03/28/2016
Expanding on an article written for the New York Times Magazine in 2012, Greene (Praying for Sheetrock) shares uplifting stories from families who have benefited from service animals provided by 4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit dog training academy. The Ericksons were in terror over their autistic son’s disappearances before acquiring Juke, a Labrador trained to track him. When a golden retriever named Chancer is placed with the Winokurs to help their emotionally unstable son, he becomes the first dog ever assigned to a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. The Millards were denied dogs by other agencies because of son Connor’s tracheal tube and ventilator; then 4 Paws brought them Casey, a devoted goldendoodle who helped the six-year-old come out of his fearful shell. Green profiles 4 Paws founder Karen Shirk, who started the organization after overcoming a debilitating neuromuscular disorder with help from her German shepherd, Ben. She also outlines the organization’s current training regimens, including a program with a local prison where inmates train dogs with rehabilitative benefits for all involved. For the most part these are feel-good stories about the overcoming obstacles, but there are moments of heartbreak as well, and Green relates these in unsparing detail. She astutely sums up the relationship between humans and canines: “There are... reaches of the human psyche accessible only when accompanied by dogs.” Agent: David Black, David Black Literary Agency. (May)
The Underdogs: Children, Dogs, and the Power of Unconditional Love
Narrated by Christina Delaine
Melissa Fay GreeneUnabridged — 10 hours, 32 minutes
The Underdogs: Children, Dogs, and the Power of Unconditional Love
Narrated by Christina Delaine
Melissa Fay GreeneUnabridged — 10 hours, 32 minutes
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Overview
From two-time National Book Award nominee Melissa Fay Greene comes a profound and surprising account of dogs on the front lines of rescuing both children and adults from the trenches of grief, emotional, physical, and cognitive disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Underdogs tells the story of Karen Shirk, felled at age twenty-four by a neuromuscular disease and facing life as a ventilator-dependent, immobile patient, who was turned down by every service dog agency in the country because she was “too disabled.” Her nurse encouraged her to tone down the suicidal thoughts, find a puppy, and raise her own service dog. Karen did this, and Ben, a German shepherd, dragged her back into life. “How many people are stranded like I was,” she wondered, “who would lead productive lives if only they had a dog?”
A thousand state-of-the-art dogs later, Karen Shirk's service dog academy, 4 Paws for Ability, is restoring broken children and their families to life. Long shunned by scientists as a manmade, synthetic species, and oft- referred to as “Man's Best Friend” almost patronizingly, dogs are finally paid respectful attention by a new generation of neuroscientists and animal behaviorists. Melissa Fay Greene weaves the latest scientific discoveries about our co-evolution with dogs with Karen's story and a few exquisitely rendered stories of suffering children and their heartbroken families.
Written with characteristic insight, humanity, humor, and irrepressible joy, what could have been merely touching is a penetrating, compassionate exploration of larger questions: about our attachment to dogs, what constitutes a productive life, and what can be accomplished with unconditional love.
Editorial Reviews
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 Beat
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2016-03-17
Personal stories of service dogs in action. Through personal interviews and behind-the-scenes tales, Greene (No Biking in the House without a Helmet, 2011, etc.) tells multiple narratives of service dogs that have changed lives. Most of the people these dogs help are children who are considered too disabled by many groups to be partnered with a dog. They may have severe autism, been born premature with multiple ailments, or been raised in a foreign orphanage where they were severely neglected. All of them have had considerable luck in adapting to their circumstances with specially trained dogs at their sides. These dogs are available to the children thanks to Karen Shirk, who, in her 20s, was struck down by a debilitating neuromuscular disease that left her in a wheelchair and dependent on a service dog. After connecting deeply with her own dog, she began 4 Paws for Ability. Considering the case and each child's specific needs, Shirk and her trainers match a dog to the special needs child, often with amazing results. At 4 Paws, the training is focused on the partnership between the child and the dog. As one trainer told Greene, "it's not just what does the client need. It's about how a dog can meet those needs in ways that are really fun and rewarding for the dog. Dogs love having important work to do, and being needed and involved every minute of the day. They flourish in their families." The author compassionately interweaves these personal successes with scientific facts about dogs, the bonding that occurs between a human and a dog, and the loss or grief a dog may feel if a child should die. Dog lovers, parents of special needs kids, and those who love feel-good stories will delight in these heartwarming portraits of dogs and their families.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940173671578 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 05/17/2016 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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