The Big Thing-Phyllis Korkki

First line: "I've wanted to write a book since I was eleven."

New York Times writer and editor, Phyllis Korkki, has always aspired to write a book. She has a novel in progress, but with The Big Thing: How to Complete Your Creative Project Even if You're a Lazy, Self-Doubting Procrastinator Like Me, she decided to explore the world of creative projects as she completed her own--the book. The Big Thing isn't a self-help book in the traditional sense of self-help works, but it is inspiring and insightful.

Throughout the eleven chapters, she examines a wide range of "big things" from art to charities, even the idea of not having a big thing. And Korkki illustrates how there is no one set recipe for achieving this monumental goal, but there are proven guidelines that may help some to stay focused and motivated...or even know when it's time to set "the big thing" aside for awhile or permanently.

Korkki interviews various specialists and masters in areas such as physical health and mental health to enlighten herself for her end goal and to help the readers further their own. From posture and breathing to dealing with anxiety and depression, maintaining one's health is imperative. She looks at the value of sleep and, while acknowledging that there is a very small percentage of the population that can function normally on very little sleep, the vast majority need regular, structured sleep patterns for optimal health: "Nearly all the functions of the brain and body improve after sleep, and are impaired by a lack of sleep." In other words, the belief, "I'll sleep when I'm dead" only gets you to dead faster, while it impairs your ability to complete your "big thing."

Korkki also delves into the opposite end with illness--both mental and physical--and how it relates to major accomplishments.  Through artist Frida Kahlo, author Laura Hillenbrand and Charles Darwin she looks at various ways successful individuals have worked with and around their illnesses. Korkki even includes a section devoted to addiction.

Fascinatingly, Korkki found that "external rewards often undermine people's intrinsic motivation." And those extrinsic motivations have been growing over the past four decades due in large part to the growing presence of advertising. While they can be powerful, "research shows that when people become more focused on them, the quality of the product declines and they are less happy."

Old and young alike, Korkki finds evidence of The Big Thing in all ages and in all shapes ans sizes. People who go after their big goal while working full time or happen upon it before their teenage years. Plus, it's never too late. She advises:

"No matter who you are and what you do, you probably have at least twenty minutes a day--and probably much more--to work on your project, and that adds up. You need to trust in the power of incrementalism."

Regardless of who you are, if you have aspirations of your own "big thing," you're likely to find valuable ideas and motivations in Phyllis Korkki's journey to her own goal. Written plainly and well-researched, The Big Thing is fascinating, thought-provoking, and eye-opening. I wanted to read this book because I have my own project and within the pages I found not only a lot to chew on (metaphorically speaking of course) but plenty to spark my own drive. She also provides a new perspective on a lot, like the idea of being lazy. It would be hard to finish this book and not feel ready to take on the world...or at least your "big thing."

Korkki advises asking yourself three main questions in relation to your creative goal:

1. Do you have the talent/ability/skills to do this Big Thing, or the motivation to learn and practice them?
2. Do you have the commitment and drive to work on the Big Thing at least somewhat steadily?
3. Is it worth the sacrifice you will have to make, in time and money, to complete it? Maybe something else is more important.

If you have something in your life that you could answer yes to on these questions, The Big Thing may be just want you need.

The Big Thing releases today in hardcover from Harper (ISBN: 9780062384300)and as an unabridged audiobook (ISBN: 9781504735629), narrated by Sandy Rustin, from HarperCollins and Blackstone Audio.

  

   

My review today kicks off the TLC book tour for The Big Thing. Check the schedule to see how other bloggers are reacting to Korkki's insights into your big creative project.

Disclosure: I do some contractual work for one of the owners of TLC Blog Tours. My work with them does not obligate me to a specific kind of review. The reviews are still my own opinions and reflect only my thoughts on the novels. If you care to read more, you can find more information on my Disclosure page.

The Price of Prosperity - Todd G. Buchholz

First line: "I am a little kid in the backyard, swatting mosquitoes off my legs and waiting for Dad to flip a burger onto my paper plate."

Todd Buchholz's  book The Price of Prosperity: Why Rich Nations Fail and How to Renew Them is his argument for why wealthy nations fall. He examines economic, political and cultural realms that he believes contribute to the undoing of these prosperous countries. Buchholtz views birthrates, global trade, debt, work ethic and patriotism (or lack thereof) as the central fissures in the strength of a successful nation.

As much as I was looking forward to reading this book, I was ultimately disappointed. As much time and effort as Buchholz puts into detailing historic empires and their leaders, he fails to address many of the arguments that counter the foundation for his theory.  In an effort to make economics a bit more entertaining, he provides metaphors and examples using current pop culture, but many if not most fall miserably short of actually supporting his arguments.

I was a bit apprehensive when early in the book, during his discussion of decreases in birthrates, he makes a comparison between numbers of children and numbers of pets:

"We have about 75.5 million children in the United States but 90 million cats, 75 million dogs, and 170 million freshwater fish. Together Petsmart and Petco sell $10 billion in pet goods. The largest children's retailer, the Children's Place, earns just $1.8 billion in revenues, pretty much equivalent to what Americans spend on snakes, turtles and lizards."

The impression that is created--and I believe intended--is "wow! Look how much more we spend on our pets than our children." Only he's comparing apples to basketballs. The last time you walked into a Petsmart or a Petco, what could you buy for an animal there? Food, treats, clothes, leashes/crates/etc, bedding, grooming, training, toys....this is, of course, an incomplete list and can cover a pet for its entire life. Children's Place sells clothing and maybe some minor accessories for a limited span of a child's existence. Children require far more time, money and resources to raise than any pet that's legal to own in the United States.

Now in the whole scheme of things, this comparison is pretty unimportant to the book, but the fact that something so banal is full of logic holes puts the reader on alert immediately.

Ultimately Buchholz's point is that the wealthy have fewer children than the poor:

"US families earning over $75,000 per year have fewer than fifty-five babies per thousand women. This is half the birthrate of families earning less than $10,000."

He does go on to say that children are "messy, loud, worrisome, and expensive." But a paragraph later says,

"Yet children have always been messy, loud, and expensive. In 1900 the average white woman in America was ringed by three or four whining, crying, and loving children...So what has changed to explain the declining preference for children? And why is it so widespread?" 

The answer to that question could be a book in itself. And in the United States it's not going to change while college-educated, career-minded women are penalized for having children.

Buchholz then goes on to talk about historical cultures whose downfalls followed wealth and subsequent drops in birthrates. One example he uses highlights a culture that essentially farmed out their military because they didn't have enough citizens to serve in it. And the military was then susceptible to the highest bidder and turned on the country it was supposed to be defending. Legitimate concern. However, in the United States, the wealthy are the least likely to even serve in our military. So if the idea is for the wealthy to have more children, I'm not sure how this example fits into the scheme of his argument.

And the elephant in MY room while reading this section is lack of discussion about the limited resources of the planet. Even in our prosperous United States, we have areas that struggle with viable water sources. We don't want to become one of the nations on Earth that don't have room or food or water for the huge families they are having in order to have strong numbers to defeat their enemies. If we can't take care of our citizens, our enemies are a moot point. Then of course there's also the damage it does to other elements of the planet that we destroy in order to make room for the growing numbers. The planet's population is larger than it's ever been and it's not moving backward despite low birthrates in some countries. At one point, Buchholz seems to be mocking politicians who care about the environment, and he says,

"What a shame if an avalanche of our debt buries our grandchildren so deeply that they have to sell off national treasures to make ends meet."

Granted at this point he's talking about government debt, but this point so oversimplified the issue of the environment and never even touches global warming. It also neglects the point that if we don't do something to counteract things like our abysmal infrastructure and education system--both things that continue to erode because we're worried about this debt--debt isn't going to matter to our future generations because the country won't exist as it is now.

Now Buchholz does proceed and address the value in immigration, but his offered solutions for how to deal with the resistance to immigration fall very short and, quite honestly, left me with a bad taste in my mouth:

"But I would ask this question: if other advanced countries impose six months to an entire year of mandatory service on their own citizens, would it be so terrible to impose some slight inconvenience on immigrants who apply for citizenship, especially an inconvenience that would enhance their knowledge of the country they aspire to join?"

We already impose a test on these people that many natural citizens can't pass. But let's add to the expense of the process, requiring them to travel around the country and not be working so they can have their passports stamped at "historical landmarks, museums, and libraries." And I'm still not sure how that helps our xenophobic culture be more accepting of these people, who are already proving their dedication to the nation.

Buchholz says he would impose a similar requirement for any U.S. citizen who applies for a student loan through a federal program. Again, people in need of money are now put at further disadvantage in order to prove they are worthy. Never mind the towering debt that's burying these young folks already. No mention, however, of big businesses and the wealthy that take advantage of tax breaks and other government funds.

Sadly, I found myself going through the entire book this way. I typically mark up pages with excerpts I love and word choice or phrasing that moves me. In this reading I was marking every passage where I found logic issues or neglect of relevant information.  And I'm not referring to one-off exceptions.

Buchholz refers to the average income of people in the United States. With our current income chasm, the "average" doesn't refer to a lot of households. He says, "The price system and the 'invisible hand' of the market coordinate all of this." No, they don't. That's why we have unions, regulations, child labor laws, etc. And when those regulations have been drawn back, we see that greed knocks the invisible hand right off the invisible wrist.

He refers to the laziness of teenagers and the fact that fewer have summer jobs. But there's no evidence he did any research as to why fewer have summer jobs. Is it possible they are volunteering? participating in various kinds of summer camps? taking care of younger siblings at home? And generations don't simply become lazy on their own. To point the finger at this generation and say they have a bad work ethic is to completely ignore the helicopter parent phenomenon and the role that plays in the child's development. He refers to them not being willing to relocate to a state with lower unemployment rates and not getting driving licenses. However, he neglects to address the costs that keep people from doing things like this. He talks about cars and their affordability. Sure if you come from a well-to-do family, money isn't as big an issue, but Buchholz has already pointed out that the well-to-do are having fewer children. The poor don't have money for additional cars, insurance, license fees, etc. And if you don't have a reliable source of transportation, could that possibly impact your ability to get or hold a job?

There is a section that directs attention to the Labor Participation Rate and Buchholz refers to it as the "proportion of adults who want to work." But he mentions nothing about the growing numbers of people who have taken themselves out of this arena because they've tried to find jobs and have been unsuccessful for so long that they've given up hope, that their time out of the workforce makes employers pass over them automatically. In a nation that puts up so many barriers for those coming out of prisons, a nation that has to petition employers to hire veterans coming back from war, a nation whose sky-rocketing cost of education puts it out of reach for a growing percentage of the population--people who desperately need new skills in order to be marketable, the term "want" is a huge over-generalization. 

While there are legitimate concerns presented in The Price of Prosperity, and I'm glad I read it for a view point that doesn't necessarily align perfectly with my own, it reinforces for me the fact that we're neglecting vital realities that exist in our nation. For Buchholz to make the statement, "When rich nations begin to shatter, everyone has a comfy bed--but fewer people have a reason to get out of it," I know he's neglecting realities and his credibility is, therefore, destroyed. I believe in the United States. I'm not lining up to relinquish my citizenship. But I do not believe The Price of Prosperity holds the answers to the problems that plague us. For that, we'll have to look elsewhere.

The Price of Prosperity is available in hardcover from Harper (ISBN: 9780062405708). It is also available as an unabridged audiobook (ISBN: 9781522690788) from Brilliance, narrated by Buchholz.

  

  

My review today is part of the TLC book tour for The Price of Prosperity. Check the schedule to see how other bloggers are responding to Todd Buchholz's solution to our country's prosperity problems.

Disclosure: I do some contractual work for one of the owners of TLC Blog Tours. My work with them does not obligate me to a specific kind of review. The reviews are still my own opinions and reflect only my thoughts on the novels. If you care to read more, you can find more information on my Disclosure page.

Lies, Incorporated - Ari Rabin-Havt

I've been a bit remiss in getting my Shelf Awareness reviews posted lately, so I'm going to try to have a run of them here and catch up. Today's review is Lies, Incorporated: The World of Post-Truth Politics and it first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. I am posting it today with their permission.  A very good read for this political season.

First line: "Richard Berman is a liar."

While researching The Fox Effect, The Agenda radio host, Ari Rabin-Havt continually questioned where lies and propaganda filtering through the controversial news network were originating. As he points out, "Lies do not simply appear and take hold. They must be developed, introduced, and nurtured into the public discourse." Rabin-Havt's research into various falsehoods indicated the existence of a profitable industry doing just that on behalf of those willing to pay for it. He called this business Lies, Incorporated. Bestowing the name on his book, Rabin-Havt examines the origins of some of the most significant deceptions muddying the current political waters.

Through meticulous examinations of issues such as climate change, immigration reform, gun control and others--issues where scientists and other researchers have publicly debunked the lies preventing progress, yet they continue to cling to the important conversations and debates--Rabin-Havt theorizes Lies, Incorporated is a result of "a political culture where ideological victory, not progress, is the ultimate goal. Where what is good for my country plays second fiddle to what is good for the bottom line of my clients." 

Well-researched and documented, Lies, Incorporated presents hot button topics with diplomacy and tact. It won't likely convince every reader to relinquish the stronghold on their ideologies--Rabin-Havt himself says, "it is far easier to ignore the truth than to confront the failure of your argument"--but it is convincing motivation to closely scrutinize the evidence on which one bases their beliefs and hold the political media accountable for reporting practices.

Lies, Incorporated is available in trade paperback (ISBN: 9780307279590) from Anchor Books and as an unabridged audiobook (ISBN: 9781515956334), narrated by Mike Chamberlain from Tantor Audio.

  

  

The Good News About What's Bad for You...The Bad News About What's Good for You - Jeff Wilser

My review of Jeff Wilser's non-fiction book The Good News About What's Bad For You...The Bad News About What's Good For You first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. I am posting it here today with their permission.

First line: "Eat more bacon."

Red meat, alcohol, stress, video games, the news bills them all as terrible, sometimes even life-threatening. But Jeff Wilser, author of The Maxims of Manhood, digs further into the information on all these vices and more. The Good News About What's Bad for You looks beyond the titillating headlines to the big picture, then scales that image down to a couple of pages per topic, highlighting the overall results in layman's terms. The outcomes aren't necessarily as alarm-worthy as the press might want readers to believe.

Turn the book over and Wilser sets his sights on The Bad News About What's Good for You. Conversely, kale, juice cleanses, retirement and yoga may not be all they're cracked up to be.

Using a conversational tone ripe with plenty of humor, Wilser encourages readers to feel less guilt, consider the relative risk versus the absolute risk--if something increases risk 500% but the risk is initially only 0.000001, chances are still minuscule it will ever happen--and beware the trap of alarming titles used for the sole purpose of shock.

The Good News About What's Bad for You...The Bad News About What's Good for You will require an open mind. Even Wilser has a tendency to express skepticism at research contradicting his own beliefs. But the over-arching theme of moderation is vital and Wilser's delivery is comically entertaining.

The short segments keep the book moving swiftly and the collective information is fascinating. Studies are still out, but it's probably safe to say this book is good for us all.

The Good News About What's Bad For You...The Bad News About What's Good For You is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9781250063809) from Flatiron Books.

  

  

The End of 2015

I'm still having a hard time believing that this is the final week of 2015. I'm not exactly sure where it went, but looking back through my reading log, I think I spent a lot of it buried in a book.

My final reading numbers for this year were:

115 books read
114 authors (the only author I read twice was Neil Gaiman)
88 authors who were completely new to me

87 books were fiction
28 non-fiction
78 print books
37 audiobooks
26 debuts

67 books were written by male authors
43 were written by female authors
5 were written by male and female writing teams (that number surprised me)

For next year, I'm adding a column onto my reading log for authors outside the United States. I read a number of translated works this year and quite a few non-American authors, but I'm not positive how many in total.

So for my favorites lists this year, I'm going to divide it into two posts. Today I'll cover my favorite debuts, non-fiction and audiobooks. Since they comprised a smaller fraction of my overall reading, I'm making each of these lists 5 books long. It was a challenge to narrow the non-fiction down to 5. I didn't read a ton, but what I read was good! So here we go.

My 2015 Favorite Debuts Are (in no particular order):

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe. I still have to post this review to my blog, but it was a starred review at Shelf Awareness and I chose this book as my co-pick for the November Nerdy Special List. A fun new female protagonist with a lot of gumption. She calls to mind a female Sherlock for some.

The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young. This book is so atmospheric and richly written, I simply lost myself in it. The language is gorgeous and the complexity of the plot makes it an engaging read. I'm looking forward to more from Hester Young.

The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell. Charming is the word that best describes this lovely little memoir. I finished it wanting a penguin of my own. The events of this book made my heart swell, laugh and rejoice. If you need a glimmer of hope, this is the book to pick up.

Wanted by Chris Hoke. A powerful look at our prison system and its residence from the perspective of a prison chaplain. Hoke humanizes those individuals our society feels are worthless monsters. It's a harsh reminder that life isn't that simple. This one isn't a easy, feel-good read because it challenges stereotypes and brings reality up close and personal, but it's written with stunning beauty and amazing compassion.

A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders. Flanders isn't technically a debut, but this is her first go at fiction. I listened to this one on audio and it's fun. The perspective of the publishing world adds an entertaining angle to the murder mystery. I hope there's more from Flanders.

I also wanted to make a mention of The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton. I had this one on my favorite debuts list last year, which was in error. I read it early for a Shelf Awareness Max Shelf issue and forgot that its release date was January of 2015. Ooops. So I mention it again this year.

My 2015 Favorite Non-fiction Works Are (again, in no particular order):

Wanted by Chris Hoke. See above for gushing on this title.

A Force for Good by Daniel Goleman. Writing this I discovered that I never posted this review to my blog. Yeesh! This was the most inspiring book I read this year. I've recommended it to many people and believe whole-heartedly in the importance of compassion over greed. I appreciated that this book gave focus to the individual, showing me how I can make a difference. I don't need to have a lot of money or power or influence in order to do so.

Saving Capitalism by Robert Reich. The former U.S. Labor Secretary makes a strong argument for why Capitalism is failing now when it was so successful in the 60s, 70s and 80s. He outlines how the trend toward a shrinking middle class can be reversed and why that's so vital. His insights are eye-opening and he has a strong understanding of what he's professing, so he's able to explain it in layman's terms. You don't need an advanced degree in economics to comprehend these ideas. I'd rank this as the most important book I read this year.

The Bassoon King by Rainn Wilson. Now at the other end of the spectrum I offer you some humor. I don't watch TV, so I'm not an Office groupie, but this book was fantastic. It's funny, insightful, inspiring and just overall enjoyable. Wilson's wicked wit wins in The Bassoon King.

The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell. Again, see above for gushing on this title.

Last but certainly never least, my 2015 Favorite Audiobooks Are:

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, narrated by Scott Brick. It's often difficult for me to read books that people recommend to me simply because of time constraints, but I did pick up The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry because several friends raved about it. And they certainly were right to do so. It's a glorious tale and a delightful audiobook. I'm not always Scott Brick's biggest fan on thrillers, but he struck gold in his narration of this book. He truly taps into the soul of this story. If you haven't experienced this one, definitely put it on your list to read or listen to.

Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle. As an audiobook listener, I appreciate the narrations that obviously delve into the heart of the author's work. They connect with the emotions, the atmosphere, the tone. Adrian McKinty has a very distinct tone to his novels and Doyle is without a doubt in tune with it. The darkness is palpable and the element of crime is rich. And the icing on this delectable cake is Doyle's grasp of McKinty's humor. An all-around excellent recording.

Night Life by David C. Taylor, narrated by Keith Szarabjka. The Night Life audiobook shares many of the attributes of Gun Street Girl. The atmosphere is so vital in this novel and Szarabjka is keenly aware of it, bringing it to life as much as the human characters. Szarabjka also excels with the range of dialects he portrays in this novel, which are essential to the setting. This is also another debut and most worthy of your attention, most especially if you're a crime fiction fan.

The Bassoon King by Rainn Wilson, narrated by Rainn Wilson. You can see my above entry for gushing on the book itself. As for the audiobook, Wilson is dynamic, funny and puts his acting chops on display as much as any stage or screen performance he's done. His humor is well-timed, as is dramatic inflection. He saves the passion for perfect emphasis. And you realize just how intelligent this man is. Superb recording!

The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein, narrated by Kirby Heyborne. This is the only children's title on my list this year, and unfortunately I didn't fit in the review of it. Heyborne does an exemplary job with the hilarious cast of this book. From a very self-assured Robin Hood to a bit of a bumbling Hercules, this narration is fun and I would have to believe young readers would be just as entertained as I was. Its focus age group is middle grade, so 4th-8th grade, give or take depending on reading ability.


That's just about enough for one day. Please share with me your favorites in any of these categories. It's always fun to hear what others are enjoying. Plus I love to have ideas I can share with other people even if I'm not always able to read them all myself.

I'll share my favorite crime novels and my favorite overall books of 2015 tomorrow. Hope you'll stop back. Happy Reading!

Two Percent Solutions for the Planet - Courtney White

My review of Courtney White's Two Percent Solutions for the Planet: 50 Low-Cost, Low-Tech, Nature-Based Practices for Combatting Hunger, Drought, and Climate Change (whew, how about that for a subtitle!) first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. I am posting it today with their permission. Hope you enjoy!

First line: "We live in an era of seemingly intractable challenges: increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, rising food demands from a human population that is projected to expand from seven to nine billion people by 2050, and dwindling supplies of fresh water, to name just three."

Eliminating pesticides, sequestering carbon, making healthy food available to the poor and harvesting rainwater are some of the many positive outcomes Quivira Coalition co-founder Courtney White (The Age of Consequences: A Chronicle of Concern and Hope) uncovers in the 50 regenerative practices outlined in Two Percent Solutions for the Planet. White organizes these green ideas into five sections--ranching, farming, technology, restoration and wildness--includes pictures and charts to help illustrate and provides information on how readers can learn more about each concept.

The common theme underlying them all, however, is "nature knows best." From organic no-till and year-round farming to flerds--the co-existence of range animals--to "poop 'n' stomp"--using livestock to regrow grass--the solutions return the work to natural processes. White believes, "sometimes innovation isn't a thing, a practice, or a new technology, but simply a different way of looking at the world."

While Two Percent Solutions for the Planet would make an excellent resource for any agri-science program, it's also an enlightening reading experience for city dwellers and others far from agrarian lifestyles. Understanding processes described in the book can inform buying decisions, community involvement even backyard gardening practices, all that can help combat some of the world's most pressing environmental issues while simultaneously treating the planet with kindness and respect.

Two Percent Solutions for the Planet is easy to understand, fascinating and enjoyably educational. Whether readers are entrenched in agricultural business or simply interested in sustainability, there's plenty to glean from White's collection of innovative practices.

Two Percent Solutions for the Planet is available in paperback from Chelsea Green Publishing (9781603586177).

  

 

Rescue Road - Peter Zheutlin

My review of Peter Zheutlin's Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs, and a Million Miles on the Last Hope Highway first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. I am posting it today with their permission. This book had a special hook for me--beyond the fact that it is dog-related--in that the focus of it is a man from Ohio. But it doesn't matter where you live, this is a great story. Hope you enjoy!

First line: "In 2012 the Berlin Wall fell."

Rescue Road Trips founder Greg Mahle says, "Every job in rescue is essential to the process. Some risk life and limb, some their financial security, but all risk losing and regaining pieces of their hearts over and over again." Journalist Peter Zheutlin embeds himself in the emotional world of dog rescue to tell the stories of its dedicated and unsung heroes, meanwhile stealing pieces of his readers' hearts.

Due to a culture that views dogs as property and denounces spaying and neutering, states such as Louisiana and Texas are overrun with unwanted canines. They roam the streets and overwhelm the kennels. If they don't die from disease, thousands of adoptable pets are euthanized because there isn't enough space or money to care for them. Volunteers like Kathy Wetmore of Houston Shaggy Dog Rescue or Keri Toth with the Humane Society of Central Louisiana work tirelessly, often spending their own money to provide care and find homes--primarily in the Northeastern states--for these forsaken creatures, while also attempting to educate in order to change the deadly mores.

Mahle bridges the miles between rescuing angels and adopting families, driving the adoptees twice a month all year long in his truck, fitted out especially for canine transport. Zheutlin travels with Mahle on his route to experience first-hand the ups and downs, the struggles and the rewards, as well as all the links in the rescue chain most people never see.

At turns both agonizing and uplifting, Rescue Road is eye opening and hopeful. A must-read for any and all dog lovers.

Rescue Road is available in trade paperback from Sourcebooks (ISBN: 9781492614074) and as an unabridged audio (ISBN: 978-1494565480), narrated by Barry Abrams, from Tantor Audio.