adopt another dog, naming him Atticus M. Finch.  Never would he have imagined that Atticus would change his life in the ways that twenty pound bundle of fur did.  Over the course of several years, Tom and Atticus conquer hundreds of hikes of 4000 foot mountains, overcome sickness, raise money and awareness for good causes, and come to understand one of the purest forms of love ever.

I am always hesitant to read books about dogs.  As a dog owner and lover myself, I know that if these books foray into any kind of loss or sickness, I am going to be a blubbering mess, spending many hours hugging my dachshunds.  So, I was a little skittish about this book.  Never was I so happy that I took a chance on a book.  This book is, in a word, amazing.

First, I have to say that Tom is such an eloquent writer.  He is clearly a man of words, he admits that he loves literature, and it clearly comes through in his writing.  I think the reason Tom has been so successful at so many things (writing, hiking wild mountains, and a perfect relationship with Atticus) is because no matter what he does, he has intense respect.  He respects Atticus too much to try to write in the dog's voice.  He respects the mountains too much to forget their awesome power.  And he respects words too much to use them in a flippant or hyperbolic manner.  As a result, you have a book written with so much heart, so much earnest honesty, it seems improbable that any would not like it.  

I absolutely stand in awe of Tom and Atticus, not only for what they have achieved with hiking the 4000 footers, but just of their relationship in general.  There is no denying that this was a perfect match.  The story is so heartwarming and inspirational, I dare anyone to read this without being deeply touched.

The book focuses a lot of the time on the treks through the White Mountains, and describes the hikes in detail, so it will appeal to nature lovers, as well as fans of literary and poetry masters such as Thoreau, Wadsworth, and Longfellow.  One cannot read this book without feeling a bit of the adventure seep into his very being.  I only wish I had a great a command of language as Tom, to give this book adequate praise.

I received a review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours.  See the rest of the tour here.

 

Charlie: A Love Story, by Barbara Lampert

They say that a dog is man's best friend.  But Charlie is a woman's best friend.  Charlie was a golden retriever rescued by Barbara and her husband, and brought into their already fur filled family.  Yet at the heart of the matter, Charlie was Barbara's dog.  He blessed her life in ways she never knew imaginable, and gave her love beyond any she had known.  He was so much more than just a pet.  When he began to have some serious health problems, she kept a journal to help her though the struggles, and to allow her to remember their magical time together.

As a serious dog lover, with two dogs of my own, I related to this book so much.  While I love both my dogs equally, I have a different relationship with each of them, and my relationship with my older dog, Dexter, sounds so much like Barbara and Charlie.  There are times when Dex looks at me, and you can just see the love in his eyes.  It brings me to tears, much like this book did.  This was not an easy book for me to read, because of all of Charlie's health issues.  It is never fun to consider the mortality of someone you love, be it a person or an animal.  We try not to think about the days our dogs will not be here, but it is the reality of having and loving a pet.  So, yeah, this book certainly brought on the waterworks.  But, it still was a worthwhile read.

Barbara and Charlie's relationship is so beautiful and special.  People who are not animal lovers or pet owners may have a hard time relating to this book, and might find it boring, but for those who have pets, or adore all kinds of animals, this book is a deeply emotional, and heartwarming read.  Barbara shares so much about her life, not just about Charlie.  We hear about her passion for her garden, and how gardening helps her cope with the stress of Charlie's illnesses.  We get an intimate view of her marriage, and we learn the stories of many of the other animals that have been and are in their lives.  This is a snapshot, unedited and unfiltered, of Barbara's life.

This book was an emotional read for sure, but it was still a pleasant book, and really positive when viewed in the correct light.  While this may not appeal to some people, to the animal loving reader, this book will certainly resonate quite deeply.

I received a review copy courtesy of Tribute Book Tours.  View the rest of the tour here.