A dog is said to be a man’s best friend yet there exists such a thick communication barrier between the two. What if dogs could really understand what humans say? In The Art of Racing In the Rain by Garth Stein, the main character, a lab named Enzo, has advanced cognitive language skills that allow him to understand English. In the novel, Enzo speaks many Words of the Wiser, uncommon for a dog which is what makes this book so unique.
Prior to reading this book, I had my doubts. Enzo is supposed to be very insightful and upon reading this quote, “That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.” I felt that he wasn’t so insightful. The basis of that quote is the common dictum that we are creators of our destinies. I felt disappointed that this would be considered insightful considering it is a prevalent theme in hundreds of tv shows, movies, and other books. But I’ve realized that its not about the insightful magnitude of the phrase. The many insightful comments made in the book aren’t just to teach readers about being human, but also reinforces those ideas on readers that already recognized them. Although I was already familiar with most of the insight in this book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading every last one of them.
Prior to reading this book, I had my doubts. Enzo is supposed to be very insightful and upon reading this quote, “That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.” I felt that he wasn’t so insightful. The basis of that quote is the common dictum that we are creators of our destinies. I felt disappointed that this would be considered insightful considering it is a prevalent theme in hundreds of tv shows, movies, and other books. But I’ve realized that its not about the insightful magnitude of the phrase. The many insightful comments made in the book aren’t just to teach readers about being human, but also reinforces those ideas on readers that already recognized them. Although I was already familiar with most of the insight in this book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading every last one of them.