Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: The Angel On My Shoulder

Leave a reply

blog-roadtrip-rykerncadba2013I had been hunting through various dog titles on my tablet’s Kindle app when I spotted this book.  On a whim, I downloaded it thinking that if I didn’t like it I could easily return it with no harm done to my bank account (which is usually crying because of my book lust!).  It didn’t turn out to be that way.  In fact, I pretty much devoured the entire book in two sittings.  It was one of the most touching stories I have read in a very long time and shows the absolute and utter dedication of one dedicated dog loving couple and their adoration to their beloved canine companion.

The Angel On My Shoulder: Life with an American Pit Bull Terrier encompasses the journey that Jolene and her partner, Cheryl, took in their love affair with their beloved vanilla-colored American Pit Bull Terrier, Rumer, from the day they picked her out as a tiny, squirming puppy until she crossed the rainbow bridge twelve and a half years later when her family was finally able to make the choice to help her cross.

This book is the ultimate tribute to a phenomenal example of the American Pit Bull Terrier.  The beautiful pictures that it paints of Rumer, her life and the tender ways she changed Jolene, Cheryl and their entire family’s lives for the better are truly astounding.  They show that she was more than just a dog.  It shows that she was a beloved and cherished member of the family and an amazing breed ambassador and helped her family become phenomenal stewards for the breed they learned to champion with Rumer’s assistance.

The book itself flows very easily.  There are a few parts that will have you grabbing for tissues (which I admittedly cried through) in where Jolene describes the Rumer’s health issues and her declining health in the last few chapters but overall it is a must read for anyone who loves the breed and has the dedication and time put forward into loving and cherishing a bully breed dog at home – be it rescue or purebred – and shows the reason we must fight for the integrity and survival of our beloved breed.

I purchased this book via e-book format for the Kindle app on my tablet but it is also available in hardcover and paperback as well.  I highly recommend it for any bully breed lover’s collection.

Book Review: The Dog Who Spoke with Gods

Leave a reply

9780312291525I have searched for a very long time to get my hands on a decently conditioned copy of this book.  Each and every time I managed to come close it seemed to slip through my fingers.   This book was, after all,  a pit bull-related book so I just had to have it. I continued my seemingly fruitless search for it until I stumbled upon a copy for sale in the one location I had never expected to find it – a dog show.  I had finally managed to get my copy!

Diane Jessup, the author,  has been around the online pit bull community for as long as I can remember.   In many cases, it was a love or loathe relationship for many forum goers with a woman who is every bit the bulldog – a tenacious individual who has stuck to her guns be it hell or high water.

Diane and I have butted heads on numerous occasions on numerous online communities over one topic or another.   More often than not, we have had to agree to disagree even if we had accepted the other’s point of view. Overall,  though,  Diane is a very good representative for the breed – even if we rarely see eye to eye.   Her love,  adoration and respect for her beloved bulldogs shines radiantly throughout this entire novel.

The Dog Who Spoke with Gods takes place in the Pacific Northwest.   It showcases the love of a once feral pit bull named Damien who unluckily lands himself in a collegiate animal research laboratory and a young premed student named Elizabeth Fletcher.  Unbeknownst to Elizabeth,  this dog and the bond they form will lead her to question her beliefs that she has kept steadfastly throughout her life as that bond between human and canine grows.

This book and its plot had me on pins and needles throughout the entire 360 pages.  I laughed.  I cried.  I, ultimately,  prayed for the storybook ending that Damien and Elizabeth deserved.   It was well worth the emotional roller coaster I was on for the entire book.  It was well worth the wait to obtain and read this fantastic and emotionally expressive book.  I would highly recommend this book for any dog enthusiast’s collection even if they do not own a pit bull.