Monday 22 September 2014

BOOK REVIEW: John and George: The Dog Who Changed My Life by John Dolan

Recently I have enjoyed reading books about homeless people who improve their lives. Which sounds odd when I say it!  I started off reading these sort of books by reading  A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope On The Street. This book was a present from my Nan and I remember thinking how childish it sounded but I loved it! So much so that I asked for the sequel The World According to Bob: The Further Adventures of One Man and His Street-wise Cat for Christmas!

I originally brought John and George: The Dog Who Changed My Life  for my sister as it seemed like an easy read and she really loves dogs. However as she is permanently attached to her phone she never read it! So I did.

I was pleasantly surprised. From a psychology students perspective I found it interesting reading about the trigger factors in John Dolan's life which possibly lead to him being homeless. I as a person I felt sorry for him growing up. I found it heart breaking the way he talks about his childhood.

However the book is not all doom and gloom! Once George the Dog comes into the pictures John's life start to improve. The one constant in John's life was his passion for art. As he begins to sketch on the street whilst begging his luck begins to turn and slowly but surely he is starting to find his way as a street artist and as a person. After reading about his childhood you really want John to do well for himself.

The way John talks about George is humorous and can be related to by anyone who has a pet dog or any pet for that matter. Their relationship lightens the mood of the book and helps the reader relate to John on a personal level.

The book was an easy read so great to read just before bed or on the bus! I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to read a light hearted yet encouraging story.

What is your favourite book at the moment?

Bumble xx


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