Trusting Calvin

October 8, 2012
The subtitle is misleading, as this book is more Holocaust memoir than human/animal story. An opening section describes how Calvin, an “exceedingly well-mannered and impeccably well-trained” guide dog, cannot bring himself to help Max Edelman, a blind Holocaust survivor; the animal, for some reason, cannot bond with Edelman. But after those four pages, the rest of the book by journalist Peters offers a well-written, grim portrayal of Edelman’s struggle to survive imprisonment by the Nazis, which only became more of an uphill battle after a beating left him blind. After the war, he ends up in Cleveland and builds a life, a family, and a career. After retiring in 1990, Edelman agrees to having a guide dog, despite his fear of the animals based on witnessing attack dogs used by the Germans. Calvin receives scant attention, despite the book’s title. Given that imbalance, animal lovers are likely to be disappointed, and, based on the title, reaching readers looking for another moving account of enduring unbearable horrors is a long shot. Agent: Andrew Stuart, the Stuart Agency.