Book Review: Thunder Dog

From the back cover: Every moment in Michael Hingson’s and Roselle’s lives seemed to lead up to this day. When one of the four hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center’s north tower on September 11, 2001, Hingson, a district sales manager for a data protection and network security systems company, was sitting down for a meeting. His guide dog, Roselle, was at his feet. Paired for twenty-one months, man and dog spent that time forging a bond of trust, much like police partners who trust their lives to each other.

 My take: This book was different from what I expected. The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center serves as the backdrop to the story of a blind man and his dog. But it goes beyond the 9/11 attacks. Hingson flashes back to his childhood and gives the reader an inside look at what his life was like growing up with no sight. Weaving the story of Hingson’s escape from the Towers with the unique challenges of learning to thrive in a sighted world gives even more depth to the story of a man and his dog. Reading Thunder Dog is more than a heartwarming story of trust. It will give you new appreciation and respect for what the handicapped can accomplish in the midst of great adversity.