Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Review: "The Dogs Were Rescued (And So Was I)" a journey to compassion

Teresa J. Rhyne has her life boiled down to the ABCs: A for alcohol, B for books, C for coffee and D for dogs.

In her New York Times bestselling book "The Dog Lived (and So Will I)," Rhyne learns the letter L is for love with the help of a beagle named Seamus. When cancer rears its head, Rhyne learns how love can help her get through it -- not once, but twice, once for her dog and once for her.

Teresa, Chris and Seamus. (PHOTO courtesy of Teresa Rhyne)
Now Rhyne, boyfriend Chris and Seamus the (famous) beagle are back in the upcoming follow-up, "The Dogs Were Rescued (And So Was I)."

This time Rhyne is learning about something new -- compassion.

 
If you are a reader of Rhyne's popular blog and Facebook page, some of the content in the book will seem familiar: her trip to India, the tragic loss of Seamus, and the arrival of two spunky beagles with horrific pasts: Daphne, a beagle found on the street, and Percival, a freagle from the Beagle Freedom Project.

But this book is about more than the next chapter in Rhyne's life. It's about her journey toward finding her place in the world, and being more compassionate towards all creatures.

Rhyne's style is so very easy to read. She's lively and witty and a tiny bit sarcastic... *ahem*. Even at her gloomiest Rhyne tries to be at least somewhat uplifting for the readers.

Another aspect of Rhyne's style that I appreciate relates to her move towards veganism. A decision she made in part because she was trying to get healthier, her ingestion of countless books and movies on corporate farming and treatment of livestock makes her a faithful acolyte of the movement.

But even with her new dislike of steaks and cheese she rarely makes the reader feel like she is preaching to them, belittling them because they enjoy a good cheeseburger now and then.

It's not about converting us. It's about hoping her journey teaches us something about ourselves and our own journey.

"The Dogs Were Rescued (And So Was I)" comes out Oct. 7. But if you pre-order or buy a print copy of the book now through Oct. 31, a portion of the proceeds will go to Beagle Freedom Project.  BFP works to free research lab beagles.

And stay tuned -- we interviewed Teresa Rhyne. We will release that interview Oct. 7. You can order now on Amazon.com!

FINE PRINT: I received an advanced copy of "The Dogs Were Rescued (And So Was I). However, the opinions in this review are my own.

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