The Education of Will
Healing a Dog, Facing My Fears, Reclaiming My Life
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4.5 • 17 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Bestselling author and internationally renowned animal psychologist and dog trainer Patricia McConnell “gives a voice to those who can’t speak in words and provides hope for fearful animals everywhere” (Temple Grandin) in this powerful and uplifting memoir about healing.
World-renowned as a source of science and soul, Patricia McConnell combines brilliant insights into canine behavior with heartwarming stories of her own dogs and their life on the farm. Now, she reveals that it wasn’t just the dogs who had serious problems. For decades Dr. McConnell secretly grappled with her own guilt and fear, which were rooted in the harrowing traumas of her youth.
Patricia is forced to face her past by her love for a young Border Collie named Will, whose frequent, unpredictable outbreaks of fear and fury shake Patricia to her core. In order to save Will from this dangerous behavior, she must find her own will to heal, and along the way learn that will power by itself is not enough.
Interweaving enlightening stories of her clients’ dogs with tales of her deepening bond with Will, this is a “compassionate account of the reclamation of the author's life from abuse and shame. An uplifting story of hope about how both dogs and humans need "a sense that they are not helpless victims" (Kirkus Reviews).
Customer Reviews
Devoured in <12 Hours
This book is hard to describe because I find my words coming up short.
Let’s just say that I LOVE dogs, love reading about dogs, love learning about other animal-loving people, enjoy learning about dog behavior, AND love memoirs. Oh, and I enjoy stories of overcoming.
This book was weighty and yet deeply meaningful. I stayed up late reading it and my shoulders ache from holding my phone in every conceivable position in which I could keep reading. The animal stories and people stories were rich. I’ll be sore in the morning but it will have been worth it.
Basically, The Education of Will was everything it needed to be!
* Reader Discretion: If you are unwilling or unable to read about a woman being violated, please reconsider. This theme is essential to the story and will be repeated. It serves multiple purposes and relates to the main dog in rich ways. You will want to stick with it. I wanted to, and I did. I thought this author tackled these topics with skill!
Beautiful story of strength and hope
The “Education of Will” is a beautifully written memoir that not only deepened my learning from Dr. McConnell’s first book, but also brought me to tears with its touching narrative. The theme of understanding ourselves in order to bring out the best in our canine companions is further explored in a deeply personal way. This is an important book for dog lovers recovering from trauma, and illustrates that hope exists in even the most challenging and traumatic circumstances.