Martha Sherrill is a former Washington Post staff writer known for her penetrating profiles of people, both famous and obscure. Her award-winning writing has appeared in Esquire and Vanity Fair, among other publications. She is the author of The Buddha from Brooklyn, a work of nonfiction, and two novels, My Last Movie Star and The Ruins of California. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son.
"Dog Man is a peerless tale of a life's work unfolding, written in
prose so spare, rare, and beautiful it took my breath
away...Written with equal parts rigor and grace, Dog Man captures
something near the knotty essence of the human bond with dogs."
-David Wroblewski, author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
"A spellbindingly beautiful and affecting story. Sherrill...extends
the story so deeply that it seems to stand for choices in all our
lives."
-Washington Post
"A portrait of Japan few outsiders see...A quirky story of heroism,
defiance, and dedication. A fascinating slice of cultural
history."
-Los Angeles Times
"Thrilling."
-The New York Times
Morie Sawataishi had never owned a dog, but in 1944, when the Japanese man was 30 years old, the desire for one came over him like a "sudden... craving." During WWII, snow country dogs were being slaughtered for pelts to line officers' coats; working for Mitsubishi in the remote snow country, Morie decided to rescue Japan's noble, ancient Akita breed-whose numbers had already dwindled before the war-from certain extinction. Raised in an elegant Tokyo neighborhood, his long-suffering wife, Kitako, hated country life, and his children resented the affection he lavished on his dogs rather than on them. The book brims with colorful characters, both human and canine: sweet-tempered redhead Three Good Lucks, who may have been poisoned to death by a rival dog owner; high-spirited One Hundred Tigers, who lost his tail in an accident; and wild mountain man Uesugi. To Western readers Morie's single-mindedness may seem selfish and Kitako's passivity in the face of his stubbornness incomprehensible, but former Washington Post staffer Sherrill (The Buddha from Brooklyn) imbues their traditional Japanese lifestyle with dignity, and Morie's adventures (he is now 94) should be enjoyed by dog lovers, breeders and trainers. B&w photos. (Mar. 3) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
"Dog Man is a peerless tale of a life's work unfolding,
written in prose so spare, rare, and beautiful it took my breath
away...Written with equal parts rigor and grace, Dog Man
captures something near the knotty essence of the human bond with
dogs."
-David Wroblewski, author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
"A spellbindingly beautiful and affecting story. Sherrill...extends
the story so deeply that it seems to stand for choices in all our
lives."
-Washington Post
"A portrait of Japan few outsiders see...A quirky story of heroism,
defiance, and dedication. A fascinating slice of cultural
history."
-Los Angeles Times
"Thrilling."
-The New York Times
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