Dayton Daily News

Big Read explores ‘The Underdogs,’ the local service-dog organizati­on

- Sharon Short Book Nook

“Love, empathy, sensitivit­y — humans have those feelings,” says Melissa Fay Greene, author of ‘The Underdogs: Children, Dogs, And the Power of Unconditio­nal Love.”

“But dogs have those feelings and attributes, too.”

The power of dogs to naturally connect with humans, particular­ly children who are emotionall­y isolated due to a disability, trauma, illness or other cause, is the underlying theme of Melissa’s newest nonfiction book, which has garnered widespread praise and is also the selection for this year’s Dayton-area Big Read.

Big Read events for “The Underdogs” commence March

5. The book was chosen by popular vote last fall; this spring, the book is the focus of the annual community reading project hosted by area libraries, colleges, Books & Co., and others. From a press release from the Dayton Metro Library, sponsoring organizati­ons are:

■ Books and Co

■ Bradford Public Library

■ Dayton Metro Library

■ Franklin-Springboro Public Library

■ Germantown Public Library

■ Greene County Public Library

■ Kettering College

■ New Carlisle Public Library

■ Project READ

■ Sinclair Community College

■ Tipp City Public Library

■ Troy-Miami County Public Library

■ University of Dayton

■ Washington-Centervill­e Public Library

■ Wright Memorial Public Library

■ Wright State University Libraries

“The Underdogs” specifical­ly tells the story of 4 Paws for Ability, the Xenia-based service dog organizati­on, several of the children and families it has served, and founder Karen Shirk, who started 4 Paws in 1998. Its mission is to help children with disabiliti­es and veterans from recent conflicts with the placement of service dogs, while educating the public about service dogs. The organizati­on has place more than Learn more about the organizati­on and its story at www.4pawsforab­ility.org.

Melissa, who has an impressive bibliograp­hy of published books and a long list of awards, learned of 4 Paws when Donnie Winokur reached out to her.

“She sent me an email,” Melissa explains, “asking for advice about getting a publisher. We both live in Atlanta, so I thought … why not meet for coffee? It’s not something I usually do, but this time, I did.”

As the women talked, Donnie shared her story of her and her husband, Rabbi Harvey Winokur, adopting a son, Iyal, from a Russian orphanage — a son who, it turned out, was suffering severe brain damage from Fetal Alocohol Syndrome. But when Iyal was 9, the family found relief from Iyal’s outbursts and confusion after Donnie discovered 4 Paws, and the family was matched with Chancer, an outgoing golden retriever. With the family’s blessing, Melissa wrote an article about the family’s experience for The New York Times Magazine. The article, “Wonder Dog,” was published in early 2012 and was, says Melissa, the “most read and most emailed story” of the year for the magazine.

“Chancer was a miraculous addition to the Winokur family,” Melissa says. “Chancer was Iyal’s first friend, and the friendship aspect between the boy and the dog was especially touching to me. I decided to explore the science behind this beautiful relationsh­ip.”

From there, Melissa’s book, which delves into that science, but also the story of 4 Paws and the stories of the Winokurs as well as other families across the United States.

Melissa, who now lives in Atlanta, is a native of Macon, Ga., and grew up in Dayton from first grade through high school. A 1975 graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, she is the author of six books of nonfiction. Her work has garnered a Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Book Award Nomination­s, the Robert F. Kennedy Award, and many more honors, in addition to being translated into 15 languages.

“Nonfiction is the most exciting way to tell stories,” Melissa says, “because real life events outstrip my imaginatio­n.”

Learn more about her and her work at www.melissafay­greene.com, and more about The Big Read and events at www.bigread.org. Numerous events at a variety locations start March 5.

Upcoming Literary Events

■ Registrati­on is now open for the March 24 “Dive Into Your Story” Seminar. This one-day seminar (from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) is presented by the Antioch Writers’ Workshop at University of Dayton, and will be held at the university. The seminar, led by five local writers — Rebecca Kuder, Martha Moody, Joanne Smith, Kate Geiselman and Rebecca Morean — will explore all the elements necessary from start to finish to write a novel, short story, memoir, personal essay, or narrative nonfiction book. Details and registrati­on link are available at www.antiochwri­tersworksh­op.com/spring-2018-seminar. Vick Mickunas

Over the years I have covered the book beat, I’ve discovered some interestin­g statistics — on average women read more books than men do.

While there are many readers who read both fiction and non-fiction, women are more likely to read fiction and men are more likely to read non-fiction.

I want to encourage men to read more books. With that in mind here are some upcoming nonfiction titles that might be of interest to all readers but hopefully, to men in particular:

“The Infernal Library — On Dictators, the Books they Wrote, and Other Catastroph­es of Literacy” by Daniel Kalder (Henry Holt, 364 pages, $30) March 6

Did you know that some dictators began their careers as writers?

Evil men have written horrifying books and some fairly mediocre poetry.

This study of the literary output of madmen like Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini is chilling and informativ­e.

“Memphis Rent Party — The Blues, Rock & Soul in Music’s Hometown” by Robert Gordon (Bloomsbury, 240 pages, $28) March 8

The city of Memphis has been a fertile musical hotbed for generation­s.

The music writer Robert Gordon examines the tuneful threads of soul, rock ‘n’ roll, and the blues that have flowed out of Memphis and continue to do so today.

“The Death of Democracy — Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic” by Benjamin Carter Hett (Henry Holt, 266 pages, $28) April 3

How did a democracy allow itself to be taken over by a murderous, racist maniac? It happened in Germany. The author examines how Hitler was able to seize power as a democratic government was collapsing.

“Space Odyssey — Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiec­e” by Michael Benson (Simon and Schuster, 477 pages, $30) April 3

This book is being issued to mark the 50th anniversar­y of the release of Stanley Kubrick’s monumental film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” If you loved that film, you’ll probably like this book.

“Voices from the Rust Belt” edited by Anne Trubek (Picador, 272 pages, $16) April 3

This collection of essays about residents of what is known as the “Rust Belt” or the “Post-Industrial Midwest” that stretches through Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvan­ia, and portions of New York, Wisconsin, and Illinois, reveals a range of voices that show this region to be far more

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