Synopses & Reviews
A humorous, thoughtful, absorbing narrative about
the metaphysical joys of a simple daily task
Imagine if Annie Dillard had taken a dog along with her to Tinker Creek. Now imagine Tinker Creek was a New Jersey suburb, and you have an idea of the surprises that await in John Zeamans book. Humorous, thought-provoking, and playful, Dog Walks Man might also be called Zen and the Art of Dog Walking. Zeaman takes us on a journey from a 'round-the-block fraternity of dog-walking dupes”suburban fathers who indulged their childrens wish for a dogto a strange and forbidden wonderland at the edge of town, the New Jersey Meadowlands. Along the way, he rediscovers childhoods forgotten fringe places,” investigates the mysteries of the natural world, and experiences moments of inexplicable joy.
Each chapter of Dog Walks Man is a bite-size meditation on the wisdom derived from dogs and dog walking. Woven into the narrative are musings on such familiar dog-walking issues as the war of nerves that precedes each walk (or w-a-l-k” if your dog is in earshot), the problem of dog-walking monotony, and why dog walkers are always the ones to discover dead bodies. This is also the story of Pete, the prescient standard poodle who begins as the family glue” and evolves into Zeamans partner on a journey through an abandoned landscape as alive as any jungle.
Above all, Dog Walks Man is about a search for wholeness in an increasingly artificial world. It is about discovering what Thoreau meant when he wrote, in his seminal essay Walking,” Life consists with wildness.” Because the truth is, something as simple as walking the dog can open up unexpected worlds.
An excerpt
In the beginning, I walked around the block. Or a couple of blocks. It didnt seem to matter. That it didnt matter was in itself novel. It had been a long time since I had gone out without any particular destination or direction, without knowing whether I was going to turn left or turn right at the end of the front walk. . . .
The simple aimlessness of it made me feel like a kid again. . . .
Pete, with his boundless enthusiasm for the outside world, was like the reincarnation of that juvenile self. Wed hit the sidewalk and, like two kids with nothing special to do, spend a half-hour meandering about. We were suburban vagabonds. In the mornings, with the whole world rushing to get somewhere, there was something almost subversive about roaming around with a companion who had no responsibilities.
We walked the irregular streets of our hilly town. We each had our compulsions. I revived the childhood aversion to stepping on cracks. Pete made sure that every tree was marked with his scent. . . .
At night, Pete and I would escape the sometimes-suffocating sweetness of family lifethe pajamas and stories, the smell of toothpaste and sheets, the damp goodnight kisses and prolonged hugs. Wed slip out into the silky night like a pair of teenage boys with high hopes for a Saturday night. Wed walk beneath the streetlights from one pool of light to the next. The people in the houses would drift past the windows like aquarium fish. Pete, with his black coat, was practically invisible in the dark stretches and I would let him off the leash.
Review
John Zeaman looks at an activity that can fill hundreds of hours over the period of year, but has never had its own bardnamely, walking a dog. More than a consideration of the human-animal bond, this book is an amusing and thoughtful look at our ever changing environment and the flow of our lives. Well worth reading.” Stanley Coren, author of
The Modern Dog A very well-written and funny John McPheestyle approach to . . . dog walking. . . . Fascinating.”
Publishers Weekly, Rep Picks for Fall 2010
Review
"
Dog Walks Man by John Zeaman is a contemplative and humorous exploration of one of the simplest pleasures: walking with a dog. The narrative's strength comes from its quiet, meditative pacing. Whether he's walking along suburban alleys with Pete, the Poodle, or exploring the phantasmagorical landscape of New Jersey's Meadowlands, the author's musings on life's wildness are a pleasure and joy."
Bark magazine, Editor's Lit Picks "Journalist John Zeaman creates a masterpiece of contemplation in
Dog Walks Man: A Six-Legged Odyssey. . . . His droll observations on dog-walking combine insight, solace and meditation, taking readers into the heart of a routine task, dusting the ordinary with the divine." --
Bookpage "'Suburban vagabonds' Pete and John explore the wild fringes of their neighborhood. . . . Pete never fails to lift the author's spirits: Each walk is an adventure, each return home has the level of emotion 'of Odysseus catching sight of Ithaca on the horizon.'"
—Los Angeles Times “John Zeaman looks at an activity that can fill hundreds of hours over the period of year, but has never had its own bard—namely, walking a dog. More than a consideration of the human-animal bond, this book is an amusing and thoughtful look at our ever changing environment and the flow of our lives. Well worth reading.”—Stanley Coren, author of The Modern Dog “A very well-written and funny John McPhee-style approach to . . . dog walking. . . . Fascinating.”
—Publishers Weekly, Rep Picks for Fall 2010
"A thought-provoking and always entertaining series of observations about what (Zeaman) has learned from dogs and dog walking....Anyone who has ever owned a dog will treasure this wonderful book."- Alan Caruba, Editor / Bookviews.com "Memoir readers—not just New Jerseyans or nature lovers/dog people—will find this books gentle humor and wisdom, its exploration of the strange and ordinary, thoroughly absorbing. Highly recommended." —Library Journal "These essays are alternatively humorous and poignant . . . The author speaks from a place of great affection for dogs, nature, doggie dads (that "brotherhood of dupes"), and New Jersey." --Publishers Weekly
"If you've even felt that the simple pleasure of walking a dog elevates an outing in nature to the sublime, you'll have plenty to relate to in Zeaman's funny and joyful memoir of his years as the family dog-walker. An entertaining, thought-provoking narrative about the search for wholeness in an increasingly artificial world, dog lovers will relate to Zeaman's observations on how this simple task can open up unexpected worlds." --Modern Dog Magazine
Synopsis
A humorous, thoughtful, absorbing narrative about
the metaphysical joys of a simple daily task Imagine if Annie Dillard had taken a dog along with her to Tinker Creek. Now imagine Tinker Creek was a New Jersey suburb, and you have an idea of the surprises that await in John Zeaman's book. Humorous, thought-provoking, and playful, Dog Walks Man might also be called Zen and the Art of Dog Walking. Zeaman takes us on a journey from a 'round-the-block fraternity of dog-walking dupes--suburban fathers who indulged their children's wish for a dog--to a strange and forbidden wonderland at the edge of town, the New Jersey Meadowlands. Along the way, he rediscovers childhood's forgotten fringe places, investigates the mysteries of the natural world, and experiences moments of inexplicable joy. Each chapter of Dog Walks Man is a bite-size meditation on the wisdom derived from dogs and dog walking. Woven into the narrative are musings on such familiar dog-walking issues as the war of nerves that precedes each walk (or w-a-l-k if your dog is in earshot), the problem of dog-walking monotony, and why dog walkers are always the ones to discover dead bodies. This is also the story of Pete, the prescient standard poodle who begins as the family glue and evolves into Zeaman's partner on a journey through an abandoned landscape as alive as any jungle. Above all, Dog Walks Man is about a search for wholeness in an increasingly artificial world. It is about discovering what Thoreau meant when he wrote, in his seminal essay Walking, Life consists with wildness. Because the truth is, something as simple as walking the dog can open up unexpected worlds. John Zeaman writes an arts column for Design NJ magazine and reviews art for The Record and Newark's Star-Ledger. He was the art critic and design writer at The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) for more than twenty years, has won numerous journalism awards, and is the author of a series of children's books called Before They Were Pets. Zeaman's young adult book, Overpopulation, was selected for the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age list. He lives in Leonia, New Jersey.
Synopsis
Zeaman takes us on a journey from a 'round-the-block fraternity of dog-walking dupes”suburban fathers who indulged their childrens wish for a dogto a strange and forbidden wonderland at the edge of town, the New Jersey Meadowlands. Along the way, he rediscovers childhoods forgotten fringe places,” investigates the mysteries of the natural world, and experiences moments of inexplicable joy.
Synopsis
A humorous, thoughtful, absorbing narrative about the metaphysical joys of a simple daily task.
Synopsis
A dog doing a four-legged dance while you clip on his leash may seem enthusiastic to the point of absurdity, but hes got the right idea. A dog out in the wide world doesnt know how to be unhappy or out of step with what the present moment might bring. Or so author John Zeaman discovers in this compelling and powerful meditation on the simple wisdom derived from dogs and walking with them.
Woven into the narrative are musings on such familiar dog-walking issues as the war of nerves that precedes each walk (or “w-a-l-k” if your dog is in earshot), the problem of dog-walking monotony, and why dog walkers are always the ones to discover dead bodies. Along the way, Zeaman rediscovers childhoods forgotten “fringe places,” investigates the mysteries of the natural world, and experiences moments of inexplicable joy. This is also the story of Pete, the prescient standard poodle, who begins as the “family glue” and evolves into Zeamans partner on a journey through an abandoned landscape as alive as any jungle.
Ultimately, Dog Walks Man is about a search for wholeness in an increasingly artificial world. It is about discovering what Thoreau meant when he wrote, “Life consists with wildness.” Because the truth is, something as simple as walking the dog can open up unexpected worlds.
Synopsis
As the years have gone by, Ive noticed a strange phenomenon. More and more of my life has become bound up with this simple activity. Exercise? I get it walking the dog.Contemplation? I get some of my best thinking done.
Human companionship? Ive made a great friend.Adventure? Every dog walk is different.A sense of eternity? Every dog walk is the same. . . .
There is a hope that a dog injects into every walk, more than a hope—an expectation, really that this is going to be something wonderful. Youll see, says the dog, something great is going to happen—just you wait.
—from the Introduction
About the Author
John Zeaman writes an arts column for Design NJ magazine and reviews art for The Record (Bergen County, NJ) and the Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ). He was the art critic and design writer at The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) for more than twenty years, has won numerous journalism awards, and is the author of a series of childrens books called “Before They Were Pets.” Zeamans young adult book, Overpopulation, was selected for the New York Public Librarys “Books for the Teen Age” list.