Dog Man
Martha Sherrill
'Dog Man is much more than an intensely moving story of one exceptional man and the risks he takes to save the dogs he loves. It is a rare glimpse into World War II Japan, far from the infamous battlefields and military campaigns. In the remote snow country, among civilians eking out a harsh wartime existence, Sherrill finds a story of loss and endurance that is at once particular and transcendent. A gem of a book: every facet dazzles.'
Geraldine Brooks'Her writing is well-researched, empathetic but honest … Dog lovers, Japanophiles and armchair travellers will really enjoy this book.'
David Messer (Sydney Morning Herald)'You don't have to be a dog person to be pulled into the world of Dog Man ... This is one of those small but rich books on a seemingly arcane subject ... that is ultimately about something much greater.'
(Newsweek)How one man’s consuming passion for dogs saved a legendary breed from extinction and led him to a difficult, more soulful way of life in the wilds of Japan’s remote snow country
In this beautifully written book, Martha Sherrill brings us to the remote and forbidding snow country of Japan, where we meet a fierce individualist called Morie Sawataishi in a mountain village during World War II. Morie has chosen to break the law by keeping an Akita dog hidden in a shed on his property.
During the war, the magnificent and intensely loyal Japanese hunting dogs are donated to help the war effort, eaten, or used to make fur vests for the military — so much so that, by 1945, there are only sixteen Akitas left. The survival of the breed becomes Morie’s passion and, due in part to his perseverance, the Akita breed strengthens and becomes wildly popular, sometimes selling for millions of yen. Yet the radically unconventional Morie won’t sell his spectacular dogs. He only likes to give them away.
Dog Man provides a profound look at what it is to be an individualist in a culture that reveres conformity.
'It's a profound insight into an extraordinary man, Morie Sawataishi; a fierce individualist in a culture that reveres conformity. Sherrill vividly captures a way of life far removed from the ordinary, in the remote snow country of Japan. This is a thoroughly engrossing read.'
Mary Ann Elliott (Toowoomba Chronicle)'It's as revealing a journey into the unrevealed soul of Japan and Japanese culture as you're likely to find, by a reporter with a surpassing capacity for empathy.'
Daniel Okrent (Fortune Magazine)'Dog Man is an absorbing, finely written story set in a changing rural Japan that foreigners don't often see.'
Rick SullivanMartha Sherrill
Martha Sherrill is a former Washington Post staff writer who specialises in penetrating profiles of difficult subjects. Her award-winning writing has appeared in Esquire and Vanity Fair among other publications. She is the author of The Buddha from Brooklyn, a work of nonfiction, and the novels My Last Movie Star and The Ruins of California.
Extent: 256pp
Size: 234mm x 153mm
ISBN (13): 9781921372445
RRP: $32.95
Pub date: November 2008
Status: Out of print
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