Movie Monday 6.21.10

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

Today's movie topic is time travel. Molly from The Bumbles Blog was thinking that a time machine would make life so much easier...and she is soooo right! If you can think of any great movies about time travel, jot them down in your blog and then head on over to The Bumbles wonderful blog and post a link there!

Time After Time (1979) a great movie in which Michael McDowell ,cast as H. G. Wells, uses his time machine to chase after Jack the Ripper!

Time Bandits (1981) The screen play for this movie was written by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame who is also the writer and director. It's about a young boy who travels through time with a pack of dwarves using a map of space and time, meeting various historic notables such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Robin Hood, as well as Agamemnon, while being watched by Evil who wants the map for himself.

12 Monkeys (1995) also directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe and Christopher Plummer. The earth has been contaminated by a deadly virus and everyone is forced to live underground in order to survive. Brad Pitt plays a criminal who, in the hopes of obtaining a pardon, agrees to attempt to travel back in time to try to collect information about the virus, thought to be released by a terrorist organization called The Army of the 12 Monkeys, and a pure sample of the virus, if possible, in order that a cure can be made.

Donnie Darko (2001) a psychological-thriller/fantasy about a troubled boy, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who is plagued by doomsday visions and ideas, some delivered to him by a life-size menacing-looking rabbit, which he attempts to find the reasons and meaning behind. The movie also stars Mary McDonnell, Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wylie and Maggie Gyllenhaal It's a strange, great movie!

Primer (2004) a very low-budget, fantastic movie about an accidental discovery of a way to time travel. The movie was written, produced and directed by a mathematician and former engineer, Shane Carruth. It's a sophisticated and complicated movie. I really enjoyed the movie, but admit that I didn't understand all of it and, apparently most people don't! But it's still a great movie and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004!

Monday Musings

This was supposed to be my "Sunday Salon" post but yesterday just got away from me so I'm posting it today!



I was reminded of the quote or saying "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" as I sat down to write up this blog post....finally! In my last post, almost a couple of weeks ago, I hinted at big plans to get my blog up and running again on a daily basis. I also planned to make some improvements to it. Alas, what I didn't know is that the antibiotics I took for bronchitis did a great job of wiping out the bronchitis but did nothing for the pneumonia making its way to my lungs. Fortunately, I didn't get a very bad case of pneumonia but it was bad enough that it exhausted me and put me out of commission for more than a week. I think I slept more in the last week or so than ever in my life. I just couldn't seem to sleep enough. It was kind of scary, especially because I don't sleep a lot, I prefer to read! But I had no choice those days! I tried to keep up with work-related things I needed to do including letters and emails, as well as research I had to do. I was able to take care of most things, luckily. I really wanted to post in my blog but after visiting some blogs and posting a comment or two, I was always wiped out! Ugh! So much for my plans! But, the more time I wander through this blog community again, stopping at different blogs and reading bloggers posts and comments and discovering interesting books I wasn't aware of before, I realize how much I miss this place and want to make it a part of my life again.

I started my blog last July but considering as I've taken a "break" of almost 6 months from my blog, I'll probably delay my 1 year blogiversary until late fall or winter. I had great plans to participate in some cool challenges and get to know this community much better. But those plans had to be scrapped. Hopefully I'll be able to resurrect them for 2011. After being away from my blog almost completely for close to 6 months, I feel, in some ways, that I have to attract followers/bloggers to my blog again. Some of you have been wonderfully loyal and I appreciate that so very much. Your loyalty is what's convinced me to make the effort to keep my blog going. I suppose, on the one hand it shouldn't matter to me how many people visit my blog and comment on my posts, but on the other hand, since I am going to be reviewing ARCs I've received from publishers, I feel I should try to bring followers back to my blog and try to attract new ones. I think this is a blog issue I see discussions about from time to time. If any bloggers have opinions or advice, whatever it is, please share!

While spending much of the time in bed with the kitties for company - they loved it, of course! - I was able to get some reading done. I read mostly enjoyable, lighter stories that didn't require me to think too much! I am hoping to review A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White, The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano and Critical Care by Theresa Brown this week!
I'm reading My Name is Memory by Ann Brasheres and will start I Will Not Be Silent by April J. Maley this week. I am feeling better and stronger so I hope to be able to post regularly on my blog this week.



I hope you all have a good week.

Friday Thoughts!

I just wanted to say hello! It's been quite a while since I posted regularly on my blog and I miss it and all of you Bloggers. I was hoping to get back here about 2 weeks ago and start posting again but the day after I posted my review of "Orange is the New Black" I woke up sick and ended up with Bronchitis, a fever etc. When you have asthma and pulmonary hypertension, bronchitis really knocks you down! Fortunately I slept a lot because daytime TV isn't what it used to be at the time of Happy Days! LOL! TV wasn't so good then either! But finally, here I am, Take 2!! lol

I'm still trying to get some consistent work by which to pay the bills and such. It's not so easy, especially when it's been 9 years since I worked. There are many organizations and online websites that purport to assist disabled people in looking for work or in finding an actual job but they don't seem to really do much. I have learned, for the most part, that disabled people are given little help with finding jobs and housing, or paying for housing, bills and even food. And if you get help from one place, department, organization, government branch, no matter how little the help is, forget getting help from any where else, unless you can pay it all back in a year! But I'm still looking! Fingers crossed!!

It's a bit of an eye-opener for me, this disability-related stuff. I suppose that sounds a little ridiculous since I have been disabled since birth. But I was raised to believe and behave as if I was an able-bodied person not disabled. I was encouraged to push myself to do whatever was necessary to get ahead or to compete beside and sometimes with other able-bodied kids. I was taught to never expect society to conform to or accommodate me. I did whatever I had to do to fit in with society and accommodate myself to society. There's advantages and disadvantages to this approach just as there is to growing-up as a disabled person who needs society to accommodate them and needs to be cared for.

Being used to behaving or acting as if I wasn't really disabled in any significant way made things more difficult when I had no choice but to face and acknowledge that I am disabled. When I was a child in elementary school, my mother's encouragement and support made it easy for me to act like an able-bodied individual and push myself to do whatever I had to do to keep up with the other kids - if there was a big flight of stairs I would climb it some way, some how, even if it meant sliding up the stairs on my butt! lol As I got older and more independent it's more difficult to accommodate myself to society, particularly as my disability has worsened and my health problems accumulated.. When I first moved into NYC in my early 20s, it really hit me that I was disabled. NYC and the surrounding boroughs are not built to accommodate the disabled, it's an older city with many stoops and steps, no curb cuts on some sidewalks, small aisles in the stores. It's difficult for a physically disabled person to get around easily. I know there are disabled people who need accommodations at work, and to go out in society and function as a member of the community. Many disabled people need to be accommodated. That's something I would like to help with. I have to figure out how to get involved and advocate for disabled people and humanize them. If anyone has any ideas about this, please drop me a line, all are welcome! Alright, enough with this tangent...! I meant only to say hello! lol

I want to get involved in the blogging community again, at least several days a week if not every day. I'm very sad I missed BEA and BBC especially living practically next store to it! I have been enjoying bloggers posts about the fun they had in NY This community has been wonderfully supportive even though I have only been a member for less than a year. I've really missed posting and blogging, and I apologize to any bloggers who commented on my posts and reviews and I didn't reply. I don't want that to become a habit. I love getting comments from bloggers and leaving comments on bloggers posts. I know I missed everyone who responded to my review of "Orange is the New Black" by Piper Kellerman as I was hit with bronchitis that night. I want to acknowledge those bloggers and thank JoAnn from Lakeside Musing, Avisannschild from she reads and reads, Jen from Devourer of Books, Kathleen from Boarding in My Forties, Elisa from Pesky Cat Designs, Clarity from Clarity in Wonderland, Molly and Andy from The Bumbles Blog, Kathy from Bermudaonion's Weblog, Lisa from Lit and Life , Jenner from Find Your Next Book Here and Julie P. from Booking Mama and always Kathy from Purple Flowers and Esme from Chocolates and Croissants who I can always count on! These are wonderful bloggers with great blogs. If you don't know them yet, be sure to visit them!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Book Review: The Executor

Title: The Executor
Author: Jesse Kellerman
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, April 2010
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.0 out of 5

Summary: Things aren’t going well for Joseph Geist.
He’s broke. His graduate school advisor won’t talk to him. His girlfriend has kicked him out of her apartment, leaving him homeless and alone. It’s a tough spot for a philosopher to be in, and he’s ready to give up when an ad in the local paper catches his eye.

The ad reads: "Conversationalist wanted”.

Which sounds perfect to Joseph. After all, he’s never done anything in his life except play with words. And the elderly woman behind the ad turns out to be the ideal employer: brilliant, generous, and enchantingly old-world. Before long, Joseph has moved in with her, and has begun to feel quite comfortable in her big, beautiful house.
So comfortable, in fact, that he would do anything to stay there—forever.

From the author of The Genius, a dark parable about the choices we make, and the consequences they bring.

My Thoughts: Jesse Kellerman has written an intense and riveting story built upon an unusual and very unique premise that kept me reading well into the night, reluctant, at least initially, to put The Executor down. The lead character, Joseph Geist, is an intelligent, rational, moral, quiet and reserved, thinking and stoic character. His up-bringing was very unpleasant, rendering him unsure about himself and life in general. Getting through the day is difficult for him but he's so likeable and introspective that you find yourself rooting for him.

And then everything changes! The first two thirds of the book is unique and realistic, odd and interesting at the same time. The stage is set for an intense showdown between Joseph and his nemesis, Eric, but the book seriously disappoints when Kellerman, rather suddenly, veers off track into utter nonsense the last third of the book. It's really a shame because Kellerman created wonderful three-dimensional characters in Joseph as well as his "new" boss, Alma, her nephew, and Joseph's nemesis, Eric and Joseph's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Yasmina , who leap off the page. Therefore, when Joseph behaves in contravention to the Joseph we've come to know, this inconsistent transformation and the subsequent actions he undertakes are totally inconsistent and unbelievable.

The Executor opens when Joseph seems to have hit rock bottom. He's broke, he has no job, his girl-friend dumps him and he has no place to live. Quite by chance, he gets a job as a "conversationalist", meeting with Alma, an elderly woman, apparently having fascinating discussions about philosophy and who knows what else. Literally. Kellerman doesn't let us in on any of the conversations, only saying that they are stimulating and seem to keep both Alma and Joseph going, giving Alma a reason to keep living despite her ill health, and Joseph despite his struggles with relationships and school.

As one who has studied philosophy, not to mention any reader who at some point in their lives has contemplated the "big" questions, it's a major letdown never being privy to any of these discussions. I found myself frustrated and crying out for just a snippet of Joseph and Alma's conversations here and there, no matter how small. This omission, I soon learned, is a foreshadowing of further omissions and disappointments that come upon later in the book.

Soon after Joseph is invited to move in with Alma as a housemate and companion, he meets her freeloading nephew, Eric, who quickly becomes the bane of Joseph’s existence. Eric is a lazy, unconscionable leech. A user, moocher and manipulator. Eric is the "anti-Joseph". Joseph is a good person, a "moral agent" (in philosophical terms), who thinks things through and acts rationally. Eric doesn’t work, doesn’t go to school and only cares about himself. Eric becomes the only source of friction, if not outright disagreement, between Joseph and Alma.

Joseph feels free and at home with Alma in her house, it's as if he has "come home". He has overcome a pedestrian and blue collar family life and upbringing that tried to dissuade him from living a life based on introspection and study, denying the very essence of what Joseph has made of his life. Eric threatens the stability and comfort that Joseph has finally found in Alma‘s home. It's surprising, to say the least, when Joseph's character suddenly begins to change. He becomes a selfish, self-centered, greedy, aggressive, reacting-without-thinking person whose morals either take a back seat or are reasoned away. All too quickly Joseph is completely different than the man we were rooting for to the point that we no longer recognize him. It would have been more believable had he used his faith in philosophy, hard work and thoughtfulness to take care of the "Eric problem" Not to mention that at this point in the book there is a huge drag as we're sucked into page after page of the first of several of Joseph's rants, rambling incoherently, paranoid and distrustful, trying to come to terms with his new found wealth provided by Alma

Without giving major parts of the story away, suffice it to say that the book fails from the moment of Joseph's bizarre and totally uncharacteristic way of taking care of the conflict with Eric. It really is a shame that the author felt the need to suddenly turn the book into some kind of pseudo thriller story as it becomes impossible to continue to "root" for Joseph once he has broken from who we were made to think he truly is. (I find myself tempted to compare Joseph's descent to Annikan Skywalker's conversion to the Dark Side of the Force.) If Mr. Kellerman thinks he is presenting some unique situation where we are at odds with ourselves, wanting to root for Joseph but unsure of whether or not to do so, he is mistaken. The shift in Joseph's character and actions themselves are too hard to swallow, too drastic to believe. At times it almost seems as if there are two Josephs, just as if it seems that two different people authored this book. Anyway, I can't help but wonder if it was Mr. Kellerman's intention that we continue to support Joseph, hoping he escapes from his self created debacle unscathed? I think it's safe to say that to entertain the notion we would still be rooting for him is completely out of the question.
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Why the author went down this road is a mystery to me. The Executor began with such promise. There are so many other ways Joseph could have gone about handling the situation he found himself in, so many ways that were more reasonable, more in tune with his character, that we are stuck like a broken record asking "why", time and again as Joseph goes from one inconsistency to the next in thought and action. Had Kellerman followed through with the book's initial premise and permitted Joseph to behave consistently with his character I believe it wouldn't have diminished the entertainment value of the book because the story's believability would have been maintained. The type of audience initially attracted to this book, would have thoroughly enjoyed reading along as Joseph solved, with intellect and cunning, a seemingly unsolvable quandary and didn’t resort to Hobbes-like violence.

I have not given up on Mr. Kellerman and will read some of his new or already written books with the hope that they present a unique premise with an equally unique resolution!

I received this book from the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, for review.

Book Review, Orange is the New Black

Title & Author: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau Publishing, April 2010
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary: A compelling, often hilarious, and unfailingly compassionate portrait of life inside a women’s prison

When Piper Kerman was sent to prison for a ten-year-old crime, she barely resembled the reckless young woman she’d been when, shortly after graduating Smith College, she’d committed the misdeeds that would eventually catch up with her. Happily ensconced in a New York City apartment, with a promising career and an attentive boyfriend, she was suddenly forced to reckon with the consequences of her very brief, very careless dalliance in the world of drug trafficking.
Kerman spent thirteen months in prison, eleven of them at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, where she met a surprising and varied community of women living under exceptional circumstances. In Orange Is the New Black, Kerman tells the story of those long months locked up in a place with its own codes of behavior and arbitrary hierarchies, where a practical joke is as common as an unprovoked fight, and where the uneasy relationship between prisoner and jailer is constantly and unpredictably recalibrated.

Revealing, moving, and enraging, Orange Is the New Black offers a unique perspective on the criminal justice system, the reasons we send so many people to prison, and what happens to them when they’re there

My Thoughts: A blue-eyed, blond-haired WASP graduate of a Seven Sisters college, Piper Kerman isn't the type of woman many people would expect to find among the convicted in federal prison. But like so many college graduates, Piper wasn't ready to return home and get a 9-5 desk job or enter a graduate program. Still not comfortable with her parents recent separation and yearning for adventure, Piper remained in her college town working as a waitress while living a carefree, unstructured existence. During this time she met Nora who paid a lot of attention to Piper. Nora was older and sophisticated with money to spend. Piper was intensely attracted to Nora's charm and tantalizing, free-spirit attitude. I understood, from her memoir, how Nora's kind of unfettered existence, where money is not an issue, was attractive to Piper. But I didn't really understand why a smart woman like Piper remained attached to Nora after learning that her lifestyle was funded by a drug-smuggling enterprise. Initially, Piper felt special because Nora confided the secret about her "job" to Piper. The excitement of Nora’s dark and risky behavior may have clouded Piper's good judgment at first. But I wish that Piper had written more about her relationship with Nora and further clarified why she still wanted to be around Nora knowing she was involved with drugs and why it took her so long to detach from Nora..

Four years later, Piper was living a normal life, sharing an apartment in NYC with her boyfriend and working as a free-lance producer. I cannot imagine how frightening it must have been to open her door to Federal Officers with the news that Piper had been indicted for drug-smuggling and money laundering. I 'm impressed that Piper managed to function after their visit. In fact, her composure throughout most of her ordeal is impressive. Piper cried many times but that she didn't come completely undone telling her family and friends about the charges or while waiting six years to be sentenced is amazing. Piper is a strong, resilient woman, characteristics that helped her immensely many times throughout her ordeal, such as when her fiancé dropped her off at the federal correctional institution where she was to serve her sentence or during run-ins with various guards at the correctional institution who were rude, unprofessional and lecherous. Piper's blond hair, blue eyes and white skin made her a frequent target of some of the more disreputable guards.

Piper Kerman is also intelligent, charming and armed with a good sense of humor, evident in her clear and honest writing. Prison is a big adjustment but the other prisoners help to make Piper as comfortable as possible, repeatedly reassure her and fill her in on prison rules and policies. Many of these women became Piper's good friends and they help each other pass the time. Piper hears why her friends are in prison and what their lives were like on the outside. Many of the women were involved in criminal activity to support their families. Several were arrested because of drug involvement which causes Piper to feel guilty, believing that her participation in a drug-smuggling ring contributed to her new friends' addictions. But the women don't blame her. Most of them are intent on making the best of their situation. Piper's funny, touching and sweet stories about these women make it clear why her days in prison were better than she expected them to be..

One of the most important things Piper learns from the other women is how to "do time", how to come to terms with her imprisonment and accept it, yet not allow herself to become too comfortable in prison. Daily life in prison can be all consuming as you try to live by the often arbitrary prison rules and policies as well as cope with prison politics among the prisoners. It's easy to forget the real world, therefore, it's important to remain ready to return to real life at any time. It's a difficult balance to manage but imperative. Piper's constant stream of visitors, letters, magazines and books kept her tethered to the outside world and aware of what was happening beyond the prison walls. But for prisoners with very long sentences, the balance was more difficult to maintain. Many of the friends Piper made had very long sentences and were great examples to her of how to "do time" well.

I enjoyed this memoir because Piper doesn't write only about her day-to-day existence in prison. She shares the things she learns about the prison system, the justice system, the laws and how she feels about the things she's learned after thinking about them. I appreciate her opinion and the different, richer perspective it provides on the issues. One such example is the fact that in the poorer neighborhoods, narcotics offer the best way to make money and support a family, particularly for single mothers. But even the smallest offense involving drugs can mean a lengthy prison sentence. Some sentences for minor involvement with drugs are longer than those for violent crimes! This sounds unfair when we read or hear about it, but when you see this unfairness actually occurring in the lives of your friends, it's obviously infuriating, which is one of the points Kerman makes with great effect. Much of what Piper learns during her thirteen month imprisonment sours her considerably on the justice system and our government's way of handling domestic issues. I wish Piper had written a little less about daily life in prison and more about what she learned and what she thinks about the justice system. Unfortunately she only touches on her views on the politics of prison, its rules and policies and the sentences handed out by the U.S. government for violations of the drug laws and individuals' involvement in the drug trade. Being a smart, well-read woman with a front row seat for 13 months, she could have provided much more in depth commentary. If we're lucky, there's another memoir in Piper's future!

Orange is the New Black is a humorous, touching and captivating memoir by a woman who made a terrible mistake in her early twenties and, as a result, serves time in prison, her head held high, ten years later. Piper Kerman has written an eye-opening story about what it's like day to day life in a federal correctional institution as well as the other women she met there who were also trying to make the best of a difficult, possibly unfair situation. But it's also a book about the resiliency of the human spirit and how to make the best of a bad situation.

I received this book as part of Goodreads first reads program.

Review of Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt

Title: Making Toast
Author: Roger Rosenblatt
Pages: 176
Release Date: February 16, 2010
Publisher: Ecco Publishing
Genre: Memoir

My Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Summary: When his daughter, Amy—gifted doctor, mother, and wife—collapses and dies from an asymptomatic heart condition, Roger Rosenblatt and his wife, Ginny, leave their home on the South Shore of Long Island to move in with their son-in-law, Harris, and their three young grandchildren: six-year-old Jessica, four-year-old Sammy, and one-year-old James, known as Bubbies. Long past the years of diapers, homework, and recitals, Roger and Ginny—Boppo and Mimi to the kids—quickly re-accustom themselves to the world of small children: bedtime stories, talking toys, play-dates, nonstop questions, and non-sequential thought. Though reeling from Amy's death they carry on, reconstructing a family, sustaining one another, and guiding three lively, alert, and tender-hearted children through the pains and confusions of grief. As he marvels at the strength of his son-in-law, a surgeon, and the tenacity and skill of his wife, a former kindergarten teacher, Roger attends each day to "the one household duty I have mastered"—preparing the morning toast perfectly to each child's liking.

With the wit, heart, precision, and depth of understanding that has characterized his work, Roger Rosenblatt peels back the layers on this most personal of losses to create both a tribute to his late daughter and a testament to familial love. The day Amy died, Harris told Ginny and Roger, "It's impossible." Roger's story tells how a family makes the possible of the impossible


My Thoughts: Roger Rosenblatt has written an inspiring story of love, grief, devotion, and sadness. Making Toast is about a family who comes together while figuring out how to make things work and continue functioning well after the death of the woman who was their daughter, wife, mother and sister. In addition to grieving Rosenblatt's memoir also reminds us of how even the smallest things we do have an impact on another person, be they a stranger, an acquaintance, a beloved family member or a dear friend.

I thought this was a wonderful book as Rosenblatt's writing makes getting to know his daughter Amy an enjoyable experience and something I didn't expect in a memoir about death and grief. He celebrates her life and the person she was by relaying numerous anecdotes and stories about Amy, the things she said and did and how she interacted with family members, her husband, children, friends, acquaintances and strangers. Rosenblatt's stories about Amy emphasize specific aspects of her personality that he felt were particularly unique to her and made her special. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew Amy, a beautiful, intelligent, kind, loving and witty woman with whom I would have liked to have been friends. Rosenblatt's stories about Amy's interaction with people throughout her life also made me realize how much our behavior can have an impact on every person we come in contact with. Our smallest word or just a smile can change someone's day. Not only did I become more cognizant of my behavior and attitude towards others but since I've read this book I'v tried to be careful to smile and greet other people, even strangers. It's actually made my days better!

I consider Rosenblatt's writing this memoir so soon after his daughter's death an amazing act of courage. Hopefully it was cathartic for him. It couldn't have been easy. Amy died December 2, 2007 and by June 2008 Rosenblatt is writing his memoir. At the same time he's grieving his daughter's death, he is living in his daughter's family's house, helping care for his grandchildren, Jessie, Sammy and James (Bubbie) and driving from Virginia to Long Island, New York once a week to teach. That sounds exhausting and could drive somebody nuts!

Rosenblatt frequently mentions that he's very angry but he never explodes. He finds the 5-hour drive to New York and back good for relieving tension, although he notes that road rage was a possibility in the weeks right after his daughter died. Rosenblatt is somewhat comforted, or at least relieved, by talking to many different people about grieving and the death of a family member or a child. But no one is perfect and shortly after Amy died, Rosenblatt was only able to control his anger so much. He uncharacteristically lost his temper with some students and other people and picked fights with store clerks.

Rosenblatt invites us in on some very poignant moments that clearly show how painful the loss of Amy is for everybody in the family. He shares how “Carl, John and I stood together on the deck in Bethesda the day after Amy died, and wept. Arms around one another, we formed a circle, like skydivers, our garments flapping in the wind.” describing a moment so raw it made me pause in my reading to wipe the copious tears from my eyes. Rosenblatt also writes in relation to Amy's husband, Harris, "As with us all, sorrow frames his every activity...." showing us that the family's pain and sadness is so pervasive it exists in everything they do. And in a very touching scene, Rosenblatt explains his feelings and his belief that Amy is always in the minds and hearts of him and his family when 5 year-old Sammy says he has no mom and Rosenblatt tells him "Mommy is still with us." "She's always with us, everywhere. We can't see her, but we can feel her spirit."



I found Rosenblatt's memoir to be extremely emotional. I cried, I laughed, I shuddered and more while reading about this family and how they continued on after losing Amy. I think it's an amzing book and a reminder, in one respect, that we have no idea what a person is dealing with when we encounter them in the course of our day. It seems like life and the activities of living should stop for a week or so when someone we love dearly and depend upon dies. But that doesn't happen. Life goes on and we are expected to move forward with it. It's not easy but we all try to manage to do so when it's our turn to face loss and grief. Thank you to Roger Rosenblatt for sharing yours and your family's experience and struggle with life after the death of your daughter and reminding us how human we all are.


I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, Ecco through Shelf Awareness.

Book Review: Every Dog Has A Gift

Title: Every Dog Has A Gift
Author: Rachel McPherson
ISBN: 978-1-58542-795-6
Pages: 288
Release Date: February 2, 2010
Publisher: Penguin Publishing
Genre: Dogs/Inspiration Non-Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary: Anyone who has ever had a relationship with a dog will tell you: They want nothing more than to give love and be loved in return. In Every Dog Has a Gift, Rachel McPherson draws on her experience as the founder and executive director of The Good Dog Foundation, the largest animal-assisted therapy organization on the East Coast, to share the amazing stories of dogs that bring hope and healing into our lives.

Much has been said about the heroic roles dogs played following September 11th and Hurricane Katrina in providing support and comfort for the families and victims of these terrible tragedies, but the truth is that millions of dogs around the world are heroes every day. These therapy and service dogs (and often quite ordinary, "uncertified" dogs just like your own!) can:

*serve as the perfect audience for kids who need help with practicing and improving their reading skills;
*hold troubled families together;
*provide a calm and centering presence for autistic children, and
*help individuals who have lost the ability to walk to more easily navigate the world.

Every Dog Has a Gift is a celebration of the gift that each and every dog possesses: the ability to bring the healing power of unconditional love into our lives.

My Thoughts: Every Dog Has A Gift is filled with heart-warming, and some heart-breaking , stories that clearly illustrate Rachel McPherson's belief "...that all dogs inherently have the power to heal; and they all want to give love and to be loved in return...". The stories included in this book show the wonderful impact dogs have on the lives of people, particularly those who are ill, disabled, withdrawn, depressed, lonely and sad. In this book, dogs are more than just a cute animal to pat on the head. Their ability to heal and comfort people is clearly evident. I grew up with dogs and know that, not only do they adore attention and want to be loved but they really want to give love. Many dogs respond to people's moods and show a remarkable ability to lift someone up when they're down and make people feel loved. Anybody who has loved a dog and experienced their companionship will love the stories in this book and many will see their dogs in a new and different light.

Rachel McPherson impresses me as an ambitious, dynamic and very caring person. She had her own company and a fulfilling career as a film and television producer before she researching dogs and their ability to assist in therapy. Her research was initially for a documentary but, through her research McPherson discovered that dogs weren't allowed in hospitals in New York. Her love of dogs and her belief "that each and every dog is a therapy dog", and has the ability to heal and comfort people compelled McPherson to start The Good Dog Foundation dedicated to dog-assisted therapy. She also worked to get the law changed in New York to the benefit of so many people in hospitals and other institutions. Today, the Good Dog Foundation is responsible for thousands upon thousands of visits every day by dogs to people in health care, social services, schools and all sorts of community organizations not only in New York but in CT, NJ and MA. Good Dogs was also asked to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina after the wonderful work they did at Ground Zero after 9/11.

One of my favorite stories in this book is about Sunny, a border-collie mix rescued as a puppy during Hurricane Katrina. Sunny wasn't been properly socialized and therefore, was an extremely frightened dog. Debbie Jacobs, a volunteer with the Human Society in VT, assisted with the rescue and placement of animal victims of Hurricane Katrina. She brought Sunny to VT planning to foster him until he was able to be placed in a permanent home. But poor Sunny was petrified and required an enormous amount of TLC and intense care. Jacobs story about caring for Sunny, learning how to take care of and heal, as much as possible, a terrified dog is amazing. But the really remarkable part of this story is how much Jacobs says she's been rewarded by caring for Sunny and how much Sunny has taught her about life. Knowing that their are people like Jacobs in this world who will provide a safe, secure and loving home for a beautiful dog like Sunny and considers herself fortunate to have Sunny in her life is just wonderful.

The story of Jessica, a three-legged Shetland sheepdog-collie mix, adopted by Toni, is one I will never forget. Jessica has 3-legs due to a birth defect, but was extremely timid because of the life she'd lived and needed to be socialized. One day, on one of their many walks, Jessica and Toni met Jeanette and her 9-year old son, Bobbie, who was in a wheelchair and had one leg due to an automobile accident. Jessica, who was very shy around strangers, stood right next to Bobbie's wheelchair and let him pet her. Toni's story tells about the relationship that grew between Bobbie and Jessica and how with the comfort, support and closeness of Jessica, Bobbie's depression lifted and he became an active participant in his life.

Every Dog Has A Gift is comprised of inspirational stories grouped into 3 categories about dogs as healers and teachers, dogs that changed lives or dogs in the lives of children. The stories would make a terrific book on their own. But McPherson goes a step farther. Part of this book is also a "How-to" manual. The end of every section includes a chapter about getting involved with dogs like those in the previous stories. Information about service dogs and the different types of programs available is provided as well as a list of resources for the different service dogs and the programs. There is a section on special needs dogs, and how and where to adopt a dog with special needs. McPherson also includes information for families about how to choose the right dog for your family and a list of resources to help them. The final section in the book is all about becoming a therapy team with your dog.

I entered a drawing sponsored by Penguin to win an ARC of Every Dog Has A Gift and I am thrilled that I was one of the winners. This is a wonderful book filled with stories I know I will read again and again. And now I want a dog. Sorry kitty-cats!