Book Review: Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson and Susy Flory

The book is subtitled, The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust.

I remember where I was on 9/11. Most people who were alive at the time do. I was driving to work and had stopped at an ATM for some cash. A guy in line told me about the first plane hitting the tower. I remember thinking that it was probably a general aviation pilot in a light aircraft who had gotten lost in bad weather. If only.

Know where Michael Hingson was? He was on the 78^th floor of the North Tower getting ready for a meeting. His guide dog, Roselle, was snoozing under his desk.

The story of their escape is artfully told. Hingson made the comment in an interview that his life really did pass through his mind. He uses that to tease out the details of his incredible story as they descend the stairs and flee the clouds of debris and dust. The transitions between past and present are brilliantly done.

The story is intense and largely re-wrote my misconceptions of life as someone blind from birth. Hingson doesn’t perceive blindness as a handicap. He sees it more as a nuisance, like being left-handed in a world largely designed for the right-handed. There is a great essay on this topic at the end of the audio book. It was written by Kenneth Jernigan of the National Federation of the Blind and is not to be missed.

One thing that surprised me was the level of teamwork between Hingson and Roselle, between Hingson and his colleague from work, and between Hingson and his wife.

This is an exceptionally fine book and earns my first 10/10 rating.