*except for me and my monkey
Kasey to the Rescue: The Remarkable Story of a Monkey and a Miracle by Ellen Rogers (Hyperion; $23.99; 288 pages)
“Walk through one door at a time, I told myself, then look for a key to the next. That was my strategy, and I was sticking to it.”
If you’re looking for a heartwarming present for someone this Christmas, this book may be it. I had a copy of Kasey to the Rescue in my stash of books at the office, picked it up to scan during the lunch hour, and found it hard to close.
Ellen Rogers’ 22-year-old son Ned was a student at the University of Arizona when he had a horrible auto accident that left him close to death. The opening scene describing how Ellen got from Concord, Massachusetts to Tucson overnight is worth the price of admission as something amazing happened to speed her journey. Her son survived the crash but as a quadriplegic with a brain injury.
“Pride. Courage. Hope. They were all there in those three little words.”
Ned had always been extremely athletic and daring – despite a lack of natural skills – so his life came to a grim halt after the tragic event. Inaction and depression crept in until the gift of an amazingly smart and social female Capuchin monkey gave him back his spirit, his mobility and his hope of persevering. Kasey the monkey had been ever so patiently trained by foster parents and by the Monkey College maintained by Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled. (As with a human college, it takes two to four years to matriculate at Monkey College.)
Rogers’ telling of this tough, but inspirational, tale is as humorous as it is gripping and touching. If this were an advertisement for a Disney film, you would read, “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.” This story is not a Disney film… It’s real life. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.
Well recommended.
“This gem of a book will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.” Doris Kearns Goodwin
“A book to change your life.” David Doss, Making Rounds with Oscar
“The story told in this book is one of hope, perserverance, laughter, and most importantly, family.” Megan Talbert, Executive Director, Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled, Inc.
This review was written by Joseph Arellano. A review copy was provided by the publisher.
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