Thunder Dog: The True Story Of A Blind Man, His Guide Dog, And The Triumph Of Trust At Ground Zero (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
September 11th 2001Michael Hingson was preparing for a meeting on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center north tower. His guide dog, Roselle, was asleep beneath his desk.At 8.46am, their world changed forever.~~~This isn't just a story of courage and trust. It isn't just a story of how a blind man and his dog made their way out of the crippled north tower. While the book covers a lot of this amazing story (as well as some of the other people who escaped), it also looks at how life needs to keep moving forwards. One of Michael's main points in the book is that, no matter what, you can do whatever you put your mind to. Want to see the guy who rides a bicycle using echolocation? Want to see the blind guy who's successfully flown, and landed, a plane? You'll find examples of both in this book. In fact, some of the technology you're using today, whether sighted or not, has probably, in some way, been pioneered by this man.Michael's “Can do” attitude is one that we all need to have. This is a man who's not let anything get in his way. His story really is an inspiration in how to live one's life and achieve everything you want to achieve. It's also a pointer on how to be happy. As he points out, after 9/11, things like money and possessions lost their appeal. Instead, he wanted to enjoy the rest of his life and help others to do the same. This is a book that's going to go everywhere with me so that, in those dark hours, I can dip into it and take away some joy and light and keep moving forward with my own life.And don't forget: Always, but always, kiss firefighters!Bless you, Michael and Roselle. You've helped to change the world for the better. As a New Yorker who was "there" on 9/11, this is the first book I've read about the account of that specific day. I guess I wasn't ready until now. Hingson is matter-of-fact, detailed, and passionate. Despite the topic of the book, this was a very nice read. I appreciated the following things the most:1) the insight into what it means to be blind from (near) birth2) the descriptions of things that perhaps related to his blindness, I would not have thought to think about (perhaps because I am a sighted person).3) the information about the matching of guide-dogs to the blind4) the details of him growing up in a sighted world with really only other sighted people to learn from/grow up with5) how each chapter began with a description of an account from the actual 9/11 day and how that particular instance of that day was related to something in his past (eg why it was important for Hingson to remain calm, so that his dog could remain calm---Hingson went into the "past" to describe why that was important in terms of Roselle's behaviour and ability to cope with what was going on around her on 9/11)6) the passion he demonstrates that blindness does not define him. He is just a person who happens to be blind7) the reverence he gives for the people who raise/train/foster guide dogs.This was a great "first" book into the 9/11 foray for me. Hingson didn't sugar-coat it. He just told it as he remembered it. And I really appreciate this candor.
What do You think about Thunder Dog: The True Story Of A Blind Man, His Guide Dog, And The Triumph Of Trust At Ground Zero (2011)?
I truley felt this elaboratly written first hand account. Very emotional.
—Lexxa
I read this several years ago on Audio. Courageous story.
—tiff
