Synopses & Reviews
Forced into early retirement by a spinal condition, Steven Wolf reluctantly left his family and moved to Arizona for its warm winter climate. A lifelong dog lover, the former hard-driving attorney is drawn to a local group that rescues retired racing greyhounds. When Comet, a once-abused cinnamon-striped racer, chooses to “adopt” Wolf, he has no idea that a life-altering relationship has begun—for both of them.
Racers, cruelly treated and exposed only to the track and cage, have no inkling of the most basic skills—walking on tile floors, climbing stairs, even playing with toys or children—so Wolf must show the mistrustful greyhound how to thrive in the real world. Gradually, a confident but mysterious spirit emerges from the stunning animal. And when Wolf’s health starts to worsen, the tables turn and Comet must now help Wolf with the most basic skills.
Wolf teaches her to be a service dog, and soon enough she’s hauling his wheelchair at top speed through airport terminals, towing his cart through the grocery store, helping him get out of bed, and attracting friends to Wolf’s isolated world. She plays a crucial role in restoring his health and even saving his marriage. Their unshakable faith in each other makes them winners once again.
Review
"Absolutely delightful! A very good book about a human whose life is transformed by a greyhound. Makes me want to adopt a greyhound right away!" --Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of Dogs Never Lie About Love
Review
“Comet the dog is worthy of the Canine Hall of Fame, and Comet the book is everything you want a memoir to be: wise, moving, honest, and true. I loved it, and so will you.” —Louis Bayard, author of The Pale Blue Eye
Review
“Told with abundant humor, humility, and a writing style as graceful as a greyhound, Comet’s Tale abounds with revelations of the way life surprises us. I loved this book!” —Anne Hillerman, author of Tony Hillerman’s Landscape
Review
“A powerful tale about life, family, and personal healing that reminds us all that greyhounds are love!”
—Christine A. Dorchak, president of GREy2k USA
Review
"Absolutely delightful! A very good book about a human whose life is transformed by a greyhound. Makes me want to adopt a greyhound right away!" --Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of Dogs Never Lie About Love
Review
Hudson News Best Books of 2012 Hudson News
Review
Shelf Awareness's Top Ten Best of 2012 for nonfiction Shelf Awareness
Review
"Both honest and heartwarming, and a wonderful salute to the power of man's best friend." Booklist
Review
"A powerful tale about life, family, and personal healing that reminds us all that greyhounds are love!" --Christine A. Dorchak, president of GREY2K USA
Hudson News Best Books of 2012
Shelf Awareness Nonfiction Top Ten Best of 2012
"Everything you want a memoir to be: wise, moving, honest, and true. I loved it, and so will you." --Louis Bayard, author of The Pale Blue Eye
"The close bond between man and dog is only part of this absorbing tale of love, family and dealing with disability . . . A heartwarming story that will hold appeal far beyond just animal lovers." --Kirkus Reviews
"Told with abundant humor, humility, and a writing style as graceful as a greyhound, Comet's Tale abounds with revelations of the way life surprises us. I loved this book!" --Anne Hillerman, author of Tony Hillerman's Landscape
"The story of Steven Wolf and his rescuer, Comet, is one of the best I know. I'm glad Comet saved Wolf's life so he could write this marvelous book." --Craig Johnson, author of the Longmire series
"Both honest and heartwarming, and a wonderful salute to the power of man's best friend." --Booklist
Review
andldquo;Part anthropology, part ethnography, part memoir, fully awesome, From the Mouths of Dogs is one of the loveliest, smartest, and most intimate celebrations [and] interrogations of heartbreak . . . that Iandrsquo;ve read in quite some time. . . . Hollars brilliantly reveals us as a species with equal need for the body and the dust, for history, for memory, for miracle.andrdquo;andmdash;Matthew Gavin Frank, author of Preparing the Ghost
Review
andldquo;B.J. Hollars allows us intimate glimpses of dog-human relationships that are not usually in public view: behind the scenes at a shelter, in a home for senior dogs, or in the makeshift pet cemetery at his childhood home. Any animal lover will eagerly absorb these stories of love, compassion, and, inevitably, grief.andrdquo;andmdash;Brenda Miller, author of Blessing of the Animals
Review
andquot;An honest, heartwarming choice for animal lovers.andquot;andmdash;Eric Liebetrau, Kirkus
Synopsis
Comet's Tale is a story about a friendship between two former winners, both a little down on their luck, who together stage a remarkable comeback. A former hard-driving attorney, Steven Wolf has reluctantly left his job and family and moved to Arizona for its warm winter climate. There he is drawn to a local group that rescues abused racing greyhounds. Although he can barely take care of himself because of a spinal condition, Wolf adopts Comet, an elegant cinnamon-striped racer. Or does Comet adopt Wolf?
Synopsis
What is it that dogs have done to earn the title of andldquo;manandrsquo;s best friendandrdquo;? And more broadly, how have all of our furry, feathered, and four-legged brethren managed to enrich our lives? Why do we love them? What can we learn from them? And why is it so difficult to say good-bye? Join B.J. Hollars as he attempts to find outandmdash;beginning with an ancient dog cemetery in Ashkelon, Israel, and moving to the present day.
Hollarsandrsquo;s firsthand reports recount a range of stories: the arduous existence of a shelter officer, a womanandrsquo;s relentless attempt to found a senior-dog adoption facility, a familyandrsquo;s struggle to create a one-of-a-kind orthotic for its bulldog, and the particular bond between a blind woman and her Seeing Eye dog. The book culminates with Hollarsandrsquo;s own cross-country journey to Hartsdale Pet Cemeteryandmdash;the countryandrsquo;s largest and oldest pet cemeteryandmdash;to begin the long-overdue process of laying his own childhood dog to rest.
Through these stories, Hollars reveals much about our pets but even more about the humans who share their lives, providing a much-needed reminder that the world would be a better place if we took a few cues from manandrsquo;s best friends.
About the Author
B.J. Hollars is an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Wisconsinandndash;Eau Claire. He is the author of Opening the Doors: The Desegregation of the University of Alabamaand the Fight for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa (winner of the Society of Midland Authors Award and the Blei/Derleth Nonfiction Award) and Thirteen Loops: Race, Violence, and the Last Lynching in America, among others.and#160;and#160;