Thunder Dog Makes the NY Times Bestsellers List

After Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero debuted on the New York Times bestseller list this week, it can only be a matter of time before we’re treated to Thunder Dog – the movie (a movie I’d be happy to pay to see). The inspirational story of a blind man and the guide dog (Roselle) who led him and others out of the World Trade Center just minutes before the building fell to the ground was just released on August 2nd and already sits at #28 on the NY Times‘ bestselling hardcover non-fiction list.
 
Co-written by Susy Flory and Michael Hingson*, Roselle’s owner, the book is a moment-by-moment “account of not only what it was like to be inside the World Trade Center when Tower One was struck, but of each painstaking step between the 78th floor and survival on the streets below moments before the tower collapsed just yards away.”
 
“On one level, this is a book about the events of 9/11, but it is so much more than that,” said Brian Hampton, Senior Vice President and Publisher at Nashville-based Thomas Nelson Publishers. “It’s a beautiful story of trust and courage, an exploration of the unique bond between humans and animals. It leaves the reader inspired and full of hope. I believe that’s why it has impacted people so quickly and powerfully and why they are telling their friends about it.”
 
On his website, Hingson has this to say about Roselle’s work on 9/11: “She remained poised and calm through the entire day. She gave kisses and love wherever she could and she worked when she needed to do so. I would not be alive today if it weren’t for Roselle. I cannot say enough about the incredible job she did. What Roselle did on 9/11 is a testimony not only to [Kay and Ted Stern} and the others who raised her, but also to her trainer, Todd Jurek, the entire GDB training staff, and all the people who make up the wonderful organization of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Most of all, what Roselle did that day and in fact every day she and I were together is nothing less than the strongest possible evidence I can provide of the value of teamwork and trust.”
 
* Hingson is the national ambassador for the Braille Literacy Campaign and has recently launched “Roselle’s Dream Foundation,” the purpose of which is to assist blind children – and later blind adults – in obtaining new technologies.
 
Source: Thomas Nelson Publishers – August 22, 2011