Izzy & Lenore: Two Dogs, an Unexpected Journey, and Me (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: hospice work, border collies, Keith Mann, Red Sox

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After a half-dozen books about the dogs and other animals that live with him on Bedlam Farm in upstate New York (Dog Days, A Good Dog, Katz on Dogs), Katz's gentle, folksy style and intuitive connection to the world around him work a familiar but comforting vein, entirely suitable to his subject: "I cherish the considered predictability of these creatures, their sociability, their contented acceptance of life. I wish I possessed even one of those traits. I'm working on it." The latest features his adoption of Izzy, a sensitive border collie who inspires Katz to take up volunteer work with hospice patients. Whether meeting Timmy, a young boy dying of brain tumor, or Glen, a terminal patient who recollects his own beloved dog, Katz evokes vividly the hospice environment and the deep meaning its patients find in Izzy. Unfortunately, the balance of the book, concerning a black lab named Lenore and Katz's own struggle with depression and a painful past, suffers from a lack of detail and leaves little impact. Fans will be happy to return to the farm, but newcomers may want to start with his first dog volume, 2002's A Dog Year. Photos.
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Review

Praise for Jon Katz

“With wisdom and grace, [Katz] unlocks the canine soul and the complicated wonders that lie within and offers powerful insights to anyone who has ever struggled with, and loved, a troubled animal.”
–John Grogan, author of Marley & Me

“Katz’s world–of animals and humans and their combined generosity of spirit–is a place you’re glad you’ve been.”
–The Boston Globe

“One of our most talented and perceptive canine chroniclers.”
–AKC Gazette

Dog Days

“There’s no denying that Jon Katz writes engagingly about animals. . . . Anyone who has ever loved an animal, who owns a farm or even dreams of it, will read Dog Days with appreciation and a cathartic lump in his or her throat.”
–The Washington Post Book World

“Katz proves himself a Thoreau for modern times as he ponders the relationships between man and animals, humanity and nature, and the particularly smelly qualities of manure.”
–Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“The perfect summer book . . . You will not be disappointed.”
–The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Thoroughly enchanting.”
–The Dallas Morning News


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Villard; 1 edition (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400066301
• ISBN-13: 978-1400066308
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #104,470 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #10 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Death & Grief > Hospice Care
  #89 in	Books > Home & Garden > Animal Care & Pets > Essays

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eloquently Truthful, September 30, 2008

By	Barbara Techel "Author of Frankie, the Walk '... (Elkhart Lake, WI) - See all my reviews

I've read all Jon's books and loved them all. But, this one is my all time favorite. It touched my heart so deeply. Jon portrayed beautifully the connection between dogs and humans. His honesty about not always finding the right words to describe this connection was refreshing. Sometimes things just don't have an explanation. They can only be felt with the heart. Jon does this so eloquently in Izzy and Lenore. My own dog, who is in a wheelchair, does therapy work with hospital patients and assisted senior facilities. What transpires when she interacts with them is absolute love on a level most times I cannot find words for. All I know is that I witness something bigger than myself. Bravo, Jon for sharing Izzy and Lenore with hospice and nursing home residents and now sharing those beautiful stories with the world... what a gift for everyone.

~Barbara Techel, Author of Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Excellent Bedlam Farm Story, October 5, 2008

By	HollyMartins (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This is probably Jon Katz's most personal book yet, and one of his finest. There is some soul-searching here, but also enough focus on others -- with extremely well-drawn portraits of his dogs and, most touchingly, the hospice patients they help -- to keep it from becoming self-centered. It is a continuation of the story of Bedlam Farm, but you don't need to have read Katz's earlier books to find this one moving, entertaining, and, in its examination of the human-animal bond, often thought-provoking and enlightening. Katz has become deeply engaged with photography in recent years (as chronicled on his excellent blog) and the beautiful black and white photos here add yet another dimension to a really lovely book.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars therapy for dog lovers, October 3, 2008

By	Chasing Eudaemonia (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

Jon's story is really about many journeys intertwined. At the center is an abandoned dog named Izzy and the discovery of his amazing gift for shepherding humans through the most difficult transitions they will ever face. Along the way, Jon experiences a journey deep into himself, to a place he's avoided for too long. Thanks to Lenore (the adorable face on the cover), Izzy, Rosie, Elvis and a few very special humans, Jon was able to cross the valley of shadows and share a story of hope, love, compassion, and understanding.

For anyone whose life has been touched by the unconditional love of a dog (or really any animal), this book will make perfect sense. I purchased it on a whim one particularly rotten morning on my way to work, and finished it the same day. Thanks to Jon, Izzy, Lenore and the others, I have new hope for my own journey...