A Rainbow for a Friend

by Mikhail Samarsky, Lenny Rossolovski (Translator), Lawrence Payne (Editor), Gennady Samoilov (Illustrator)

Overview

A teenage author has conquered the literary frontiers of Russia, and at last he's coming to America. Mikhail Samarsky's hot-selling book, "A Rainbow for a Friend," explores the wilds of a great city--and beyond--from a unique perspective. The hero of this story is Trisong, a guide dog for the blind. To Trisong . . . or "Trisha," as his young fosterling Sasha calls him . . . the mission is to lead a newly blind boy through the ins and outs of daily life in Moscow. That sounds easy enough for a highly trained Labrador retriever. Ah, but things change with a kidnapping, a "vacation" with well-meaning but uninformed strangers, a jailing by the police, run-ins with troublemakers and street dogs, and even a rescue of his own. Through it all, two things keep Trisong steadily on the path forward: the curiously hilarious wisdom of old Ivan, his previous fosterling; and young Sasha's wish for a sign of hope in this world. Can Trisong make it through the craziness of his human environment and bring Sasha what he wants most? "A Rainbow for a Friend" will have you laughing, crying, thinking and shouting victory. It's a story that has been loved and shared by nearly 300,000 Russian readers, and now it's available in an authorized English version. Read Mikhail Samarsky's "A Rainbow for a Friend," and see the world through new eyes.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940016512402
Publisher:	L&L Publishing
Publication date:	07/03/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	396 KB

About the Author

Mikhail Samarsky wrote his first book when he was 13 years old, and by age 17 he had published four books, amassing sales in excess of 260,000 copies. He was born in Russia and raised in an artistic family. In fact, his father is a successful playwright, and his mother is the author of popular detective novels. Mikhail graduated from high school in 2013 and received admission to the Moscow University School of Global Processes.
Mikhail founded the "Living Hearts" charitable fund at age 15 for the benefit of blind children. Thanks to his perseverance--and a dogged dedication to his mission--he was able to meet the President of Russia and persuade him to make some legislative changes for the sake of the vision-impaired. This effort, like everything else Mikhail does, helped establish him as a young crusader for humanistic causes. Today his observations of daily life constitute one of the country's most widely read blogs.
"A Rainbow for a Friend," Mikhail's first book, has been translated into various languages, most recently English. The book follows the adventures of a Labrador retriever called Trisong as he cares for his fosterling . . . while occasionally fending for himself. More importantly, it is written from the dog's perspective. Through Trisong's eyes we see the folly, bravery, humor and pathos of human existence, always with the refreshing lack of bias that only a canine can possess. For his part, Trisong is by turns tender, wisecracking, resourceful, diplomatic and courageous. He's as heroic as any dog of history or fiction, but he's too busy in his capacity as a guide dog to gloat about all that. Trisong simply believes any dog should strive to be useful. As for cats, he isn't quite sure such a thing is possible!
"A Rainbow for a Friend" is an engaging read for anyone who has ever wondered what any animal could possibly find so lovable about people. After all, even a specialized guide dog such as Trisong, while devoting himself to the needs of a blind child, must negotiate a world in which his methods and motives are rarely understood. Thus he reminds us that people aren't the only citizens of the world. He proposes a new sensibility--a twenty-first century ethos--in which animals might be accorded some acknowledgment of their own citizenship.
Ultimately, "A Rainbow for a Friend" teaches an essential lesson about the need for kindness and acceptance. Aren't those the qualities our world needs most?