Part history book and part memoir, The Great Grisby is a fascinating exploration of how dogs have changed people and the world in myriad ways. Mikita Brottman (Thirteen Girls) acquired her first dog, Grisby--a lovable French bulldog--when she was close to 40 years old. Her eight-year "love affair" with Grisby encouraged her better to understand their mutual affinity and the many roles dogs have played in the lives of other human companions. In the process, she unearthed a trove of information about the ineffable bond between notable people and their canines.
Over 26 short chapters, Brottman summarizes and analyzes many stories, such as avant-gardists Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas and their string of standard poodles; poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her indestructible bond with her cocker spaniel, Flush; philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and his attachment to all his dogs, always named Atma; Freud's late-life fondness for chows, especially females; Picasso and his curious relationship with Lump, his beloved dachshund; and aristocratic dogs such as Prince Albert's greyhound and Russian Princess Tatiana's French bulldog (given to her by a grateful soldier). Also included are references to the dogs of politicians and in-depth depictions of canines featured in literature from greats ranging from Charles Dickens to Albert Camus.
Throughout the narrative, the author shares lively, personal anecdotes about Grisby and how he served as "a buffer... and a bridge," keeping Brottman connected to a world she concludes is generally more empathic because of human-canine kinship. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines