Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm

This is the second book I have read by Katz. His connection with animals and his insight and understanding of their lives makes remarkable reading material. Katz is a gifted writer with the talented ability to clearly express his stories. I am a dog lover (own three and foster rescue dogs) and appreciate reading such detailed stories about dogs and their lives.

It happens that I've never had a dog and living with one is a thought that has occurred to me only rarely. This book hasn't changed my mind about this; indeed, it confirms that I have probably made the right decision. But Katz's story-telling skills and thoughtfulness shine through in a way that should commend this book to an audience broader than those with specific canine interests and concerns. He writes with heart, and yet avoids sentimentality. There is plenty of humor, but it never becomes slapstick. There is, to the apparent discomfort of some reviewers here, a level of self-awareness that eludes many memoirs. This latter is especially noteworthy because Katz writes tellingly and apparently honestly about himself and his place in the world without becoming locked in a dance of self-absorption. Whether writers have a high purpose in penning a book like this is not a question that interests me. Nor do I care anything for the little dust clouds of controversy stirred by those with different views (or, quite likely, resentment of Katz's having both the determination to make a mid-life correction and the good fortune to be able to pull it off). What I do care a great deal about is having discovered an author who writes with real grace about interesting circumstances, events, and people. Elegant writing with heart: works for me every time.

This isn't a 'dog' book, it's about Jon's farm, Bedlam Farm. It's about the many people and animals that he interacts with on a daily basis. I have never lived on a farm but I have through reading about Jon's experiences on his in "Dog Days". The late nights, the freezing cold nights, dealing with sick animals in the wee hours of the night, learning about the pragmatism of farm life have all shed a new light on what it would mean to my own dream of owning a couple of acres and having animals on them. Depending upon your point of view this book may continue to disturb dog lovers. No dogs die in this book is true. Jon does make a decision about rehoming one of his dogs that some may not agree with. It was not an easy decision or one made lightly. Was it best for the dog? By his accounts, yes. Jon does an amazing job of baring is life to the reader. His struggle with anger management, juggling life with his wife while living in different cities, trying to have a life away from the farm (someone to come watch the animals while you're away certainly doesn't sound easy!), trying to recover from back surgery and pain management. More details about the people who interact with the farm with him, either as co-workers or visitors. Enjoy your Dog Days of Summer with Jon's Dispatches from Bedlam Farm. *********Review based upon a galley reading of the book******************

I'm a longtime fan of Jon Katz, even going back to the mystery days, and this latest release is no exception -- in fact, it's one of his most enjoyable books ever, a relaxed and fluid read throughout. (Those of you who couldn't handle "A Good Dog" should be quickly reassured: "No dogs die in this book," Katz announces in a note before the first chapter). A series of illuminating vignettes about life on his upstate NY farm, and the people and animals that make it what it is, Dog Days is enormously appealing yet clear-eyed: Katz is careful not to over-romanticize country life, or animals in general. It's all here, the good as well as the bad; though, be warned, it probably will give you an itch for rural life. Among the highlights are a mysteriously pregnant donkey, the Grunt and Grumblers, and the hilarious story of Elvis, an enormous cow. I have a great dog, but I don't really consider myself a "dog person" per se, let alone a donkey person. This book will be marketed towards that crowd, and I don't doubt that they'll enjoy it, but I think it has a broader appeal than that, too. In an understated way it's about much more than dogs and donkeys - it's also about middle age, and relationships, and our connection (or lack thereof) to nature.