The Underdogs
Children, Dogs, and the Power of Unconditional Love
Published on 6. April 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-06-221852-0 (ISBN)
Description
THE UNDERDOGS tells the story of Karen Shirk: felled at age 24 by a neuromuscular disease and facing life as an immobile, deeply isolated and depressed, ventilator-dependent patient, she was rejected by every service dog agency in the country as "too disabled." Her nurse encouraged her to raise her own service dog, and Ben, a German shepherd, dragged her back into life. "How many people are stranded like I was," she wondered, "who could lead productive lives with a service dog?" A thousand dogs later, Karen Shirk's service dog academy, 4 Paws for Ability, is restoring broken children and their families to life. Melissa Fay Greene tells the stories of isolated children, struggling parents, and the marvelous dogs who gallop into their lives. Into these modern wonder tales, she weaves the latest scientific discoveries about the inner lives of dogs. It turns out that dogs really are doing the astounding things they appear to do, and they're doing them for people they love. The frontiers of the human/dog bond are explored here with insight, compassion, humor, and joy.
A cast of remarkable characters-scientists and felons, dog trainers and parents, children with disabilities and the great dogs themselves-together address questions about our attachment to dogs, what constitutes a productive life, and what can be accomplished with unconditional love.
A cast of remarkable characters-scientists and felons, dog trainers and parents, children with disabilities and the great dogs themselves-together address questions about our attachment to dogs, what constitutes a productive life, and what can be accomplished with unconditional love.
Reviews / Votes
"Greene has a remarkable way of taking a complex topic, dissecting it down to its basic components and holding up layers to the light where it's seen anew. She applies that skill to the world of service dogs in her new book THE UNDERDOGS." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The PRAYING FOR SHEETROCK author deftly relates the stirring stories of disabled children and the heroic dogs who serve them, illuminating the intricate inner lives of our canine friends." -- O, the Oprah Magazine "Brimming with the sweet, soulful journeys of courageous children and the dogs who become more than their best friends...beautifully written, scientifically rigorous, and filled with heartbreak and joy. It will make you think and feel differently about the kindness, compassion, and love between us and our dogs." -- Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods, THE GENIUS OF DOGS "At last a real writer turns to children, love, and dogs, surely the three most important topics in life. Greene understands the extraordinary and still mysterious bond between dogs and children. THE UNDERDOGS is written with wit, with charm, and, above all, with genuine warmth. It is a miracle, truly." -- Dr. Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, DOGS NEVER LIE ABOUT LOVE "Melissa Fay Greene lends her trademark empathetic voice to this engrossing inside look at the work of 4 Paws for Ability, a service-dog academy...Greene, a master at telling the most human of stories, will still leave readers smiling. And dog lovers will adore this book." -- Booklist "Greene gives us a selection of deftly reported and illuminatingly researched stories that go much deeper than sentimental click bait...These are riveting...not just because Greene, a master of narrative, picked good ones, but because she explains just how these relationships work at both ends of the leash." -- Washington Post "Heartwarming stories of assistance dogs for kids with disabilities are woven amidst thoughtful discussions of how the human understanding of dogs has evolved over the years." -- Good Housekeeping "Dogs are pretty much the best living beings on the planet. For more proof, look no further than The UNDERDOGS...Melissa Fay Greene's latest elegantly rendered and undeniably moving effort." -- Cincinnati City BeatMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
444 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-221852-0 (9780062218520)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2016
1st Edition
HarperCollins
from
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Melissa Fay Greene is the author of Praying for Sheetrock; The Temple Bombing; Last Man Out; There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue her Country's Children; and No Biking in the House Without A Helmet. Her honors include two National Book Award nominations, a National Book Critics Circle Award nomination, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, the Southern Book Critics Circle Award, the ACLU National Civil Liberties Award, the Hadassah Myrtle Wreath Award, the Salon Book Award, Elle Magazine's Readers' Prize, the Georgia Author Award, and a Dog Writers of America Award. She is a current Guggenheim Fellow.