BACK ON TRACK

[Dawn]

Post any comments here during or after reading the book

[Bob]

I'm about 50% through this one today (10 Jan 2020), and so far find it a bit tough to read. I guess I expected more about dogs, and there's been very little mention of dogs until Chapter 10. I'm hoping that will change, because otherwise it IS a very interesting story.

Anyone else have similar thoughts? Different thoughts?

[Bob]

Finished this early this morning and gave it 3.5 stars. While it did involve dogs a bit more after chapter 10, it never really focused much on them. It's an interesting read and quite inspirational, but I'm still disappointed because there's very little narrative or detail about how the dogs helped to improve the kids' lives. Here's the review I posted to Goodreads....

An interesting, inspiring book that certainly merits 3.5 stars. But nevertheless, I was disappointed in it. A title like "How One Man and His Dogs Are Changing the Lives of Rural Kids" seems to promise there's a lot about how the dogs impact the changes. But sadly, there's very little narrative that reveals this. It is an inspirational story about lifting kids up to try for their full potential, and an intriguing biography of Bernie Shakeshaft. But Shakeshaft's dogs are mentioned only peripherally. In fact, there's only a part of one chapter where they're given any real focus at all, and that seems only incidental. Nowhere are there any stories, examples or incidents about how any individual kids interacted with the dogs to learn, grow, develop or change.

So.... very disappointing. Dogs have so much to teach us and the book's title seems to imply we're about to learn something of how that can happen. But the narrative doesn't deliver. I won't belittle it by calling it a "puff piece," though at times it approaches that. Simply put, it's a biography of Bernie Shakeshaft, the founder of BackTrack. As such, it's interesting and intriguing. But not very revealing about how his dogs affect the outcomes.

[Dawn]

I'm afraid I gave up on this one - which is very rare for me - it annoys me to not finish a book. I got about 25% of the way through but was skimming words to get through and found it difficult to maintain interest so I let it go. Life's too short and too many good books out there.

I am sure this is a wonderful program that does amazing things with at risk youth and I'm sure Bernie Shakeshaft is an incredible man, but I'm afraid I was really after a book on dogs - and this really is about the man (I didn't get as far as the program).

So a tad disappointed. I'm sure its a great story, just not for me.

[Bob]

I had the same feelings about it, Dawn. Very disappointing book that does not deliver what the title promises. But was determined to finish it & found it a real struggle. Perhaps that's why it took me a month to finish it.

[Erin]

I've only just picked this one up (joined late to the group, so catching up on the current reads) I'm just through the first chapter so we'll see how I go! I hoped dogs would be in this more from what I've read on here as dogs in his program seemed to be the focus?

[Dawn]

Erin wrote: "I've only just picked this one up (joined late to the group, so catching up on the current reads) I'm just through the first chapter so we'll see how I go! I hoped dogs would be in this more from w..."

Bob has read ist all Erin, I didn't even get half way through, but from what I've read - yes, the focus was definitely on the program!

[Bob]

The dogs received only peripheral mentions throughout the book, Erin. There were only 2-3 pages or so that actually made me think the focus would change to the dogs. But it didn't. The book as a whole is more of a biography of Shakeshaft and didn't even go much into the program. I found it very disappointing but struggled through the whole thing hoping for better.