Years ago, I met the author, DeAnna Quietwater Noriega, through Behind Our Eyes, an organization of disabled authors to which I belong. Before that, she worked with my late husband, Bill, on the Colorado Council of the Blind. I’ve enjoyed reading her poems and stories, most of which were about her guide dogs and Native American heritage.
Fifty Years of Walking with Friends didn’t disappoint me. Through DeAnna’s narrative, I was with her and her dogs through their trials and tribulations. I laughed a lot at the dogs’ antics and got mad once when a rehabilitation center where she worked banned one of her dogs because people were complaining about his barking when someone entered her office.
I love the way DeAnna’s poems are inserted throughout the book. My favorite is one in which she compares one of her dogs, a chocolate Lab, to a cup of cocoa. Even if you don’t have a guide dog, and maybe even if you don’t like dogs, you’ll find Fifty Years of Walking with Friends heartwarming, educational, and entertaining.
(reviewed 22 days after purchase)