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RESCUE ROAD

Name: RESCUE ROAD
Author: Peter Zheutlin
ISBN: 978-1-4926-1407-4

ONE MAN, THIRTY THOUSAND DOGS, AND A MILLION MILES ON THE LAST HOPE HIGHWAY

by Peter Zheutlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2015

An unabashedly sentimental and affecting portrait of a modern-day animal-loving hero.

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One man’s dedicated mission to rescue death-row dogs across the country.

Freelance journalist Zheutlin began saving dogs after finally giving in, in his late 50s, to adopting a yellow Lab for his family, a pet with whom to “grow old together.” This decision spurred interest in the global rescue dog movement, bringing him face to face with seasoned veteran puppy savior Greg Mahle, whose “Rescue Road Trips” organization transports dogs via trailer from barbaric kill shelters in the rural South (an area particularly indifferent to spaying and neutering animals) to points north. Early on, he even accepted stray “throwaways” right from roadways and dumpsters. In 2014, Mahle’s efforts garnered national attention on the Today Show, which exploded his group’s popularity. Energized to participate, Zheutlin began shadowing Mahle, gaining insight into his motivations and how he began the revelatory rescue work after the last of his family’s five restaurants closed in 2005. The biography paints him as a traditional man, married to longtime companion Adella, a stepdad to her son, Connor, and still driving the same old white panel van used in his very first rescue transport missions. The author accompanied Mahle on three of his fee-based rescue missions inside the gargantuan, kennel-filled tractor trailer typically filled with upward of 80 dogs collected and diligently transported to “forever homes” with adoptive families in the Northeast. The exhaustive gathering process and continuous care of the dogs and the tender, unavoidable human-animal bonding experience that transpired ground the book with heart and immense compassion. Written with straightforward clarity, much of the book’s spirit is generated from chronicling Mahle’s honorable and humanitarian work with severely at-risk animals and the emotional investment of the movement’s many contributors. Zheutlin’s closing chapter offers useful advice to readers eager to adopt their own rescued pet.

An unabashedly sentimental and affecting portrait of a modern-day animal-loving hero.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4926-1407-4

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Review Posted Online: June 16, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE DOG WENT OVER THE MOUNTAIN
by Peter Zheutlin

- BOOK REVIEW
AROUND THE WORLD ON TWO WHEELS
by Peter Zheutlin

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.