The Dog Who Spoke with Gods [Hardcover]

Diane Jessup (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

When Elizabeth, a young pre-med. student happens upon Damien, a dog being used in laboratory research on her campus, she has no way of knowing how drastically her life- and her beliefs- will be changed. Without meaning to, she slowly becomes drawn into the dog's fate and is soon torn between the lo9ve and respect she has come to feel for Damien and the sense of loyalty and obligation she feels for the medical profession as well as her father and grandfather, both cardiac surgeons.

With an uncanny ability to write convincingly about life from the point of view of a canine, Diane Jessup tells an extraordinary story of friendship and loyalty. Few writers have ever shown the world of man's closest friend as clearly and movingly. For anyone who has ever loved a dog this is a must read.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First novelist Jessup pens an affecting but uneven paean to the pit bull in this tale of a girl and her dog. Elizabeth Fletcher, a soon-to-be medical student from a long line of heart surgeon researchers, has never had a pet, nor ever thought of dogs as anything but tools for human use, but she takes a job on campus as an animal handler and so meets a pit bull whom she later names Damien. The two bond intensely, and the dog's suffering as a research animal begins to pain her. Discovering he is actually capable of limited speech, Elizabeth determines to save him from torture, but he winds up in the clutches of Dr. Joseph Seville, who wants to capitalize on Damien's fantastic ability. At first made part of the project to keep her in line, Elizabeth is soon "locked out," so she contacts an animal rights group that botches stealing the dog and almost kills him, though he gets away and Elizabeth finds him. Cornered by Seville, the two seek escape and almost make it, but will Elizabeth pay the highest price to help her friend? Obviously fond of pit bulls, Jessup makes many good points and manages to bring Damien to compelling life. Her human characters are less interesting, though she has the dynamics of interest groups and bureaucratic universities down pat. And surely, the interpretation in human terms of another species's behavior is one of the mistakes she's trying to point out? (June) Forecast: Jessup, a pit bull expert, has a high profile in dog-handling circles, and that is where this single-minded book will do best.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A perfect book for anyone who has ever loved a pet." -- Redbook

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312266626
• ISBN-13: 978-0312266622
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,067,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone who has ever loved a dog..., September 13, 2001

By 

Traci D. Haley (Prineville, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dog Who Spoke with Gods (Hardcover)

... and for those who haven't. This book is for everyone. If you've never loved a dog, you will not be able to read this book without emerging a changed person, and if you already love dogs, you will empathize with the views written about in this book, and it will also change you.

The Dog Who Spoke With Gods spoke to me on such a powerful level. It reaffirmed all that I have believed in and more. This might sound stupid since it is fiction, but it has changed my life in a million subtle ways. I could relate to everything in the book, but even though Jessup only wrote what I have always believed it was... more. It was magical.

Do yourself a favor and order this book, you won't regret it. Read it, then share it with friends. In this time of great tragedy, you may find comfort in this story about horrendous acts done in the name of science and medicine and about the brave hero who triumphs. And while you are reading it, please take great care to think about the beliefs talked about in the book. The message that Jessup is trying to get across is so important, and so beautiful. I wish I could walk right up to Ms. Jessup and hug her and thank her for the wonderful story she has given the world.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Diane Jessup, February 18, 2005

By 

sitstay "sitstay" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dog Who Spoke with Gods (Hardcover)

Only two experiences have affected my life so painfully and profoundly. One of these two experiences was to read this book. It made my heart hurt deeply, yet it reveals such important issues. I could not put this book down after I started, and at times I became so sad I was physically ill. I will be grateful forever to Diane Jessup for this amazing gift of a book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A surprising must-read for dog lovers, July 9, 2001

By 

Gina Byrd (Waycross, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dog Who Spoke with Gods (Hardcover)

The author's name, Diane Jessup, caught my eye at the book store because we share the same surname(Jessup is my maiden name, but I have no idea if we're related). And being a dog lover myself (maybe that runs in the Jessup family), I was very intrigued by the title and decided to give it a try. Being her first novel, I honestly didn't expect much. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! I couldn't put this novel down from the very first paragraph. Jessup brings Damien, the doomed lab pit bull, to life for me. I learned that the pit bull has an undeserved reputation as a fierce, ferocious animal by nature. As Jessup is the 'alpha' to several of this breed herself and has written other books about the breed, I believe she can be considered an expert. The brindle bull has always gotten a bum rap (thanks to irresonsible owners), and I'm glad that Jessup uses this novel to educate the reader as to the true nature of this honorable breed. She certainly gave me insight I didn't have. Jessup's story really touched my heart and had me in tears by the end. I didn't want the story to end because I had become so attached to Damien and knew that I would miss him. Anyone who has ever loved a dog will find themselves rooting for the heroine in this novel. I hope this book will open the eyes of dog lovers everywhere to the injustices medical research brings to man's best friend. It certainly did mine. I will be waiting for the next canine-themed novel by this very talented writer. Please write another one soon, Ms. Jessup!