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Title details for Have Dog, Will Travel by Stephen Kuusisto - Wait list

Have Dog, Will Travel

A Poet's Journey with an Exceptional Labrador

by Stephen Kuusisto
Fred Sanders
Audiobook
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In a lyrical love letter to guide dogs everywhere, a blind poet shares his delightful story of how a guide dog changed his life and helped him discover a newfound appreciation for travel and independence.
Stephen Kuusisto was born legally blind—but he was also raised in the 1950s and taught to deny his blindness in order to "pass" as sighted. Stephen attended public school, rode a bike, and read books pressed right up against his nose. As an adult, he coped with his limited vision by becoming a professor in a small college town, memorizing routes for all of the places he needed to be. Then, at the age of thirty-eight, he was laid off. With no other job opportunities in his vicinity, he would have to travel to find work.

This is how he found himself at Guiding Eyes, paired with a Labrador named Corky. In this vivid and lyrical memoir, Stephen Kuusisto recounts how an incredible partnership with a guide dog changed his life and the heart-stopping, wondrous adventure that began for him in midlife. Profound and deeply moving, this is a spiritual journey, the story of discovering that life with a guide dog is both a method and a state of mind.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 13, 2018

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781508251408
      • File size: 155959 KB
      • Duration: 05:24:54

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Blind poet Stephen Kuusisto's memoir is a wonderful, thought- provoking listen that combines poignancy and warmth in equal measures. When, at the age of 38, he is introduced to Corky, his first guide dog, his life changes forever. Narrator Fred Sanders's rhythm and pace make it hard to imagine that this is not HIS story. Sanders allows the narrative to unfold and gives listeners unique insight into the life of someone who, as a child in the 1950s, was taught to deny his blindness, only later to experience the true partnership a guide dog provides. The stories of Corky and the role of guide dogs and dogs in general make this a compelling listen. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 6, 2017
      Poet and memoirist Kuusisto (Eaves-
      dropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening) again addresses his experiences as a blind person, this time sweetly recounting his life with Corky, his first guide dog, who “burst in like a clown” when he met her. They connected instantly, to Kuusisto’s surprise and delight. Kuusisto was amazed at how different life became with a dog at his side, and his newfound mobility and confidence eventually led to a job traveling around the country educating audiences about blindness and the role of guide dogs. Day-to-day, Corky attracted attention from children and people on the street. Once, Kuusisto walked into a barbershop in upstate New York and was met with silence, which Kuusisto initially assumed was a response to his disability (“Disability scares some folks”). But it turned out that the men in the shop were Korean War veterans and that the sight of Corky stirred memories for them of a friend who got a seeing-eye dog after he was blinded in the war. Kuusisto laces the book with these type of encounters to give readers and animal lovers terrific insight into not only his experience with blindness, but also the unshakable bond between a guide dog and its owner.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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