2024 International Book Award Winner: Animals/Pets: Narrative Nonfiction
“A warm memoir about a woman’s connection to—and transformation because of—her dog.”
—Foreword Reviews
“… a certain kind of pet lover, looking for a comforting reminder of the powerful bond that can occur between animals and humans, may finish this book teary-eyed. . . .reminder that dogs aren’t just pets but also vessels of love, hope, and recovery.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Abel debuts with a heart-warming memoir spotlighting the intense bond between dogs and their owners. . . . Animal lovers will relish the central role that Abel’s pets play in her wellbeing throughout the narrative.”
—Booklife
“Incredibly poignant memoir . . . honors the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love—even in the face of severe loss.”
—The Book Revue
“Mattie, Milo and Me began as a winning story told on April 1, 2019 at a Moth StorySlam in New York City. The theme for the evening was Bamboozled. In her five-minute story, Anne and her dog Milo captured the hearts of the audience. In fact, it was such a hit that she wrote this memoir to answer the many questions posed by people who wanted to know more. Ultimately, Anne wove her compelling SLAM story into a gorgeous meditation on unconditional love. This is one of those books you won't want to put down, but also one you won't want to finish.”
—Inga Glodowski, The Moth
“Anne Abel’s memoir Mattie, Milo, and Me is a beautifully written testament to the journey of dog ownership. This memoir takes you on an emotional ride that anyone who has loved a pet can surely identify with. You’ll laugh, cry, and want to hug your dog by the end. A must-read!”
—Gary and Allie Vider, owners of Metro Pets NYC
“Not every book a person reads is worth time and energy. Mattie, Milo, and Me is a rare combination: an absorbing, well-told tale that also leaves the reader changed in an unexpected and positive way. This is not just a book about an aggressive and abandoned rescue dog and the woman who courageously rescued him. This is also a book about love and hope; despair and depression. It is an entertaining and absorbing story on one level, and on another level, a deep dive into love and loss, hope and redemption, and what gives life meaning.”
—Jeanne Gemmill Griffin, PhD
“Mattie, Milo, and Me by Anne Abel is a touching story that made me smile with joy. Yet the heartbreak around loss touched my heart as well. The joy, the comfort that Anne experienced with Mattie and then with Milo filled the pages. The joy of loving and the pain of losing them was heartfelt. The mutual love that the Abel family experienced with each other was real, honest, and unconditional, even as Anne dealt with her mother’s inability to express the human connection of a mother's love. This story shows us how love and sorrow are so intertwined.”
—Sister Kathy McShane, Sister of Saint Joseph
“I love Anne Abel’s memoir, Mattie, Milo and Me. It had me laughing out loud. Yet, it so touching that it had me in tears, too. This book is brilliant. Anne’s resilience with Milo is admirable and inspirational. And her joys and struggles, relatable. I learned a lot. I highly recommend.”
—Natalie Aronow, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
“Mattie, Milo and Me is a tender story with opposite emotional strings. One is: love denied by emotionally abusive parents, the other is: love received from a very caring husband and beloved sons. Through steadfast determination and a loving heart, the writer’s lifelong quest to be a good mother is realized in both the human and animal realms. Most of all it spins a loving tale of how dogs bring true joy, healing, and comfort to us. Mattie, Milo, and Anne were true gifts to each other.”
—Sister Marian Behrle, Sisters of Saint Joseph
2023-12-04
A woman unexpectedly transformed by canine companionship tells a story of family trauma, loss, and healing in this memoir.
Walk into any corner bookshop, and you’ll likely find more than one title that explores the emotional connection between humans and their dogs. From J.R. Ackerley’s graphically detailed memoir My Dog Tulip (1956) to Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain (2008) and Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend (2018), both novels, some of the best canines in the literary canon seem to be those who have plenty to teach their human companions. That maxim holds true in this touching memoir about a woman whose battle with depression is made easier by two dogs, the first of which (a wheaten terrier named Mattie) came into her life as part of her resolution to be the best mother she could be to her three sons, who begged and pleaded, as children often do, for a furry creature of their own: “I could no longer put off the inevitable. We had enough creatures in tanks and cages. It was time for the dog.” Despite Abel’s initial reservations, both Mattie and her successor, Milo, came to mean just as much (if not more) to her as they did to her kids, providing instrumental relief from her battle with depression. Anyone who’s lost a pet or has read enough books about those who have will find much of this book to be familiar. Still, a certain kind of pet lover, looking for a comforting reminder of the powerful bond that can occur between animals and humans, may finish this book teary-eyed.Others may take issue with the excessive detail and the sometimes-unnecessary dialogue scenes. Still, canine aficionados will find that the work gives them yet another reason to cherish the precious time they have with their four-legged family members.
An affecting, if somewhat formulaic, reminder that dogs aren’t just pets but also vessels of love, hope, and recovery.
