A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home: Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher

by Sue Halpern Narrated by Karen White

Overview

At loose ends with her daughter leaving home and her husband on the road, Sue Halpern decided to give herself and Pransky, her under-occupied Labradoodle, a new leash-er, lease-on life by getting the two of them certified as a therapy dog team. Smart, spirited, and instinctively compassionate, Pransky turned out to be not only a terrific therapist but an unerring moral compass. In the unlikely sounding arena of a public nursing home, she led her teammate into a series of encounters with the residents that revealed depths of warmth, humor, and insight Halpern hadn't expected. And little by little, their adventures expanded and illuminated Halpern's sense of what virtue is and does-how acts of kindness transform the giver as well as the given-to.



Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt-showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding)-taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Time and again, anecdotes bolster her contention that in places where 'life is in the balance,' it is possible to get to the essentials about human nature." ---Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"Time and again, anecdotes bolster her contention that in places where 'life is in the balance,' it is possible to get to the essentials about human nature." —Publishers Weekly

JULY 2013 - AudioFile

A wonderful writer explores the meaning of being human through the encounters she and her therapy dog have at a nursing home. Avoiding sentimentality, her gaze ennobles the residents as they adjust to their losses, survive insults, and permit her dog to awaken lost sentiments and abilities. Karen White’s authentic interpretation of this moving book elevates Halpern’s humane writing. Sounding perfectly in tune with the author's sensibilities and never losing track of the broader themes, she glides through the poetic, be-there-now passages so comfortably that you can almost see the residents’ minimalist clothing and smell the cafeteria food down the hall. White also understands the role of the dog in the story: to help Halpern deliver her philosophical message without sounding too didactic. T.W. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170311699
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	05/16/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Introduction
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Excerpted from "A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Sue Halpern.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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