No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog, and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in WWII - Softcover

Weintraub, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316337056 ISBN 13: 9780316337052

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2016

Synopsis

"A canine version of Unbroken." --Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air

No Better Friend tells the story of Air Force technician Frank Williams and Judy, a purebred pointer, who met in WWII and were POWs in a camp in the Pacific. Judy was loyal, with a keen sense for who was friend and who was foe, and the pair's relationship deepened throughout their captivity. When the prisoners suffered beatings, Judy would interrupt by barking. She survived bombings and other near-death experiences and became a beacon for the men, who saw in her survival a flicker of hope for their own.

Judy was WWII's only canine POW, and when she passed away in 1950, she was buried in her Air Force jacket. Williams would never own another dog. Their story--of an unbreakable bond forged in the worst circumstance--is one of the great undiscovered sagas of WWII.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Weintraub is a sports columnist for Slate, and his writing has also aired on ESPN, ABC Sports, CBS Sports, and dozens of other outlets. He is the author of The House That Ruth Built and The Victory Season and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times sports pages. He lives in Georgia.

Review

One of NPR's Maureen Corrigan's Best Books of 2015

New York Times Bestseller
"Weintraub... combines a gritty war story with a warm dog story -- readers who like both will think they have gone to heaven.... Where he truly excels, though, is in finding the human dramas, some painful and some inspiring, that figured in Judy's saga."―Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe

"The most inspiring true life account I've ever read of a human-animal bond.... I know this summary makes No Better Friend sound like a canine version of Unbroken. And as a dog lover, I say what could be better than that?"―Maureen Corrigan, NPR

"This is the best dog book since the uber best-selling Marley and Me. But this is no fluffy little dog story. This is a book that will appeal to history buffs -- even those who don't love dogs."―Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"No Better Friend personifies the relationship we all aspire to have with our dogs, and takes us on a harrowing journey to a place and time lost in the history books. A must read for every dog or animal lover."―Robin Hutton, author of Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse

"In his new book, masterful storyteller Robert Weintraub delivers a spellbinding narrative that reclaims the lost history of two most unlikely heroes: a dog named Judy and fellow soldier Frank. Not only a testament to animal intelligence and a much overdue account of canine sacrifice and service, No Better Friend is also an unforgettable read. Soaring and graceful--like Hillenbrand's Unbroken and Seabiscuit--Weintraub's latest is the stuff of which Hollywood blockbusters are built."―Mim Eichler Rivas, author of Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World

"We may have a best-seller on our hands with this carefully reported saga... The narrative of their survival thoroughly won over both readers who ordinarily shun animal stories and those who generally prefer to avoid reading books about war."―The Elle's Lettres 2015 Readers' Prize


"Exceptionally well researched and engaging... NO BETTER FRIEND is an inspiring story, and one that both dog lovers and history buffs will embrace."―Deborah Hopkinson, BookPage

"From Shanghai and the Yangtze River to the prison camps of Sumatra, the indomitable English pointer Judy proves to be more than just a survivor, but an inspiration to those who knew her during the ravages of the War in the Pacific. Robert Weintraub provides a meticulous chronicle of the strength and will to survive of both man and dog."―Lisa Rogak, author of Angry Optimist and Dogs of War

An "incredible saga.... Weintraub's paean to a remarkable dog will be seen by animal lovers as affirmation that all pets deserve our respect, because any one of them might save a life (or many lives) and inspire a nation, as Judy did --- given the chance."―Barbara Bamberger Scott, BookReporter

"By turns harrowing and heartwarming."―William Hageman, Chicago Tribune

About this edition

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0316337056
• ISBN 13: 9780316337052
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416