Washington Books

I first read Henry Mitchell in the Washington Post when my husband was receiving cancer treatment at NIH in 1982, and when I realized that his columns were collected in The Essential Earthman I immediately bought a copy. I have subsequently owned (and loaned out and thus lost) two or three more copies. As each planting season arrives I remember how much I've missed reading Henry's wisdom, and I berate myself for having loaned out (and lost) those books. So for the sake of upcoming generations of gardeners (and the old hands among us), would someone please reprint this valuable book? It's a book to read in the depth of winter and the heat of summer, in a spacious country garden or a tiny city yard, for beginning gardeners and old timers with permanently-stained hands. There never has been anyone quite like Henry Mitchell on gardening, or on life, for that matter. Grouchy, opinionated, funny, informative, brutally honest--his words will never go out of style.

The two books I have read cover to cover as gardening advice and as literature are this book and Christopher Lloyd's Adventurous Gardener. I have shelves of gardening and horticultural books.
It gives you more each time you read it.

I bought this book a few years ago based on the reviews. When I got it I tore into it and was sorely disappointed. That's the reason for 4 instead of 5 stars.

Why even 4 stars you ask? Well, about a month ago, for whatever reason, I picked it up again and now I LOVE IT!

Henry Mitchell is dry - like the soil under an oak. But he's terribly warm and fuzzy once you get to know him. I write a newsletter for my local garden club and have found quote after quote that I want to use for future issues. They're not la-dee-dah quotes that speak vaguely about the lovely joys of gardening. BLAH! Rather, they're jewels that point fingers at snobby gardeners and kill-joys who scold children for picking crocuses.

This is not a "pretty picture" book. It's sort of a how-to in an essay form. But more than that, it's great writing by a wonderful author on a topic I am crazy for.

Dear Publisher...please reprint this book. I love Henry Mitchell. I was one of the 'blessed' because I actually read Mr. Mitchell's columns (both of them) for years. I live in the Washington DC area, and subscribed to the Post. Those of us who gardened locally were twice blessed because he was not only one of the best garden writers ever, he struggled with the heat, humidity, and high winds that attack us from all sides. Whenever I am in my garden I think of him. When I look at my Japanese Anemones I remember he said "Once you have them you'll always have them." There have been times when I thought for sure they were goners, but they always survived. When I see a little plant struggling under a bush, I remember him saying, "One of these days I'll have to crawl under there and pull it out." When I see a fish tank, I think of him and his horse trough. I miss him.

My original copy of "The Earthman" is in shreds. Why?

I have read (and re-read) The Earthman for more than 20 years. Every time I returned to The Earthman, I had a patient, passionate teacher by my side.

With Henry's guidance, I matured. I learned to accept the rains that turned my garden into a sea of mud. I learned to accept the dogs who had a deep need to explore and "investigate" my treasured plants.

Henry is my friend and mentor. I cannot imagine life in the garden without him.

I love every one of JA Jance's novels.The JP Beaumont and Joanna Brady series are my favorites. I have thoroughly been gripped by every one.

Failure to Appear J.A. Jance does it again in this 11th J.P. Beaumont mystery novel. Unlike most of the previous books, this one starts out, not with a crime, but with a personal mission. Detective Beaumont ("Beau" to his friends and associates) has left his Seattle home area to look for his runaway teenage daughter in an artsy community in Oregon. Of course, as anyone could have expected, violent crime soon intrudes.

For those who are familiar with this series, you can be assured that it is true Jance writing: characters who act like real people; a fast-moving story; plenty of self-deprecating humor; and a sterling protagonist who is all too aware of his not inconsiderable faults.

For those who are not familiar with J.P. Beaumont or Jance's Joanna Brady, who appears in a separate series, you have the pleasure of delightful discovery to look forward to. There are lots of books in this series. I've read 12 so far (and a bunch of the Brady ones, too) and I have yet to be disappointed with any of them.

If you're one who likes to start at the beginning of a series (which I think is not a bad idea with this one, for a number of reasons), the first is "Until Proven Guilty". However, if this isn't important to you, you can't go wrong with this or any of Jance's books, if you're in the mood for a fast-moving mystery novel with a bit more than usual in the way of character development.

My Wife reads these, and loves them! Looks like another all nighter to me!

In "Failure to Appear" lone-wolf Seattle homicide detective J.P. "Beau" Beaumont finds himself a fish out of water surrounded by family in southern Oregon and on the outside of a murder investigation.

Quite often, when a mystery author tries to fit so much of a protagonist's personal life into a book, the plot drags to a halt and the investigation into the crime is treated superficially because the focus is on massive character development. Jance manages to keep things moving at a fast clip and provide a mystery that is as multi-faceted as her lead character's personal difficulties. Beau has a lot to deal with in this book: a daughter who starts out a missing person and winds up pregnant and about to be married, a re-married ex-wife and her husband, a new girlfriend, a murder suspect that awakens painful memories, the siren song of a bottle of MacNaughton's, and a couple police officers out to nail his hide to a wall - not to mention the book's three murder victims or the loved one Beau loses in the course of the investigation.

There are a few nits that could be picked (Oregon vanity plates don't have 8 letters, for instance), but the quality of the rest of the book more than compensates. All in all, a great read.

This was the first Jance book I encountered. I decided to read it because it takes place in the town I live and work in. As much as I enjoyed reading about the places and cities I know well what I really enjoyed was the character of JP Beaumont. He is an ordinary man (a Seattle Cop wih an extraordinarily inherited fortune) who is caught between his work and his family. The characters seem very real and Jance's writing gives them a life and humanity that appeals strongly and makes you really care about them. The story never lets up either and you will find yourself hard pressed to put the book down. I have read every book Jance has written now and she is always on the top of my list of series that I am waiting for the next installment of!

Even though tomes have been written on the American presidents, Dr. Smith manages to bring fresh insight as a result of painstaking research. ( It could serve as a model for any student looking to document his research) The book is not "light" reading....but the author writes with clarity and with as much impartiality as humanly possible. I found his distinction between the ways that these presidents' faith shaped their policies to be thought-provoking. This book provides a strong framework from which to examine the coming election season.

I encourage you to set aside a block of time each day as you loose yourself in the history and faith of each of these men. It is full of interesting faith facts that just a history of these presidents would never touch. I must confess it took me time to read and digest this book, but well worth the time. I look forward to reareading this book in order to grasp new facts that I did not glean from the first read. I would love to see it used in school class rooms everywhere. The research, notes and excellent writing of this work is outstanding!

A first-rate work in which eleven presidents are analyzed in terms of their religious beliefs and their actions. Solid framework of analysis. The work brims with new details, broad understandings, and sound and judicious conclusions. Impressive, varied bibliography. The copious notes, alone, are worth a close read. Sparkling writing and sound organization make this a page-turner.

Gary Scott Smith's Faith and the Presidency is fascinating to read and weighty in substance. Full of personal details drawn from the lives of various presidents as well as important observations about public policy and religious impulses, Smith hits the sweet spot between bold, exciting claims and strong supporting evidence.

I was particularly persuaded by the book's observation that the foreign policy of presidents more readily reveals their philosophical commitments because the U.S. presidency has greater latitude abroad than at home.

This is a book worth reading from cover to cover. Smith hits a home run with this exceptional book. A tour de force!

If you are looking for fresh information about the role of faith and religion in the lives of some of America's greatest presidents then I highly recommend purchasing Faith and the Presidency.
The author, Gary Smith has done his homework. His research is very thorough and his style of writing is clear and free of technical jargon.
I thought the book presented a balanced view of democrat and republican presidents; and the author covers each president's religious affiliation without bias. After reading this book I finally understand why religion is such a hot topic during every presidential election.
Reading about Abraham Lincoln and how his faith helped him address the crises of the civil war is the best I have read to date.
Students, teachers of history, religious leaders and those with a love of presidential history need this book to complete their library. A must read for 2007!

Just finished reading this book and had to share my enthusiasm. Wonderfully descriptive - the storyline consumed me and I couldn't put it down until the end. I was transported into the mystery of Bethany O'Brien's life and loved every minute of it!

I couldn't put the book down until I finished reading it. Ms. Zuzolo is the Scherezade of the third millenium. I can't wait to read her next book in the series!
What makes this book so special is that, in addition to an action-packed story line, the writer exposes us to a new and relevant culture stemming from middle eastern folk-lore and actual writings from the Koran.

Came across this book by chance, to my advantage. It's a real winner. It's got something of everything in it and it's really well written. Highly recommended.

This is a fantastic odyssey about an unsuspecting young woman whose life is completely transformed by a seductive genie! The historical references and research done by the author is amazing. "Genie" is unlike anything I've ever read and I'd highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique thriller with lots of twists and turns!

This book was recommended to me by a friend & I'm so glad they did. It was awesome, so now i'm recommending it to others. There are no boring parts to this book and the ideas explored in it stay with you long after you're finished reading.

An engaging, accessible biography of George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Major events such as the Conway Cabal and the defection of Benedict Arnold are treated with some detail and authorial analysis. Flexner's final evaluation of General Washington ("Cincinnatus Assayed") is excellent at presenting Flexner's conclusion on General Washington's military performance. This chapter is also quite helpful in teasing out and summarizing the multiple threads that, through the course of the conflict, led inevitably to Washington's transformation from general to president.

This is part four of a four-volume series of George Washington's life and this final installment is the strongest book of all. Flexner's narrative takes the reader up to Washington's last breath and his description of his death is particularly interesting. Despite the fact that there is a plethora of interesting material on Washington's ilness and death, this book brings out facts hitherto unknown. It is reliable and accurate, but one sometimes yearns for a more enlightened and exciting presentation of the earlier years. This is the personification of how history is usually taught: in a manner not designed to capture the reader or the student.

One strong point is that Flexner successfully presents a balanced portrait of Washington. Any bias from the author is thankfully masked from the reader. When Washington deserves criticism or censure, the author soberly dispenses it. Praise and plaudits are similarly given. If you are deeply interested in Washington's early years, this is an adequate and trustworthy source. But if you are merely dabbling in Washington and prefer a swifter narrative, then this is not a recommended selection.

This is the final volume in the set of four, in this series about George Washington, written by James Thomas Flexner; and the most intensely dramatic covering Washington's second term, his retirement and death.

George Washington takes his oath for a second term as President of the United States, in a time when the young United States is growing following a time of relative peace and a policy of non-aggression with France and England. And grow the young Republic did, by leaps and bounds, but with this growth, evolved some discontent. Factions in the fragile government wanted to be self-serving... Hamilton's lust for power and control, contrasted by Jefferson's lack of anything having to do with a central overseeing government. All of this coupled with the growing friction between North and the South, East and West, Federalism and Republican views all differing wanting a better stake in the government. If this wasn't enough, the French Revolution... with its pro and anti French sentiments creating unrest throughout the republic.

We see the ever dominent Hamilton trying to further himself at the expense of Washington... and again Jefferson wanting nothing further in the government... retiring to his Virginia agrarianism, but later both men working toward Washington's anguish and distrust. Washington wanting to retire himself and enjoy what little time he had left to him at his beloved acres... Mount Vernon.

We see again Washington's self-doubts, but with his aging, his brilliance fading and his body wreaked with infirmities, we see his judgement being clouded and distrusted. This book gives us the contrasts of Washington the public figure and the private Washington... a man deeply hurt by his attackers, now apprehensive, and forced to remain in office and in power, in thought a man weakened by age. Yet his last major services to the nation were as vitally important as his previous services had been. A man that wants to retire and leave the running of the government to others... wanting the cycling of power to be peaceful... a demonstration that humanity could rule itself, the orderly relinquishment of power by one elected representative to his elected successor. This, making the cycle complete, vindication that the new government is viable.

We next see Washington get his long awaited dream of retirement albeit shortlived and the freeing of his slaves as his final act to free ones bondsman. This is the most engrossing and engaging of all the books in this four volume set... knowing Washington as a man with real human emotions and feelings.

I highly recommend reading this volume, but to get the whole picture, reading the four volume set is a must.

What a fascinating man, brought to us in a brilliant and scholarlly work.

Okay, I admit it. One of the pleasures that I take as a leftist (not a liberal, mind you, but a leftist) in reviewing American history books is in the debunking of the hagiography that passes for the biographies of our great men.
But for anyone who claims to want to look at history with a hard realist eye there is one uncomfortable fact that (like a well-aimed rock tossed by Clio herself) smacks you upside the head now and then.
The truth is that there are great men and women. And that it is simply not possible to make these individuals seem small without fudging the facts.
Flexner, in this his second volume of a four volume standard of American biography, makes the strongest possible case for the greatness of George Washington.
Washington was a farmer, a man who delighted in his domestic life. He was also an exemplar of the classical mindset that was common among the founding generation. For these men and women, fame was to be sought as the founder of a just constitution or as the general who served his country to save it from foreign or domestic enemies not as a career or a means to power.
In some ways, Flexner's Washington reminds me of his near contemporary, Tecumseh. Both men seemed to have sought power as a modality of service. Hard to even imagine in this the Era of the Millionaire Serving His Own. Among other virtues, this book serves to remind us that there are many types of patriotism and that some of them can be the foundational virtue for truly admirable lives.
The structure of this book is quite brilliant. All but the last chapter is a straightforward narrative of the eight years that Washington spent as the Commander-In-Chief of the Continental Army. The last chapter, "Cincinnatus Assayed", serves as a summing up of Washington's quality as a general and an explanation of how that service prepared him for his Presidency to come. All of his points have been made by the preceding narrative and seem inconvertible.
Two examples: Washington struggled throughout the war with the unstable financing of his army by the various States. Part of the problem was the fact that the continental currencies became increasingly worthless. Under the tutelage of his friend, Robert Morris, Washington gained an understanding of the need for a strong national economy and monetary system. This understanding would then influence his reaction to the Hamilton-Jefferson debates that were to largely mark Washington's Presidency.
Another point that is worth pondering is how Washington's innate merciful nature served the development of a growing sense of nationalism in the various States. Whenever possible, Washington did not punish Tories, enemy soldiers, his own soldiers who violated his orders or civilians who lived in the areas where the war was being fought.
He seemed to understand that if you want to win the hearts and minds of a people that it is necessary to treat them as much as possible as if they were your neighbors. Time and time again in Flexner's narrative it is apparent how much this policy of restraint added to Washington's prestige and effectiveness. Our current George should pay more attention.
Finally, I would also like to recommend Charles Royster's great A Revolutionary People At War as a companion volume. Royster very effectively tells the history of the Army from the point of view of its soldiers. These two books together make it obvious just how lucky we were in the great founding generation. I can say this as a leftist and an American (not a contradiction and never has been): these were great men and women. We would do well to study their example.

This is volume #2 of the four volume masterpiece written by James Thomas Flexner on the life of George Washington. As we have read previously, George Washington was content living a life at Mount Vernon with his wife and family, but the tides are turning in the life of George Washington, bringing him to the forefront of leadership... albeit woefully prepared.

Now, in the skillfully written volume, we see the wartime deeds and the soul searching that Washington goes through. A man thrust from the bosom of his home and hearth, a civilian who is now to lead the Continental Army for the American Revolution. An army that is hardly an army... more like a patchwork of the American cross section of life and skills. No formal training, little leadship, under equiped was the army Washington was to have.

Washington at heart loved his army as they loved him is very evident. We see Washington's mood swings here, his wild furious temper... like an untamed bull, his mistakes, indiscretions,
and a great deal of personal misery... we now have the man of Washington revealed. Washington's path was that of a mortal man, not that of an Icon, a man all-to-human, frought with inadequacy. Washington has to reach down deep to keep his dream alive and instill it in the men he has to lead.

And to lead he did... being out-generaled by far superior forces was the norm for Washington, but nevertheless, always on the lookout for that shread of hope to call victory. Flexner writes of Washington's failures and the anguish of what Washington felt as the battles turned against him... but we also see the resourseful resolve coming to light, learning though trial and error... becoming the master of the American Revolution and the Continental Army.

But Washington never happier to be at home with his wife Martha is not forgotten either. Martha seemed to know what was really troubling Washington.

I found this volume much more interesting and with an impeccable eye for detail. Written in an engrossing and an engaging style that keeps you reading to find out the tidbits left out in your school's history books.

This is a solid and well documented work.

This is a great book!! It is certainly an underrated novel, and should be on display everywhere books are sold.
The only bad part about the book is the ending, only because that means that I have no more to read about Dorothy!

I can't wait for the next book.

********cans of yoohoo!*********days working in the movie theatres********driving home with friends after graduating college********The Doors movie********zima********whiskey and the battlefield**********

%%%%%%%%%% you bet!!! %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

I really can't wait for the next book, and the one after that, and the one after that......

I loved this book. The characters practically jumped off the page, they were so alive. I couldn't put it down. Great beach read.

This was truly an enjoyable read and I'm not a huge reader. I was hooked from the start and the character of Dottie continued to draw me in. Very revealing about how young female minds work - similar to An Egg on Three Sticks which I highly recommend.

This book took me by surprise - I couldn't put it down. Narrator sounds like a real teenager who ages convincingly chapter by chapter. Both funny and heartbreaking. if you liked this book, you'll probably like "Feeling Sorry for Celia (J. Moriarty)," "Shadow Baby (A. McGhee)," and "Durable Goods (E. Berg)."

I cannot believe that this book hasn't gotten the attention that it deserves. A Girl, In Parts is one of the most impressive debuts I've ever read. Jasmine Paul uses (apparently) simple language when she chronicles Dottie's growing pains. The realistic situations Dottie encounters -- sibling rivalry, hatred toward parents, crushes, experimentation -- as she grows from a precocious nine-year-old to an insecure adolescent are beautiful and poignant. I savored the final pages of this novel like fine wine -- I hated to see it end. I cannot recommend this novel enough. Book clubs would marvel at the excellent prose and sharp dialogue. A Girl, In Parts deserves a spot in every reader's library...

Magnificent....A moving awesome and accurate portrayal of a seventeen year old boy as he moves West in the 1800's. A real time adventure of legends, love and faith. A novel for all ages. For my take-----I loved it!

Additionally my wife Carol read this book and has the following comments:

Grave Talker by Linette Widen is a very enjoyable book which has all the elements that will leave you feeling sad and happy as you experience all of the adventures of this family in the late 1800's. Grave Talker leaves you wanting to know more about this family which is written in the sequel the Silver Womb.

This book was well written. The story line moves along nicely. Development of characters was excellent. Touches every range of human emotion. Can't wait to read the sequel. I highly recommend this book.

This is an awesome book and it's VERY hard to put down. All you want to do is keep reading to find out what happens to Jim Foster next. I believe I reached every emotion possible during the course of the book. I can hardly wait for the sequel to find out what happens next.

This is an excellent book about a young man and the adventures he encounters while seeking to make a life for himself. It takes place around the turn of the century. It has everything: Action, romance, suspense, etc. and is exquisitely written. I highly recommend it.

This is a wonderful story and hard to put down once you start. It touches on life and death, love and loss, while also taking place in an adventurous and historical context. Simply, a great read!

Lisa Couturier writes with great power and sensitivity, pulling the reader in, teaching and thrilling and spinning a yarn like no other nature writer. Along the way, the words tumble together in new ways, and the charm and delight flows in a torrent. In the end, we are moved, we have learned, and we want more. I hope you will share my delight with this book, and share it with friends. I've bought about 30 copies that I've given away to people I knew would enjoy it.

This book is just so great that ZipcodeZoo.com named Lisa Couturier Nature Writer of the Year.

I live near an eight-lane freeway, and every time I hit the onramp, I look for the red-tailed hawk that can be seen most days scanning for his prey from his perch on a light pole. He would no doubt prefer better hunting grounds than this ice plant thatch that shelters suburban rodents, but after we humans filled in the nearby wetlands and covered the hills with house tracts, this is about all we've left for him. My daily glimpse of him is a vitamin to me, and a reminder that I don't have to travel to a national park to have an encounter with wildlife.

For readers who routinely seek soul-restoring encounters with all that is wild, Lisa Couturier's The Hopes of Snakes will be a tonic. To refer to this book as a collection of essays would create a far too stuffy impression of it. Part of the subtitle, Tales from the Urban Landscape, pegs it precisely: this is a collection of personal reminiscences, musings, meditations and analyses that make for darn good storytelling. The common thread that stitches together all of these tales with a seamless cohesiveness is Couturier's abiding respect for wild animals, many species of which are scorned and hated when they edge themselves back into habitats that were stolen from them by humans.

True to its title, there are uplifting tales here, not just of snakes, but of coyotes, turkey vultures, pigeon ladies, and many others. Nevertheless, this is not an anthology of sticky-sweet, cute animal stories. The overriding tone is one of reverence, not sentimentality. Even so, Couturier's poignance is often moving, and when you read "Take the Long Way Home," a posthumous letter of thanks to Mr. Boyd, Couturier's neighbor and mentor of her high school years, you just might find yourself shedding a tear or two.

Even in the deepest heart of a city, the animal world is all around us, as my freeway redtail reminds me every day. The Hopes of Snakes will help you rediscover, in case you ever forgot it, that despite all our collective efforts to turn wilderness into "civilization," humankind does not exist in isolation from our animal kindred.

Students of urban natural history and casual readers alike receive a celebration of Northeast urban wildlife in The Hopes Of Snakes & Other Tales From The Urban Landscape. Her thirteen essays observe urban animals from Manhattan skyscraper-dwelling falcons to mice who live on the subway tracks of New York. Wildlife has adapted to human habitations in surprising ways: hers is a celebration of the underlying world of animals which live alongside people.

Lisa writes about her experiences with wildlife that occupy cities and suburbia and how they interact with humans. As Lisa writes, some animals fare very well while others do not.

Lisa's ability to capture small details about the cirtters with whom she interacts make her essays all the more endearing and important. Although accused of anthropomorphising about the surivivors of the Human onslaught, her descriptions present an important understanding of urban wildlife and enable many otherwise unknowing citydwellers the opportunity to engage with nature's cast outs.

As Julie Warner said in Doc Hollywood: "Most people are merely on the Earth, not a part of it." Lisa Couturier gives us the opportunity to experience first hand those rare species that share their world with the Human invaders.

The Hopes of Snakes is just such a book. From Manhattan to Washington, DC, Lisa Couturier takes her readers on an amazing journey by introducing us to things we may have taken for granted or may never have thought twice (or even once) about. As I have been reading the essays, my family and friends have had to endure my reading passages or quoting from the text, but none acted as though it were much of a struggle because the prose so ably draws one in.

Ms. Couturier not only writes with the beauty of a poet, she teaches along the way so that the reader comes away feeling thoughtful and enriched. I knew nothing about crows other than myths, but now, because I have read A Banishment of Crows, I look for them in the sky, count their numbers, am awed by and respect them.

In her essay, The Hopes of Snakes, she becomes the readers' hero because she does what we wish we could do in similar circumstances.

The essays reflect humor and sorrow and never shy away from the unpleasant. By the end, the reader closes the book, feeling fulfilled by the journey, and yet compelled to assert onself more fully in the environment so that not a moment is lost and the connection will remain.

I have hopes that this will be the first of many books by Lisa Couturier.

I REALLY loved this book. I like to read, but it's only sometimes that I find a book that I get hooked to. At first I just picked it out because it had a nice cover. I figured, since it was long and I was reading some other books at the time, that it would be another book that I would just get partway through. Reading about all these animals was so fun! Before this I had never heard of a bulbul or a sugar glider. It has cute illustrations too. I am definatly glad I read it and I think you will love it too!

My whole family loved THE HOUSE OF A MILLION PETS. I gave it to my 14-year-old for Christmas and then all the adults in the house snuck it and read it while he wasn't looking. It is both touching and hysterically funny. The stories reminded me of Jean Shepherd's books. A great gift for the pet-lover in your life.

Yes, this is ostensibly a children's book, so I started by reading it to my 9-year-old daughter one evening before she went to bed. However, it was so enjoyable that I couldn't resist continuing on my own. When I got to the chapter about the dogs I laughed so hard I thought I'd wake up the entire house. This book is simultaneously thoughtful and uproarious, practical and fun. It'll be the perfect kids' birthday present- I've already ordered several copies. Both my daughter and I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

Compared to animal lover and caretaker Hodgman, I'm a novice, with my dog and my beta fish, but her book is so inspiring, I'm thinking of getting a sugar glider or a white capped bulbul or maybe just a dachshund. Definitely not a baby bat, although I enjoyed reading about how she lovingly cared for one. This is a book I'll give my vet to keep in the waiting room. There's something for everyone in it, and it's hard to put it down, but when you do, you'll be smiling. The illustrations are precious; they work for readers of any age.

This is a charming book for all ages. The author describes her experiences with dozens of pets, from dogs and cats to prairie dogs, bulbuls, wild owls, and snapping turtles. The book imparts a lot of fascinating information, and at the same time is very funny. A great find!

I am the holistic skeptic in the title of this review. I picked up this book and figured it would be full of touchy-feely nonsense, but instead, I was enthralled. The case studies were entirely believable and the treatments were explained so well that the basic aspects of alternative veterinary medicine began to make sense. When I finished the book, I immediately began to explore educational opportunities so I could learn more than just the western medicine I'm familiar with (I'm a vet tech student). I even gave the book as a gift to a couple of friends because the stories were so wonderful and full of hope.

The only section of this book that I think should have been edited out was an odd description of the author sort of sashaying through her garden and listening to the plants talk to her or something peculiar along those lines. All the holistic medicine was professionally described and explained, and then the educational tone was tainted, in my opinion, by the peculiar fantasy passage. I think the book would be better off with those few pages removed, because it turned the author from "genius" to "crackpot" in my mind. I guess I'm still a bit of a skeptic about some stuff, but most of the book was excellent!

Okay, once I got past the 50's-textbook-cover design (which does an inadequate job of expressing the vitality of the book and its author), I discovered a dynamic, articulate animal advocate; a very knowledgeable veterinarian (both conventional and holistic, explaining acupuncture and the Chinese medicinal theory behind it, chiropractic, herbal & homeopathic solutions, and other alternative approaches); and a delightful storyteller. Her enthusiasm and personality fairly jump off the pages; her stories are well written and heartwarming/heartbreaking (18 chapters, 18 bouts of tears), and her advice is absolutely essential. The only challenge is keeping track of it all - I have tattered sticky-note bookmarks spewing from the book edges. She uses an interesting and effective structural rhythm: case stories followed by explorations of the medical issues and alternative medicine solutions each story brings up.

Dr. Kelleher is impassioned and opinionated (without ever judging or making me feel inadequate because, for example, I can't get my cats to eat home-cooked food), compassionate (her love of animals is glaringly apparent), brutally honest (revealing her heartbreaking frustration and despair at some cases), thoughtful and interesting (her embrace of holistic medicine is both well-reasoned while also quite intuitive as she tells the tale of her medical-intellectual-emotional-spiritual journey), and, at times, funny, like when she crawls around in a dirty crawlspace looking for her escaped tortoise muttering, "I am the worst tortoise mom in the whole world." By this point in the book, you can see her doing this and chuckling while a tear escapes the corner of your eye.

A great read: entertaining, heartwarming, informative, and ultimately hopeful. Any person owned by a pet will love (and benefit from) this book, even more so if your animal companion has medical challenges.

I read a LOT of animal-related books, and this is one of the very best. It is so well-written and engaging, that you can hardly put it down (although I had to often, just to process all the new information that Dr. Kelleher gave in each and every chapter). I have learned so much about holistic vet care from this book and really appreciate her knowledge and the way she shares it with us. Each chapter gives a beautiful, moving story about a particular animal and the health problems he or she has been going through, as well as the fears and frustrations that the animals' humans are experiencing. Probably most of us who have ever lived with animals have gone through those most difficult times, and I especially appreciated the love expressed by both Dr. Kelleher and the animals' caretakers in each instance.

I am now determined to find a holistic vet for my cats and am excited about starting them on the homemade cat diet that Dr. Kelleher gives us in the book (and, yes, there's a dog one too!). This is a must-have book for everyone who lives with an animal, and the stories are wonderful to read for all animal lovers.

If you are an animal lover, and are interested in miraculous stories of animal healing with alternative medicine -- YOU MUST OWN THIS BOOK! This is the best book on alternative healing I have seen. It is written in story form, very enjoyable to read and will have you crying with joy through the entire book at all of the animals' lives who were saved because this vet thought outside the box, and never gave up on an animal. I have taken this book to my holistic vet and we are helping a very sick cat of ours with the information we gleaned from it. He is getting better and would probably have had to be put to sleep if not for my having read this book. Thank you, Dr. Kelleher for your wisdom and compassion!

Written and compiled by holistic veterinarian Donna Kelleher, The Last Chance Dog And Other True Stories Of Holistic Animal Healing is a heartwarming anthology of stories about treating animals ranging from dogs and cats, to horses, turtles, birds, and more, through the application of alternative medicine. Engagingly narrated in a down-to-earth fashion, The Last Chance Dog is an engaging, entertaining, informative, and very highly recommended read for animal lovers everywhere.