I enjoyed this book for the main reason that I enjoy real human stories. Although this book presents at first glance as being a book about dogs, it's more about the author's life from one to gender to another. As a dog lover, I was hoping for more about the dogs, which is what originally attracted me to the book, however, I still came away with an interesting story so it worked out fine. I did like how each chapter was a specific dog and I enjoyed reading about the antics, both good and naughty, of each dog. I love dogs and often thought while reading it the lessons my own dogs have taught me about life and love. I saw that in these chapters as well as they reflected in the author's life and love.
I can appreciate other people's political viewpoints but I hate when negative comments about our current President are thrown in books as though every reader will understand and perhaps agree with the author. If I wanted political negativity, I'd find a book written exclusively focused on said negativity. I find it annoying and my annoyance will always be reflected in my star rating. This one was pretty mild so it's down a 1/2 star. Still, annoying.
It's an interesting human story but I feel like I never really got beyond a surface impression of the author. The author's struggle was there in the stories but I never felt it on an emotional level. It seemed more distant, more in an intellectual place. I feel in a story like this one, the impact would be greater if it hit me more deeply emotionally. The timelines jumped around a bit but despite these issues, I still feel it fills a need in the world: understanding and compassion for those different from your own self. I think it's a good read and recommend others read it as well.
3.5/5 stars
I can appreciate other people's political viewpoints but I hate when negative comments about our current President are thrown in books as though every reader will understand and perhaps agree with the author. If I wanted political negativity, I'd find a book written exclusively focused on said negativity. I find it annoying and my annoyance will always be reflected in my star rating. This one was pretty mild so it's down a 1/2 star. Still, annoying.
It's an interesting human story but I feel like I never really got beyond a surface impression of the author. The author's struggle was there in the stories but I never felt it on an emotional level. It seemed more distant, more in an intellectual place. I feel in a story like this one, the impact would be greater if it hit me more deeply emotionally. The timelines jumped around a bit but despite these issues, I still feel it fills a need in the world: understanding and compassion for those different from your own self. I think it's a good read and recommend others read it as well.
3.5/5 stars