Susy FloryReseñas

If you know about my no-crying rule for books, then you're probably wondering why I chose this book. I wondered the same thing. Fortunately, it was nothing like I expected. The focus of the story isn't on his escape from the burning tower, but on how he got to that point in the first place. A small part of each chapter tells us about his experience on 9/11, but most of the book is a flashback of Micheal's life. And an amazing life it is. We find out how he used to drive the neighbors crazy riding his bike all over town, and how he likes to mess with people by driving through his college campus.

I learned many things in this book that changed my perception of those with blindness. It reminded me of how I felt that everyone should read John Elder Robison's Be Different in order to get a perspective on how it feels to live with Asperger's.

This is a book about trust and courage on 9/11, but it's also a book about humor, love, and perseverance in life.

I got this book for free from the BookSneeze review program.

As the title says, Thunder Dog is the story of a blind man and his guide dog surviving the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 by taking the stairs down from the 78th floor after the first plane hit. Michael and Roselle's tale is an amazing one. I just wish it had been given more page time. Each chapter starts with some of the story from 9/11 and then segues over to another aspect of Michael's life before eventually coming back to the title premise. It's not a bad memoir. I just had mismatched expectations for the book.

As an ex-mountaineeer and a lover of space & space travel I found this to be an engaging and compelling read. The narrative covers the full spectrum from his youth to the present, presenting both highs & lows. You get some insight into the workings of NASA and the bonds of friendship that form between astronauts and ground support personnel and just how much teamwork is needed. As the astronaut at the "tip of the spear" in repairing the solar array on the ISS Scott vividly details the event, distributing the narrative along the involvement of the team. The descriptions of his two attempts on Everest are as adventure filled as his exploits in space. I highly recommend this book, especially, to young people who have aspirations and dreams. Normally this book would not have taken this long for me to finish but other things were going on.

Thunder Dog is the story of one visually impaired man and his guide dog. On September 11, 2001, the brave duo made it down 78 flights of stairs as the World Trade Center collapsed all around them. The rest of the book is about that man, Michael Hingson, and how he lives with blindness in a “light-dependent” world. It’s a little padded, and the prose is rather flat, but I found the narrative compelling nonetheless.

boring - clearly an accomplished man but the stories felt somewhat disjointed and ultimately boring. didn't finish it.

I enjoy reading about the space program. The accomplishments are impressive but the human aspect of the story was such a rolling train-wreck. Thank you, Scott, for being willing to share the details of what you could and could not accomplish. The drive that enabled you to accomplish so much seems to have also driven you away from your family. I'm sorry that you and your family have to endure that and I understand that it is a mixed blessing.

This is not a bad book, and parts of it are quite interesting. The main problem I have is that it gets tiring reading about a guy who is good at everything he tries. I'm sure he put a ton of hard work into his accomplishments, but the way he wrote it he comes off as a Mary-Sue type character.

The Kindle in Motion aspect is kinda of cool. It's nice to see diagrams, gifs and pictures of the topics being discussed. I don't know if I would pay extra for that feature, but it does make books more interesting.

5590. Thunder Dog The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero, by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory (read 29 Oct 2018) This book, published in 2011, tells the story of the author, who was on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, with his guide dog on 11 Sept 2001 when the plane hit. It tells of the descent down the stairs and how his dog performed--flawlessly, though the dog earlier that day was terrified by a thunder storm. The book also talks a lot about blindness, the author being blind from birth but how he was mainstreamed and obtained a college education and held responsible jobs, and got about incredibly well, having ridden a bicycle as a boy and doing well much of his life. It is an inspiring and amazing story. When the plane hits the building one has to remind oneself that he does survive.

When the first plane hit the North Tower on the morning of 9/11, Michael Hingson was at work on the 78th floor, preparing to start a presentation to visiting clients of his employer, Quantum. The building shook, and tilted, and his sighted colleagues, who could see the burning papers and other debris falling, started to panic. It was Hingson, believing what he was told but not able to see it, and influenced by the calmness of his guide dog, Roselle, clearly indicating that they weren't in immediate danger, who took control and led an orderly evacuation of the office.

Thunder Dog interleaves the story of Hingson, Roselle, and Hingson's colleagues escaping from Tower One, with the story of Michael Hingson growing up blind in a family that refused to follow then-typical medical advice to isolate him in a home for the blind, but instead "mainstreaming" him before the term was invented. We see how his atypical upbringing--both the fact of his blindness, and the fact that his family expected and supported his full integration into everyday, "sighted" life, helped to develop the skills that in turn enabled him to be a leader in the 9/11 evacuation. Courage was necessary to be a steady, calm force in the stairwell of Tower One, but in many ways it took more courage to get to that point, to overcome assumptions, expectations, and bias to be working, productive professional despite the barriers created by not only his blindness but others' attitudes toward it. This is not the story of a dog, but the story of a partnership between dog and man, each supporting the other, putting their talents and strengths together for the benefit of not only themselves, but everyone around them.

Hingson tells his story with grace and humor, and it's read very effectively by Christopher Prince. As a bonus extra in this audio version, we get a couple of speeches and an interview that Hingson did, delivering even more effectively his wit, humor, and charm.

Highly recommended.

Loved this book from the story to the Kindle in Motion features (videos, animated maps, etc--his eyes are even blinking on the cover). Having recently visited NASA, I thought I'd enjoy this book. I did and more. Scott is quite an American hero and we all are blessed for his countless accomplishments. I highly recommend it.

Scott Parazynski documents highlights of his you youth, medical training, the realization of becoming an astronaut, and more, in this ebook enhanced with color images and video.

I find the earlier portions of the book more interesting than the last few chapters, where his ego and selfishness come out clearly, with disastrous personal results. He seems bothered by the consequences of his actions, it not so much that he decides to make any changes.

The best segments are the earlier descriptions of applying to be an astronaut and his training. Perhaps that is because during these portions of his life he was not yet established, so he needed to rely upon working with others to obtain his goals.

Finally, this ebook goes beyond the typical embedded photos by including animations and short videos. These help understand some of the technical details discussed as well as showing you highlights of a few of Scott’s adventures.

For someone so accomplished it is a shame that he is so self-absorbed. He came across as someone I would find interesting to meet and have a conversation with, but I wouldn’t like him as a person.

There are only a few experienced space travelers and author Scott Parazunski is one of them. The autobiography covers the strong ego and determination he needed to succeed in his extreme endeavors. There is a mixture of technical descriptions, remote places, and an ultimate experience junkie attempt to balance accomplishments with the challenges of marriage and a gifted child. Telling his story in first person allows the reader to experience the physical challenges but provide a very limited perspective of his relationships.

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

This is not a very technical book, which makes it easily accessible to all, and I highly recommend the Kindle version because it has lots of pictures, demos and mini videos sprinkled throughout the book which really add to the read. I remember several of the lunar events and voyages recounted in this story. An interesting look at the life of an astronaut. And a mountain climber, 'cuz he was both. Scott is a very intelligent man with a need for adventure. He tries to be pretty humble, but it doesn't always ring true to me. I am sure it was not easy it would have been to be married to him: his adventures took him away from family for long periods of time. If you are a science geek, you will enjoy this one. 3.5½

SP

This took an inordinate amount of time to finish, which says a lot about the book given that it's set up to read as someone's series of amazing accomplishments/adventures. Scott Parazynski has accomplished so much in his life: an amazing career as an astronaut, a doctor, and adventure seeker. It should be a great read, and it can be - if that's all you're here for. If you're looking for an introspective memoir, you're best looking elsewhere as Scott rarely has time for self reflection other than inspirational quotes about learning tough life lessons learned during mountain climbs/space walks/whatever insane place he's inserted himself this time.

It was a fun read on the surface, until you begin noticing other parts of his life leak through and are left wondering about the people left in his metaphorical dust. Scott is a very charismatic person, but he is also a very selfish person. Throughout his memoir, it becomes clear that he rarely thinks about the bigger picture, or beyond himself. This was fine, but adding a wife and two children (one of whom is autistic), and one needs to sit down and reevaluate one’s priorities.

Most of Scott’s decisions have really only benefited himself and his NASA family, where Scott gets his ‘that-a-boys’ from. His first wife, Gail, is left to shoulder the responsibility of running house and home, working full time herself, and raising their two kids.

While Scott realizes his marriage is failing, he does the uncharacteristic thing, and hides his head in the sand. For someone who has always gone feet first into the deep end, it’s surprising that he held onto this fractured marriage for so long. Scott goes onto to get a home loan for 40K to tackle bucket list goal of climbing Everest, fails due to a back injury, and tries again the following year. Only after this momentous moment, does Scott finally file for divorce. Someone is has been such a large part of his life only merits a handful of lines in a book, and then it’s off to the next adventure: life post-NASA.

The end of the book features Scott finding a second chance at love, a burgeoning new career, and Scott waxing poetic about how he got here, how he was so fortunate when others were not.

The answer is actually simple, though I doubt Scott fully understands the privilege was he was blessed with.

Tl;dr - if you’re here for adventure, this book is for you. If you want some introspection to go along with your memoir, you’re better off picking another book.

This is a good book with insight into the life of a blind man and the life of guide dogs. The successful escape from Tower 1 on 9/11 was also interesting.

A book that was thoroughly enjoyed

I am only a few months older than Scott, so I grew up watching the same forays into space that he saw as a child. He was able to achieve his dream of going into space, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his journey. This book is about more than just space exploration, however. There is much to explore on Earth, and Scott is able to pursue other dreams also. His life has been full of many experiences, and I appreciate the opportunity to read about them.

I read this on my tablet through the Kindle app, and this added so much to the reading experience. The video clips, simulations, and photos were all wonderful.

Thunder Dog – The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog and the Triumph of Trust at Ground ZeroBy Michael Hingson with Susy Flory
3.5 stars (round up to four)


That’s quite a sub-title, and it’s quite a story. Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor of the north tower with his guide dog, Roselle on the morning of Sept.11, 2001. This is a memoir of his experience that day, but it is also the story of his life as a blind person in a sighted world. Beginning with his parents’ refusal to have him sent away to a special school, he describes his boyhood attending public school and riding his bike in Palmdale, California. He tells of receiving his first guide dog the subsequent fight with the local school board to allow the dog on the school bus. Each experience from his childhood, undergraduate education, and his later professional career is related with reference to the skills acquired that allowed him to survive the evacuation from the tower.

For the most part this was a very well constructed memoir that kept my interest from beginning to end. As an educator, I was fascinated with Michael’s story of his school years during a time when “mainstreaming” of the disabled was unknown. I was also personally interested because he grew-up in a school district very near to where I teach and we attended the same university at approximately the same time. His first person account of being at Ground Zero is as terrifying as the day itself. The only jarring note in the book was, I think, a bit of poor editing. A small section of the story shifts from Michael’s first person account to his wife’s account of the fateful day, her own disability and their relationship. Her story is just as interesting, but the transition between the two was not well done.

I had a kindle version of this book and I also picked up the audio version from the library. The audio version was very annoying. Each section of the story was punctuated by an unnecessary, militaristic fanfare that interrupted to the presentation. The reader, Christopher Prince, added more confusion to the poorly edited change in narrator when he did not alter his voice in any way to indicate that a new person, let alone a woman, was speaking. The audio did include an interview with Michael Hingson at the end and some pdf material that were worth having.

A fantastic book about what it's like to be blind in the modern world and unique view of what it was like to be there at 9/11.

What ages would I recommend it too? – Thirteen and up.

Length? – Most of a day’s read.

Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

Setting? – Real world 1950 - 2009.

Written approximately? – 2011.

Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.

Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? No.

Short storyline: This is a biography with scenes shifting from the tragedy of September 11, 2001 to earlier events in the main author's life that prepared him for that event.

Notes for the reader: Large print version. Many places within that contain valuable background, help, and hope for those living with blindness. As a low vision reader, I had hoped to find a few points that would help me as my vision decreases. There is a list of resources in the back that I will research.

Great story until the proselytizing at the end. It was almost 2 books: 1) a nicely woven story of his life as a blind person and his escape from the tower, and then 2) a proselytizing end piece straight from a church pulpit. It's one thing to believe in god and explain how your life is driven and/or guided by belief... but quite another to start expounding on how your view is correct and true and everyone should feel the same well. Fortunately, this piece is at the end so you get to hear the good story up front. And... Yay for service dogs!!! awesome dogs!

I really enjoyed his descriptions of working with the guide dogs he's had. It's a good dog lovers' book.

Blind man and his guide dog descend from the 78th floor of the World Trade Center. Very lot of stairs. Mostly fluff. Not much to say. No great insights.

I found this book repetitive and had a lack of focus. I wasn't into the God spoke to me segments either.

Good book for understanding the life of a blind person, for insight into the work of a guide dog, for the events of 9/11.

Finished this in one sitting. It was a quicker read, and I liked how the book also talks about how Michael Hingson grew up blind and dealt with different things - how he got to the World Trade Center. If you aren't a fan of two storylines at once, this wouldn't be for you. Also, if someone is still really sensitive about things that happened on 9/11, it might not be for you, but it could also be a gentle bridge into a more receptive mode to discuss what happened on 9/11.