The Abingdon book group recently read Rescuing Sprite by Mark R. Levin. As the title indicates, it is the story of a man who adopts a rescued dog. All of the group are or have been pet owners and this session provoked both sad and amusing stories of our own pets. However, only one person in the group liked this book and said she had used a lot of tissues as it is very sad. We thought it was poorly written, very unsophisticated, "written at a fourth grade level" was one comment, and the tone of the book was very self-pitying. We all felt terribly sorry for the dog, and for the writer who had lost his best friend. Many people have had to face this same situation and deal with their grief and may identify with the owner. For those people this may be a useful book to read.
We thought a more interesting and more entertaining read was the bestseller Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan. To be released as a movie in December 2008, starring Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Alan Arkin, & Eric Dane. Also on a different note The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery(2006)is a delightful book about how a pig affects its family.
Mark R. Levin is a nationally syndicated talk radio host and president of Landmark Legal Foundation. He has also worked as an attorney in the private sector and as a top adviser and administrator to several members of President Reagan's cabinet. The author of the New York Times bestselling book Men in Black: How the Supreme Court Is Destroying America, Mark holds a B.A. from Temple University and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law.
