I'm not the only one owned by a dog. Funny, precious, quick read -- one of those "just for the heck of it" books. I will give it as a gift to dog-loving friends.

This book was touching and funny, and I could relate to the stories about Marley causing havoc. Any animal lover, espescially one who has had dogs, would love this book.

Obviously, Anderson Cooper has plenty of exciting stories to tell about the places and things that he's seen. However, he interspersed these stories, with analysis of his father's death and his brother's suicide. His reflections on why he travels, and how he was driven to dangerous reporting by his need to escape from himself... well, it just made it difficult to muster a lot of sympathy for the poor little rich boy.
I also felt like his stories skipped around a lot temporally. I had trouble keeping African/European conflicts strait.
The best part was about Hurricane Katrina. That part was emotional, affecting, and well told.

Although we know at the beginning how this book is going to end, Ann Patchett has drawn us so deeply into the story of her friendship with poet & writer Lucy Grealy that I could not help crying. Lucy had struggled so hard since the age of 10 to overcome her cancer that it was refreshing to read about all the happy times she & Ann spent together & also all the positive things that had gone on in her life. Yet she was never able to completely overcome her disfigurement, like grief it had become a part of who she was & eventually she becaame too worn down to continue the struggle. Ann Patchett treads very lightly in this portrayal of their friendship but her sense of loss is still evident.

Heart-wrenchingly painful to read - but also brilliant.

This book is a biography of a man who is perpetually moving in and out of homelessness and drug use. He met the author on the campaign for a homeless shelter.
The author is not overly sentimental about Stuart. He notes Stuart's better traits- he is articulate about his condition- but he does not gloss over the frustrating aspects. Although intelligent enough (generally) to get himself out of the streets, he continually fucks up, screws over the people trying to help him, and has to start all over again. In that respect its really frustrating to read.
This book also offers an overview of how the British system deals with homelessness.
The system perpetuates itself in a lot of ways, but when the best characters- like Stuart- can't make it work, how can they help anyone else?

Interesting, but went on too long.