Saving Cinnamon: The Amazing True Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desperate Mission to Bring Her Home

This book was so well written and had me hooked from the beginning. I absolutely loved it and would recommend it.

This is the true story of a puppy who showed up at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan. Several of the soldiers became very attached to it. The author's brother (Mark) was serving there and he would send pictures of the puppy home to his wife. They had lost their dog and she encouraged him to bring this puppy home to the U.S. Mark was going to be going home soon and he was worried about what would become of the puppy. He managed to find a way to send the puppy home with a dog handler who was flying out. Mark's family was at the airport in the U.S. waiting for the plane and discovered the puppy was not on board. The dog handler wouldn't say what happened to it. They let Mark know that it wasn't on board. He tried to find out what happened but wasn't very successful. His sister decided she would try and track the puppy through some contacts she had. She found a dog rescue person who was located in Afghanistan and through e-mails and phone calls was able to convince them to try and find out what happened. This person was able to find out that the puppy was left at the airport just a few miles from where Mark was stationed. She was also able to find out where the puppy was now and able to negotiate getting the puppy back to the military base. From there Mark was able to connect with an independent contractor who wanted to go back home. The contractor accompanied Cinnamon back to the U.S. It was very suspensful even knowing how the story was going to end. I agree that this would make a good movie.

OK, I admit it: I read this book because there was a dog on the cover. The book exceeded my expectations. Christine Sullivan shares the details of Cinnamon, an exceptionally sweet dog who turned up on a military base in Afghanistan. Just a puppy, Cinnamon won the hearts of the soldiers and sailors stationed on the base. Christine's brother, Mark, became especially attached to Cinnamon. He arranged to send her home with a pet transportation company. The dog's hander turned out to be irresponsible. When faced with a problem connecting in Turkey, he apparently kicked the dog crate and made a scene. And Mark was left wondering where the dog had gone. The book traces the way Christine found a dog lost half way around the world, via a series of emails and phone calls. Even when you know the outcome, the story generates suspense. Christine is a natural writer. She uses simple, clear language that's enjoyable to read. It's the kind of "invisible" writing that nonfiction authors often struggle to achieve, where we focus more on what she's writing about than on the writing. I wasn't fazed by the emails Christine reproduces. Okay, I might have skimmed a couple, but we get to hear what's happening in the voices of everyone involved in Cinnamon's rescue. I agree with the reviewer who said this book could be a movie. Kevin Bacon could play Mark and I'm not sure who would play Christine, who's the heroine of the story as well as the narrator. Unfortunately, a movie would have the same issues as the movie Blindside. Coincidences and lucky breaks are allowed in life but not in fictional narratives. Perhaps the luckiest break came when a contract engineer accepted Mark's offer to escort Cinnamon home on a commercial flight. It was the ultimate win-win. Anyone who has rescued a dog knows the joy of watching a newcomer adapt to a new home. Christine wisely shares just enough of the story's happy ending, without going overboard. As a bonus, readers get a glimpse into life in the all-volunteer military during wartime. As a forty-one year old Navy reservist, Mark gets deployed to perform Army functions. We get a sense of the boredom associated with daily life on these bases and the tedium of military travel. And we also learn how military leaders think out of the box. I loved the story of the tough Colonel who fell in love with Cinnamon, even marking out time to take her for walks. This is one of the best nonfiction dog books I've read. I hope Christine will demonstrate her not inconsiderable writing skills in the future.

Book arrived in excellent condition and in a reasonable time. I haven't had time to read it yet but can't wait to get to it after the holidays.

The plight of Cinnamon and the Herculean efforts needed to get her from Afghanistan to Maryland make a fascinating and heartwarming story. I am glad Ms. Sullivan took the time to write the book. The book itself is somewhat on the long side. I found myself skimming through many sections, especially the many (often repetitive) emails which are reproduced verbatim. I wish the editor had tightened up the book a little more. A good script writer could transform this book into a nice movie. I certainly hope that some smart Hollywood studio has the foresight to buy the movie rights and actually make the movie!