To wrap up this Valentine’s week, I chose Until Tuesday, a book about the love between a man and his canine.
I am not a critter person. I am absurdly allergic to cats and, while I am a sucker for the poor puppy dog look, I prefer not to have a critter in my house. So, I was a little unsure about choosing Until Tuesday for by book review this week. To my surprise, though, I found former Captain Luis Carlos Montalván’s story about how he came to be paired with his service dog, Tuesday, to be quite compelling.
The book first introduces you to this pair with a very vivid description of the two of them, instantly pulling you into their story. Then it splits, first telling you Tuesday’s story, then Montalván’s. I found the details of Tuesday’s story, especially the techniques used to train service dogs, to be interesting. Then came Montalván’s story, which is the primary part of the book.
He talks about joining the Army, about his two deployments to Iraq, about his physical wounds and his struggle with PTSD. His talks about the various ways his physical and psychological ailments impacted his life and his relationships. And he talks about how he came to have Tuesday and how connecting with Tuesday changed his world. It didn’t cure him of PTSD – he compares PTSD to alcoholism in that one never gets over it, only learns to have better days – but helped him transition to a fuller, more “normal” life. He also talks about the discrimination that he and Tuesday have faced in public places, a part of his story that was particularly difficult to read.
You may know some of Montalván’s story, or have read some of his writing, as he is a very active veterans’ advocate and he and Tuesday have been highlighted on such venues as Letterman and PBS. He’s also been at the heart of some drama regarding his story and whether it’s accurate, drama he discusses in his book. I didn’t know about the drama when I selected the book and, aside from what is mentioned in the book, I haven’t researched it. I also haven’t read anything else by the author, so I can’t and won’t weigh in on the debate. I’m simply sticking to the book. And I liked the book, mostly.
The only drawback in the book, in my opinion, is that it contains much of the bitterness that seems to characterize so many Iraq memoirs and Montalván makes no attempt to hide his distaste for the Army leadership that led the war, the Bush administration, or the VA. While I understand that it is part of his story, part of how he and Tuesday came to be paired up, I think the book would have read just fine without it.
In any case, if you’re looking for a book that will tug at your heartstrings a little, this is one. And, even if you’re not a critter lover, like me, I think you’ll find yourself intrigued by Tuesday and, of course, Montalván.
You can find out more about Tuesday on Montalván’s webpage http://www.luiscarlosmontalvan.com/tuesday.html
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