Hey, where's our copy????
Posted on 02/24/2006 9:30:01 AM PST by churchillbuff
The tale of a rambunctious puppy is proving its staying power in the dog-eat-dog world of U.S. best-sellers.
With more than 1 million copies in print, "Marley and Me -- Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" has struck a chord with dog lovers who are laughing and crying over author John Grogan's account of his yellow Labrador retriever.
The story is more than a recounting of Marley's antics that include chewing through doors, expulsion from obedience school, clawing paint off concrete walls, devouring furniture, swallowing valuable jewelry and swooning over soiled diapers.
The excitable, good-natured lab also knows how to protect the family's tiny children and consoles the couple when they grieve over a miscarriage.
The nonfiction book has been on The New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks. It seems likely to break the barrier of a million copies sold, a feat generally accomplished by no more than a dozen books each year in the U.S. hardcover non-fiction market.
"It's really not just a dog book," Grogan said in an interview with Reuters.
"Before Marley, our life was about career, relationship, and ourselves," said Grogan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He helped us shift from an egocentric life to something more generous."
In the book, Grogan wrote: "Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things -- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in the shaft of winter sunlight.
"And as he grew old and achy, he taught he about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty."
Grogan said he realized the appeal of Marley's story after the 13-year-old dog died in 2003, and he wrote about the experience in his newspaper column.
The column evoked responses from some 800 readers, 20 times the volume of mail his columns usually generated.
I've got my calendar cleared to read this this weekend.
This is front page news? This is about the tenth thread I've seen on this book.
I've never even heard of the book.
I've said it before and will say it again:
AT LEAST THE DOG HAD PLENTY TO CRAP ON.
Read it. Loved it!!!
LOL, I've got one of those. 90 pounds and almost 6 years old, and people still think she's a puppy.
Material for future Disney movie?
Here's one from the New York Times
Hey, where's our copy????
Hey, where's our copy????
I'll have to check this one out. I raised two black labs. Great dogs - truly wonderful family pets!
I thought this was going to be about Splash the Wonderdog!
First time I've seen it, thank you.
I just lost my own dog 7 weeks ago and have avoided reading it because I'll get all teary !
I'll read it eventually but my dog years are over and it's so sad !
Some people are just wound too tight...
I am happy and grateful to see this thread.
It sounds like the wonderful James Herriott redux...I'll read it.
How is this front page news. Last I saw, book reviews were in the entertainment section.
If you'd bother to read the thread before posting, you might have noticed that I posted an article on this book a month ago. In chat where it belonged. The book is entertaining. It's just not "Front Page News." That's all.
If I had posted this story to "News/Current Events" or "Extended" I probably would have gotten suspended for a week.
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