John Grogan
Marley & Me (2005)
Author: John Grogan
Genre: Memoir (“Growing through” narrative)
Book Summary:
In this bestseller, Grogan details the thirteen years he and his family shared with "the world's worst dog," Marley. Beginning in Palm Beach, Florida as a newpaper columnist, Grogan and his wife Jenny buy Marley, a Labrador Retreiver, as a test-run to decide if they are ready for children. From the outset, Marley proves to be more than a handful, possessed of limitless destructive energy, a voracious appettite, and an untrainable nature. Most adult male Labs weigh sixty-five to eighty pounds. Bad-boy Marley grew to be a manically energetic, lovingly neurotic one hundred pound monster-dog. Grogan’s carefully chosen vignettes chronicle the growth of a family, as well as a pet. Incorrigible Marley ruled their home for thirteen years, devouring dirty diapers, digging through drywall, destroying furniture, and devoting his every waking moment to showering his humans with unconditional love. His misdeeds were aslegendary as his appetite for life. He taught his owners to savor the unexpected and focus on joy of being fully alive. SPOILER: Marley’s slow decline into old age and poor health must be read with a box of tissues close at hand, but the book serves as a heartfelt tribute to his eternally youthful spirit. The book ends with the dog being put to sleep, and details Grogan's long period of and recovery from mourning his imperfect yet loyal-to-the-end dog.
Geographical Setting: Southern Florida and Eastern Pennsylvania
Time Period: 1991 - 2004
Appeal Characteristics:
Anyone who has ever loved a dog will appreciate Marley & Me, an uproariously funny, emotion-packed memoir that has spent almost a year near the top of the (2006) New York Times Bestseller List. Full of intimate vignettes of life in the Grogan household, this story reads like the best of fiction novels. The characterization of Marley the dog is by far this book's greatest appeal element. His exuberance and wild antics are hard to resist, and anyone who has lived with a dog from puppyhood to death will empathize with Grogan's experiences. Some readers who are not fans of dogs might be annoyed by the author's habit of personifying the dog through italicized conversations, but dog-owners will take it in stride. Another aspect of this book that will appeal to readers is the day-to-day, year-by-year chronicle of a growing family, including all of the joys and heartbreaks new parents must deal with and come to treasure. Grogan's writing style is light, engaging, and fast-paced, much like the columns he writes, and marked by a strong sense of humor, whether he is writing about Marley or poking fun at the yuppies of Boca Raton. He does an especially good job of describing life in the various cities in which the book takes place, capturing the environments and way of life particular to each.
Read-alikes: Readers who liked Grogan's humorous take on life in Florida, especially its overdevelopment and gentrification, might try Carl Hiaasen's Kick Ass (1999), a compendium of columns he wrote for the Miami Herald in which he tackles similar topics. Those who enjoyed Grogan's exploration of the newpaper industry might try Richard Yancey's Confessions of a Tax Collector (2004), a funny memoir of a Florida man's twelve years with the IRS. Readers wanting more real-life accounts of young couples faced with the decision of first-time parenthood should pick up Maybe Baby edited by Lori Leibovich (2006), an anthology of 28 writers decribing their struggle with whether to have a baby, and how their lives changed regardless of their choice. Those looking for more tales of misbehaving dogs, or interested in dog-training in general, might try Barbara Woodhouse's No Bad Dogs (1984), which Grogan mentions reading in his book. Finally, readers wanting a fiction title similar in tone and featuring a canine protagonist might try M.D. and L.E. Adams' Bodo: The Tale of the Woodcarver's Dog (2006), a mystery/adventure about a Florida family that adopts a boxer with a very unusual talent. Those who like their real-life dog stories spiced with humor and pathos will appreciate Jon Katz’s A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs and Me, the winsome account of a year spent integrating two high-strung border collies into his formerly peaceful life which he shared with a pair of low-maintenance Labs. Pack of Two: the Intricate Bond between People and Dogs provides a highly-readable history of the co-evolution humans and canines, as well as a moving account of the author’s experiences as a dog owner. Gary Paulsen’s Winterdance: the Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod is a grand dog story that fluidly describes the author’s two greatest passions: dogs and nature. James Herriot’s Favorite Dog Stories brims with heart-warming vignettes of the years country vet Herriot spent doctoring dogs in rural Yorkshire, England. And—last but not least—Marley actually starred in a movie: The Last Home Run, in which he was type-cast as a hyperactive, incorrigible family pet. If you would like to read another book about an uncontrollable dog and its relationship with its owner, then I suggestion My Dog Tulip (1999) by J.R. Ackerley. If you would like to read another book about animals able to outwit their owner's attempts to contain them, then I recommend The Parrot's Lament, and Other True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence and Ingenuity (2000) by Eugene Linden. If you would like to read another light-hearted book about a man and his relationship with his family, then I recommend Family Man (1998) by Calvin Trillin. If you would like to read a book about what life is like through a dog's point of view, then I suggest You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man's Best Friend (2004) by Terry Bain. If you would like a book about how to train dogs, then I suggest Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems (2006) by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier. For dog lovers, Elliott Erwitt's Woof (2005) collects the portraits of dozens of dogs showing their real nature, often with truisms about dog ownership. For an audience that enjoyed the animal antics, Hero of the Herd: More Tales of a Country Veterinarian (1999), by John McCormick relates true, humorous anecdotes of a small-town vet. Those that enjoyed Marley & Me as an uplifting memoir might also enjoy Teacher Man: A Memoir (2005) by Frank McCourt, which details his history as a teacher dealing with mistakes and misfires throughout his ultimately successful career as a teacher in New York. Another fast-paced, "beloved problem pet" memoir is The Good Good Pig: The Story of Christopher Hagwood (2006) by Sy Montgomery: a New England women’s "runt" piglet grows to a troublesome 750 lbs. A fictional take on adopting a dog, Dog: A Novella (2006) by Michelle Herman has a cynical English prof who adopts a puppy and finds her life changing in unexpected ways. Try also, What the Dog Did: Tales from a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner by Emily Yoffe. In this tale, Yoffe recounts her experiences as the caregiver for a high maintenance beagle. Her humor and storytelling style matches Grogan's. For a slightly different take on human-animal relationships, try A Dog's Life by Peter Mayle. This time, the dog tells his story from birth through multiple owners. Personification of the "pet" and a storytelling writing style may suit your fancy. You may wish to try one of Grogan's favorite authors, Dave Barry, and his book, The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog. The Barnes family dog dies shortly before the yearly Christmas pageant and is replaced by mischievous Walter who has quite the affect on the pageant. Barry's anecdotal humor and the dog gone wild theme will keep Grogan readers interested. The Gift of Jazzy by Cindy Adams is a memoir about Jazzy, a Yorkshire Terrier that Cindy received as a gift after the death of her husband. Like Marley and Me, this book focuses on the zany antics of the dog, is about the emotions of the author, is episodic in nature, and has a conversational writing style. Bark if you Love Me by Louise Bernikow is a memoir about how adopting an abandoned Boxer puppy changes the author's life. It has a heartwarming tone, is focused on emotions of the author, and focuses on characterization of the dog. The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery. The author adopts a sick piglet and nurses it back to health, and ends up with a pet instead of a farm animal. Like Grogan's book, this memoir features a heartwarming and humorous tone, and a conversational writing style.
Red Flags: Choker chains, massive destruction of personal property, graphic descriptions of defecation, and a tear-jerker ending. Also, a few mentions of sex, several descriptions of violent crimes, a miscarriage, mild language.
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