A Dog Called Hope, A Wounded Warrior and the Service Dog Who Saved Him, by Jason Morgan* (Simon and Schuster, $19.99, 325pp PB, 2018) Read a sample here and listen to a sample here.
I can usually tell, within a few sentences, if I am going to like a book. A Dog Called Hope was a breath of fresh air: I had read so many less than average books recently since I help judge several (about five) national book awards each year that I am relieved when I can read just for pleasure and select my own reading selections.
Two books in one - or more. First it is the story of an Air Force 'weatherman' - then the story of a mission, then of an injury and the airman's work at recovery, then of his relationship with his family and service dog (whom he finally meets about halfway through the book). And also of puppy raisers for a service dog organization (this one is CCI, Canine Companions for Independence), and finally of CCI's spokesman, the author Jason Morgan. If this book doesn't make you google on CCI and read more about it, I'll eat my hat.
This is a book full of coincidences - of two wheelchair-bound men who 'share' a puppy/dog at different times, and of a dogfather and son themselves. And full of the ignorance of some people and the dog 'telling' his veteran to cool it and choose his battles.
And what is the real value of a service dog? To pick up dropped items? to bond with his person? to open up the world again for his person? or all of the above?
Dogs are indeed magical and this is indeed a magical book about dogs.
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*If you liked this book, co-authored by Damien Lewis, you will also like his book Sergeant Rex
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