Malcolm Hillgartner

Great read. A different war story. This is my first book relating to Vietnam War and it's WILD!

One November night in 1967 John "Chick" Donahue was at a local bar in Inwood New York City. A superpatriotic bartender, George "Colonel" Lynch was unhappy that the antiwar protest had turned into anti-soldier. He believed the narrative was demoralizing their boys overseas and wanted to borrow a Seaman's Card from Chickie so he could sail off to the war zone and bring their neighborhood boys a drink and words of encouragement. Chick couldn't just let "the Colonel" borrow his ID card so he volunteered.

Sounds unbelievable and I wouldn't believe anyone would risks his life doing this. Chickie did! What a journey.… (meer)

Murphy the Dog made national headlines when he ran from the scene of a traffic accident in Vermont in 2014. It took two years to reunite Murphy with his owner and catching the lost dog brought an entire community together.

A writer for the Associated Press, Wilson Ring diligently put out food and traps to catch the golden retriever and enlisted the help of many for two years. The dog hung around the outskirts of his property the whole time, evading traps and never letting anyone get near him. But Ring kept trying, until he finally managed to catch the lost dog. Catching Murphy is the tale of how one lost, confused dog brought together so many people.

I loved this story! I think I enjoyed it because I knew from the start that the outcome was a happy one. I can't stand animal stories that end badly.....it's that Old Yeller taint. But I remember the news coverage when the dog was finally returned to his owner. Happy ending! Yay!

I listened to the audio book version of this story. At just over an hour, it's an easy, enjoyable listen. Malcolm Hillgartner narrates. His voice is pleasant and he reads at a nice, even pace. I have partial hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand this entire book.

Catching Murphy is part of the Missing Collection from Audible/Amazon Originals. The Missing Collection gathers six true stories about people dealing and recovering from extreme loss or hardship. The stories are varied, but I've liked all that I've listened to so far!
… (meer)