Birdie & Harlow, the first book by blogger Taylor "Tay" Wolfe, is an adventurous memoir filled with bittersweet stories about how Harlow, a much beloved dog, accompanied the author and her husband over 10 years of ups and downs on the way to becoming the parents of their beautiful daughter, Birdie.
When Wolfe--eccentric, inherently rebellious, and restless by nature--was in her 20s, she held tightly to the belief that she "wasn't a 'baby person.' " While struggling to find her place in the world, she decided, on a lark, to buy her boyfriend, Chris, a puppy for their two-year dating anniversary. She and Chris, Nebraska natives, were living and working at the time in Gridley, Kan., when a Google search resulted in "Hungarian vizsla," a type of hunting dog Chris found "cool-looking." The minute Wolfe was introduced to a brood of lively, rust-colored puppies, she fell in love with a pup "a little more clumsy and less polished" than his "snooty siblings." The puppy instantly bonded with Wolfe, who named him Harlow. The dog brought "permanence" to Wolfe's love for Chris as the two went on to marry, move several times, and start a family when they were in their 30s.
Wolfe's spirited narrative--sprinkled with witty conversations with Harlow--traces experiences shared while the couple spent time with sensitive, manipulative, mischievous, and energetic yet adoring Harlow. The trio moved to Chicago, where Wolfe spent many years trying to find her professional niche. She went from one meaningless, unfulfilling job to the next, while also dabbling in stand-up comedy. She ultimately turned her focus to writing--maintaining a blog, The Daily Tay, which humorously documented her life experiences, the lovable antics of Harlow, and ultimately led to her launching a novelty graphic T-shirt and sweatshirt line.
This fun, briskly paced memoir takes a more serious turn when Wolfe shares details about the many sad, heart-wrenching challenges she and Chris faced on the bumpy road to parenthood. Wolfe, however, doesn't dwell or wallow in self-pity: "What I was experiencing, what we all are, is something called life. And we don't get to only sign up for the good parts; we sign up for all of it." The buoyancy of Wolfe's warm, witty storytelling will keep readers rapt--tearing up one minute and laughing the next. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines
Shelf Talker: Birdie & Harlow is a lively, spirited memoir about how a dog named Harlow rallied a young couple who faced many challenges on the way to parenthood.