Buddha's Dogs [Paperback]

Susan Browne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2004

These poems are at once tender, vulnerable, biting, heartbreaking, and hilarious. One moment you are laughing, the next moment drying your eyes.
Edward Hirsch, judge of the Four Way Books 2002 Intro Prize says of Buddha's Dogs, "There's a ruthless authenticity--a deep cherishing--in Buddha's Dogs, a splendidly mature first book of poems that is filled with moments of Proustian recall, with the comedy and the anguish, the beauty and the burning of lived experience."

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

6 x 9 1/4 trim.

About the Author

SUSAN BROWNE was born in Long Beach, California. She was educated at California State University, Chico, and the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals, including River City, The Mississippi Review, Gargoyle, and Alaska Quarterly Review. She won the Four Way Books Intro Prize selected by Edward Hirsch and has received awards from the Chester H. Jones Foundation, the National Writer's Union, and the Los Angeles Poetry Festival. She teaches literature and writing at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and lives with her husband in Oakland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 85 pages
• Publisher: Four Way (March 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884800564
• ISBN-13: 978-1884800566
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Long Beach, California, Susan Browne has lived most of her life in the Bay Area. Her poetry has appeared in Ploughshares, Subtropics, River City, The Mississippi Review, Gargoyle, Margie, American Life in Poetry, and other literary journals and anthologies, such as 180 More, Extraordinary Poems for Everyday, edited by Billy Collins, and Ordinary Genius by Kim Addonizio. Her awards include prizes from the Chester H. Jones Foundation, the National Writer's Union, the Los Angeles Poetry Festival, and the River Styx International Poetry Contest. Her work was nominated for a Pushcart Award. Selected as the winner of The Four Way Books Prize by Edward Hirsch, her first book, Buddha's Dogs, was published in 2004. She also has a word/music CD with poet Kim Addonizio, Swearing, Smoking, Drinking, & Kissing, available from cdbaby.com.
Her poems have recently appeared on Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac and Ted Kooser's American Life in Poetry. Her second book of poetry, Zephyr, won the Editor's Prize at Steel Toe Books (www.steeltoebooks.com)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A steal at twice the cost., September 9, 2004

By 

further_north (MILES CITY, MT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buddha's Dogs (Paperback)

I have a small shop where I carry a few fine books. My customers are loyal and careful about what they read. In three years of business I've received only one hot check. No one has ever stolen from me.

One afternoon, an attractive young woman walked in wearing a shirt that said "RENO!" and carrying a large shopping bag from the clothing store down the block. She asked me if I had something wonderful to read and I replied that I did. I asked her if she was in the mood for poetry. She said yes.

I handed her my last copy of Buddha's Dogs by Susan Browne, a collection of poems that can make standing difficult after first reading. She took the book to the love seat in the corner and grew so quiet that I'd forgotten she was there. I went about my business serving other customers.

After several minutes, the woman rose and moved slowly to the exit. She looked sad, happy and a little disoriented when she nodded goodbye. I was disappointed that she didn't buy the collection I'd recommended but thanked her as she waved her shopping bag out the door.

I searched for Buddha's Dogs the rest of that afternoon. I retraced the woman's steps through the store, checked all of the shelves where she'd browsed, looked under the couch cushions. Finally, I accepted that the book was gone and that I'd encountered my first book thief. I've never seen the woman again.

So, this is my review and I'm not sure I could offer Buddha's Dogs a higher rating. This book of poems is so good that it can make you a criminal. Buy it but don't lend it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, July 16, 2004

By 

"rocketqueen1976" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buddha's Dogs (Paperback)

Buddha's Dogs is absolutely wonderful. Inspiring, funny and heartbreaking, I look forward to reading it over and over again. The imagery is so powerful and original, I kept reaching over to read it while I was stuck in traffic. Already I can't wait for her next book!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic., April 30, 2004

By 

Jennifer K. Gibbons (Pleasant Hill, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buddha's Dogs (Paperback)

This might be Susan Browne's first book, but she is an old pro when it comes to the mastery of poetry. To writing about dancing with her father to teaching a student that doesn't like Emily Dickinson and then poems about her mother's death, Browne tells stories that could break your heart, yet then you start to laugh at her wise observations on life. A definite recommendation.