{BookSneeze} Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson

Book Description

A blind man and his guide dog show the power of trust and courage in the midst of devastating terror.

It was 12:30 a.m. on 9/11 and Roselle whimpered at Michael’s bedside. A thunderstorm was headed east, and she could sense the distant rumbles while her owners slept. As a trained guide dog, when she was “on the clock” nothing could faze her. But that morning, without her harness, she was free to be scared, and she nudged Michael’s hand with her wet nose as it draped over the bedside toward the floor. She needed him to wake up.

With a busy day of meetings and an important presentation ahead, Michael slumped out of bed, headed to his home office, and started chipping away at his daunting workload. Roselle, shivering, took her normal spot at his feet and rode out the storm while he typed. By all indications it was going to be a normal day. A busy day, but normal nonetheless. Until they went into the office.

In Thunder Dog, follow Michael and his guide dog, Roselle, as their lives are changed forever by two explosions and 1,463 stairs. When the first plane struck Tower One, an enormous boom, frightening sounds, and muffled voices swept through Michael’s office while shards of glass and burning scraps of paper fell outside the windows.

But in this harrowing story of trust and courage, discover how blindness and a bond between dog and man saved lives and brought hope during one of America’s darkest days.

My Thoughts


I typically do not like non-fiction books. It takes me forever to get started and I rarely finish them. Not because they aren't good books, but I prefer fiction. However, that was not the case with Thunder Dog. This was the most riveting book I've read in a long time. Michael Hingson is a wonderful story-teller. Yes, it is true he is blind, but that was not the focus of this book. 


To him being blind is like being left-handed. He just is and he lives his to the fullest. I thought the book part 9/11 remembrance, part advocacy for the blind, and part autobiography. Mr. Hingson deftly weaves his life story with how he survived the destruction of the World Trade Center tours. 


I was a bit leery to read it simply because the story of 9/11 still gets me. I didn't want to spend the time I was reading crying. But that's just me. Thankfully I didn't. I think I teared up a time or two, but I was too enthralled with finding out how Mr. Hingson not only learned to ride his bicycle around his neighborhood (much to the chagrin of his neighbors and the encouragement of his parents) but how he managed to make his way out of New York on that fateful day. 


I highly, highly recommend reading this book. 

 

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this book reviews. I was given a copy of the book through Book Sneeze to read in exchange for my review. Of course, this arrangement works well for me since I love to read! I was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.