From Library Journal
From Lassie to Kato, Nicole Simpson's howling Akita, dogs have become deeply imbedded in our popular culture. Canine images sell everything from beer to T-shirts, and our "best friends" have found their way into cyberspace on numerous discussion groups. Garber, director of Harvard's Center for Literary and Cultural Studies and author of Vested Interests (LJ 11/1/91), analyzes the human-dog love bond with wit and incisiveness. Above and beyond all the commercialization radiates the true reason that we love our dogs so much?they act as mirrors for our own beliefs about what would constitute a truly humane society. When on a daily basis we are bombarded by news of homeless people and abused children, the story of a mistreated dog or puppy prompts spontaneous generosity because as humans we feel that somehow we can offer some hope. Dog love often brings out the best in us. This thoughtful book is recommended wherever interest in dogs runs high.?Eva Lautemann, DeKalb Coll. Lib., Clarkston, Ga.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Marjorie Garber, director of the Center for Literacy and Cultural Studies at Harvard and author of the recent Vice Versa: Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life, provides another witty, incisive look at humanity, this time focusing on our cultural obsession with dogs. Garber, the owner of two golden retrievers, explores the myths and realities of the dog-human bond, discusses the intensity of people's love for their dogs, and shows how we came to be so preoccupied with our canine companions in the first place. This book not only provides a recent history of the popularity of dogs, including some famous dog lovers and some famous dogs, but also shows how and why in the face of so much contemporary human suffering we spend what seems like considerably more energy ensuring the health and happiness of our pets. Although this clever book will be of interest to general readers, especially fans of social commentary, dog lovers will find it especially appealing. Kathleen Hughes
Review
One feels at times reading this book the way one feels when a friend's large hound is mounting one's shin and the owner smiles benignly as if this weren't a gross violation of manners. -- The New York Times Book Review, Andrew Sullivan About the Author
Marjorie Garber is William R Kenan, Jr., Professor of English and Director of the Center for Literary and Cultural Studies at Harvard University.
