Author: W. Bruce Cameron
# of Pages: 297 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Animals, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: After Bella is picked up by Animal Control because pit bulls are banned in Denver, Lucas has no choice but to send her to a foster home until he can figure out what to do. But Bella, distraught at the separation, doesn't plan to wait. With four hundred miles of dangerous Colorado wilderness between her and her person, Bella sets off on a seemingly impossible and completely unforgettable adventure home.
Review: This book is so good, I had dreams about.
Okay, that's an exaggerating. And for the record, I had only one dream about it (I read the first half of the book before I went to sleep, and my brain decided to dream up an ending). By no means is this booking going to be winning any big prizes. However, it might just change a set of ridiculous laws referred to as Breed-Specific Legislature.
A Dog's Way Home focuses on the story of a dog (who may or may not be part pit-bull) who is living in Denver with his beloved owner. This may sound like a pretty generic story if it weren't for the fact that Denver has a ban on pit-bulls.
The reason this ridiculous ban was created in the first place is because two pit-bull attacks. Back in the 1980s, a man was attacked by a pit-bull in an alley behind his home and suffered many injuries (I feel bad for the man; this is one of the cases where the pit-bull was probably at fault). However, the second case that encouraged this ban to be passed was when a 3 year old was killed by a pit-bull. It's always incredibly horrifying to hear someone so young to be killed, but the dog was chained up in its own yard and the child WANDERED in. Thus the ban was put in place in Denver (you can read more about the ban here: https://www.denverpost.com/2010/06/18/pet-beat-tide-may-be-turning-for-denvers-pit-bull-ban/).
Pit-bulls are stereotyped to be vicious dogs, but this is definitely not always the case. This is why this book is so interesting; a dog that does not even 100% look like a pit-bull is affected by this legislature. There have been many educated people backing up this ban, but hopefully this book will help more people see how judging a dog by its breed is not the way to protect the public from "vicious" animals.
W. Bruce Cameron said he has been criticized for using "simple, plain descriptions" throughout his book. This story is told from a dog's point of view, which is what he uses to justify this writing style. I didn't see this to be a problem. The story will definitely still interest adult readers, but the simple/plain descriptions make it easier for younger readers to be able to read and enjoy this book too.
That being said, this book will definitely not be for everyone. I felt like I was holding my breath the entire book, hoping that Bella (the dog protagonist) will be able to survive her next ordeal. There's a mix of happy and sad moments that might be too much for young children. However, it's important for people of all ages to be introduced to tough topics, so I believe those around middle school age an older can read and appreciate this book.
I'm a huge fan of A Dog's Purpose, and I could tell this book came from the same author based purely on the writing style and the flow of the plot. Him including Bella's sense of purpose and how she wants to help her human companions exhibits similar themes seen in his other books.
This is a quickly, heart-wrenching read with an important message. I recommend this book to everyone.
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