Steve Almond: “‘Dog Medicine’ is a Gorgeous Howl in the Dark”

To say we were overwhelmed and delighted to receive a blurb about Julie Barton’s Dog Medicine from Steve Almond, iconic bestselling author of Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America and Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto, is to insult the words overwhelmed and delighted. With his permission we are sharing the blurb here: “Dog Medicine is the kind of memoir that will bring tears of sadness and joy to anyone who has ever felt rescued from mental illness by a pet. It is a memoir about how the right animal can inspire not just hope but mercy. Julie Barton’s prose is lyrical and unflinching, a gorgeous howl in the darkness that leads the reader into the light.”

Isn’t that wonderful? It was the second blurb of last week that dropped our socks. The other came from Ellen Lesser, who is the author of The Other Woman and the director of the Postgraduate Writers’ Conference at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Here’s what Ellen shared with us:

“If you’ve ever loved an animal; if you’ve ever hated or doubted yourself; if you’ve fought against the darkness of depression—then Julie Barton’s memoir is your kind of medicine. Just as Barton and her beloved Bunker finding and saving each other feels meant to be, this woman was meant to write, so she could tell us this brave and beautiful mental health story. Through the magic of their journey, I’ve had my own heart cracked open and healed. Like Bunker himself, this book is that most precious of gifts: a true soul companion.”

Stay tuned, friends.