I chanced upon Emma & I at a second hand shop. Naturally I picked it up since it featured a dog. The paperback version that I bought was a 1978 edition. The pages has yellowed with a couple of dog ears. However, the book was well written and very engaging. I didn't want to put it down.
This book is Sheila Hocken's account with her guide dog, a chocolate brown Labrador named Emma. Until Emma walked into Sheila's world, her life was pretty much a crawl. Emma introduces Sheila life at the pace of 4 miles an hour.
The amazing devotion of a guide dog and a young blind girl determined to live life to the fullest is simply inspirational. Walks through the town are amazingly hilarious and at times quite a challenging adventure of its own.
Relationships are tested. The strangest relationship between Emma and the cats or Sheila and a sighted random stranger in a radio station provide thought-provoking moments.
And what awaits both Emma and Sheila when they both go under the knife!
A good book that one can read again and again (I am reading this for the fourtth time), Emma & I is a recommended read to anyone who loves dogs or is dealing with the blind.
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