Book Review: Haatchi & Little B: The Inspiring True Story of One Boy and His Dog / Wendy Holden

I don't think that it will surprise anyone that I love dogs. Actually, I love many animals and observing the natural world. I also have a soft spot in my heart for people who struggle (and who among us doesn't struggle with something.) So when I entered into a Reading Challenge with Ms Currie's Beyond the Books book club, I knew that I wanted to add a book about dogs to my reading list. (We each selected 4 genres or topics to explore over the summer with an additional bonus book for those so inclined.) This seemed to be the perfect book.

Haatchi, a Anatolian Shepherd was left for dead on some railroad tracks when a train ran over him. The conductor saw something on the tracks and reached out for help resulting in Haatchi being rescued. Many people were involved in Haatchi's rescue.

Owen Hawkins was a little boy with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes the muscles to contract. Due to this syndrome, Owen was constantly in pain and felt that everyone was always looking at him because he was different. (As of this writing he is 16 years old - Google him.)

A series of circumstances, along with the good will and help of many people, brought Owen and Haatchi together and they have become the best of friends. How they healed each other is this story.

In the documentary A Boy and His Dog you can meet both Haatchi and Owen. But this book fills in all of the details. 

You can find this book on the South library shelves. 

 

Book Review: What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin

The top of the fly leaf states:

        "Lex was taken - trafficked - and now she's Poppy."

And this is how it starts. Poppy lured by a predator then locked into a hotel room, being told to do unspeakable things with men. Surrounded by other teens who have also been renamed after flowers. Finding comforts in pills to numb her mind and disassociation to get out of there. And then the police raided the hotel.

Poppy ends up in a hospital and starts the healing process. Physically she must overcome the bruises and scars from abuse and the devastating impact of drugs and addiction. Mentally she needs to find herself again. She needs to reconnect to her former self, Alexa / Lex. She needs to redefine herself and learn that there are trustworthy people in this world, and that she isn't broken. 

Though I have read about trafficking before, this book starts where trafficking leaves off. And while the subject is a heavy one, there is hope woven into this story. 

Read this if you want to learn more about the toll of human trafficking and can handle the stark realities that are involved. 

You can find this book in print in the South library or through Libby at the Nashua Public Library.