Following Atticus: How a little dog led one man on a journey of rediscovery to the top of the world - Softcover

Ryan, Thomas F.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141048972 ISBN 13: 9780141048970

Publisher: Penguin, 2011

Synopsis

Following Atticus is Tom Ryan's moving true story, of a man and his remarkable dog.

Tom Ryan is a middle-aged, overweight, no-nonsense newspaper editor. But when Atticus M. Finch, a Miniature Schnauzer, arrives, he is forced to question everything about his life.

Wanting to raise money in memory of a friend who died of cancer, Tom decides that they will both climb 48 of New Hampshire's mountains during a single winter - twice.

What awaits the pair is the adventure of a lifetime.

In an enchanting but dangerous winter wonderland, they face raging blizzards, frostbite and storms. It is a rare test of endurance that soon becomes a soul-searching journey.

And then, within a month of returning home, tragedy strikes. Atticus goes blind, and the blood tests suggest something even worse. Now facing an even greater challenge, Tom and Atticus undertake a journey through darkness and into light.

For anyone that loved Marley and Me, Following Atticus by Tom Ryan is a heartwarming story of friendship, selflessness, redemption -- and above all, love.

Tom Ryan worked as an editor until 2007, when he decided to sell his newspaper move to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He started climbing in memory of a friend who died of cancer, and in the last five years has climbed an incredible four hundred and fifty 4,000-foot peaks.

About this title

Review:

"Lyrical. . . . rivetingly portrayed . . . [a] touching chronicle."--Kirkus Reviews

"How can you go wrong with a cute little dog who braved the White Mountains' highest peaks time and again...over the ice, snow and sometimes deadly uncertainty of wild winter altitude in New Hampshire? Far more than just a typical man-and-his-dog account...Ryan and Atticus have delivered on all counts."--Manchester Union Leader

#9 New England Bestseller List--NEIBA

"Heartwarming, surprisingly suspenseful. . . . Part adventure story, part memoir, but most important, a love story . . . [an] entertaining and joyous book."--Publishers Weekly

"Exceptionally evocative writing and [an] engaging story . . . this is a book that can be read more than once. Inspirational and heart-warming."--Library Journal

"Need your faith in humanity restored? Read this book. It's lovely to learn about our higher selves from an unlikely source like Atticus M. Finch."--The Day (Connecticut)

#7 New England Bestseller List--NEIBA

"Not your standard mountain adventure book. . . . Reading Following Atticus can feel like taking a long walk, or a series of walks, with a great storyteller. Why 'follow Atticus?' Because, [Ryan says], 'Dogs, like mountains, bring you back to yourself.'"--AMC Outdoors

"Ryan . . . is an engaging storyteller whose humorous, self-deprecating descriptions evoke Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering American on the Appalachian Trail and John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley: In Search of America."--Appalachia

#2 New England Bestseller List--NEIBA

From the Back Cover:

New York Times Bestseller

Following Atticus is the remarkable true story of a man and a dog embarking on the challenge of a lifetime. This is author Tom Ryan's inspiring tale of how he and his miniature schnauzer companion, the -Little Buddha- Atticus M. Finch, attempted to scale all forty-eight of New Hampshire's four thousand foot White Mountains twice in the dead of winter. It is a story of love, loss, and the resilience of the human and animal spirit that's as thrilling as Into Thin Air and featuring the most endearing and unforgettable canine protagonist since Marley and Me.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0141048972
• ISBN 13: 9780141048970
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288