Review and Giveaway: Following Atticus by Tom Ryan
I’m not the hiker in our family — that honor has to go to Greg — but I’ve spent some time hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Here’s a photo of Badger in the Alpine Garden on Mount Washington from a couple of summers ago…
Most of the mountain hikes I do these days with the dogs are limited to puny little hills hardly worth the word “mountain,” but just you try heaving a 55-pound dog over a boulder a few times in an afternoon and see if that doesn’t tire you out for the walk!
All the same, my experiences in the Whites (and Greg’s) made me especially tickled to be able to review Tom Ryan’s Following Atticus. It’s a local story, starring mountains and towns I know. Discovering how other people have walked the same paths makes reading the story even more pleasurable.
Following Atticus is more than just Tom Ryan’s love letter to the White Mountains and to his dog. It’s a tale of change, of transformation.
Ryan begins his adventure story in Newburyport, MA, where his entire life revolves around his work as owner and editor of local paper The Undertoad. He loves his work. He loves the town, its characters, its contentious small-town politics. He enjoys making enemies almost as much as he does making friends. Being the voice of The Undertoad might not make much of a living, but it sure makes a helluva life… until two unrelated events send him on his journey.
The first occurs when, against his better judgment, he adopts a neglected old Miniature Schnauzer named Max. Maxwell Garrison Gillis thrives under Ryan’s care, becoming a local celebrity in his own right and expanding his owner’s world to include what the late Caroline Knapp called a “pack of two.” This is a slippery slope; it’s what leads us to trade Mini Coopers for minivans and to ditch condos for acreage and livestock, just for the dogs. Once that door in your heart opens, you can never close it again.
The second takes place a bit later, when Max’s successor Atticus M. (for Max) Finch accompanies Ryan and his brothers on a hike in the mountains. Atticus proves to be the best hiker of the bunch, and Ryan rediscovers the peace, beauty, and majesty of the mountains. Eventually, small-town life just doesn’t seem to fit as well any more. Ryan’s life and living quarters need to expand to include the entire Presidential Range.
The book and the journey explore other themes, too. Through his trips into the mountains and his love of the Transcendentalists, Ryan rekindles a relationship with his distant and difficult father — and, in the process, discovers how much of his father’s dreams he has inherited.
Ryan and Atticus meet challenges, conquer their fears, and push themselves ever farther to raise funds for the Jimmy Fund and for the MSPCA, in the name of a hiker friend back in Newburyport who succumbed to cancer. They vow to hike all of the forty-eight 4000-foot peaks in the Whites not once, but twice — and in the winter!
Maybe most importantly of all, they discover community, on and off the mountains. When Atticus faces medical challenges, their legions of friends and fans band together to help him get needed vet care in a canine version of the last scenes of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” No man — or dog — is poor who has friends.
Following Atticus the book is more-or-less distilled from Tom Ryan’s hiking blog, The Adventures of Tom and Atticus. If you discover that you can’t get enough after finishing the book, then mosey on over to the blog. Whereas the book is more focused and on-topic, Ryan’s pre-book blog posts often ramble — and the places they go are unexpected treats on their own.
Here’s the book trailer, starring Atticus himself…
Want to Read Following Atticus?
We have a copy to give away! If you want to be transported to the mountains in the company of Tom Ryan and Atticus, then follow these wicked simple rules…
Wicked Simple Rules
- Leave a comment here on the blog and tell me: What is the last dog book you’ve read?
- Please leave the comments on the blog. Facebook comments are always enjoyed and appreciated, but you need to comment on the blog to win the book.
- Like the Following Atticus book page on Facebook.
- Entries close on Friday, November 25.
As always, the winner will be selected at random by comment number.
The last dog book I read was “A Dog’s Purpose”, by W. Bruce Cameron.
This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog’s search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog’s Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life’s most basic question: Why are we here?
Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey’s search for his new life’s meaning leads him into the loving arms of 8-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog.
But this life as a beloved family pet is not the end of Bailey’s journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders—will he ever find his purpose?
Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog’s Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog’s many lives, but also a dog’s-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man’s best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.
The last dog book I read is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Absolutely loved it and have recommended it many times in the last year and a half. Hope they make a movie of it. At first I was reluctant because of the NASCAR setting which is not a sport I follow. But very quickly found out that it was about true love between a dog and his family. One of the sweetest stories I’ve ever read.
Currently reading both Dog Sense by John Bradshaw and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Dog Sense is interesting by reads like a text; dry. Edgar is beautifully written but I’ve had a sense of dread throughout the entire book.
[...] Don’t look now! Not only are we giving away this book… [...]
The last book I read was “Heaven is for Real” by Todd Burpo. Its the story of a little boy’s detailed story of his trip to heaven and back during an emergency appendectomy. If you had doubts about heaven you won’t after reading this book. I highly recommend it!
The book I go to at times is Chicken Soup for the cat and Dog Lover’s Soul.