READERS COMMENTS
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John,
Just had to let you know how much I enjoyed your glorious book. I smiled from beginning to end and of course the tears rolled a few times along the way as well – who could ever ask more of a good book? Your love for this beautiful boy shines through with the turn of every page.
Know that you and Lex will be in my prayers for continued adventures and exciting discoveries.
You made me wish I was capable of raising three CCI pups at a time, instead of one . . .
Thank you,
Pat and NASAR (CCI pup #9)
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Mr. John Thomas Clark,
Writer extraordinaire, brave, wise, beloved of Lex, wonderful story teller!
How very much I enjoyed your book, THE JOY OF LEX. Along with a beautiful love story, you have sprinkled interesting facts and fables, which was an artful way to instruct while keeping the cadence you set, and enlightening my hazy knowledge of literature's heroes.
That a dog is a man’s best friends can only be glorified in Lex.
Thank you for a wonderful read.
God bless.
Sincerely,
Barbara Altenburg
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| Dear
Mr. Clark:
I
just received a copy of your book and it's beautiful, both the poems and the
photography. In July 2011, we are publishing an issue focusing on the
importance of service and companion animals in the lives of people with disabilities.
I would like to take time to read your book all the way through and I would
like to choose one to three poems to include in that issue with your
permission. It will be really difficult to choose.
Thank
you again for writing this beautiful book.
Sincerely,
Gail
Willmott
Editor-in-Chief
Kaleidoscope
United
Disability Services
701 S. Main St
.
Akron, OH 44311-1019
(330)
762-9755 Ext. 242
FAX:
(330) 762-0912
E-mail:
mshiplett@udsakron.org
Visit
us at www.udsakron.org
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From JUST LABS Magazine
Feature
August 09
THE JOY OF LEX
Book Review by Staff
Service dogs, though working dogs, are essential to enhancing
the lifestyles of people who need it. One such dog is Lex, who was
trained by Canine Companions for Independence and belongs to John Thomas
Clark, a former teacher with spinal muscular atrophy. Lex performs
many human tasks, such as picking up the TV remote, turning off the
light, and even taking off Clark’s socks before bed. Clark thanks his
dog in an extraordinary way – through poetry.
The Joy of Lex,
a 128-page book of photos and
sonnets, was released in 2009. Dean Koontz introduced the book, saying,
“John Thomas Clark captures perfectly the details of his life with an
assistance dog, relishes the beauty of small moments, and celebrates
the grace that waits for us in every moment of the day if only we will
open our eyes and our hearts to the recognition of it.”
Derek Mahon, a foremost poet of Ireland, says, “I was, and
am, struck by his single-minded dedication to traditional forms,
especially the sonnet of which he has written dozens . . . none of them less
than enjoyable, many of them brilliant and memorable . . . I am honored to be
associated with this book.”
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Tom,
I had a
quiet train ride and took advantage of the opportunity to dive into THE
JOY OF LEX. I can't decide whether I'm more enamored of the poems or the
dog. It's pretty much equally both, I think.
Your poems, as
ever, so formally complex (and you know I love that), often so
offbeatedly wonderful in their rhymes (Muldoon-esque), so witty but at
the same time piercingly right to the heart, so brutally honest and so
funny.
And Lex -- so beautiful, so totally professional
(teaching himself new ways to serve -- it's astonishing -- he'll be
King of the Service Dogs).
Catherine McKenna
Margaret Brooks Robinson Professor and Chair of Celtic Languages and Literatures
Harvard University
Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street
Cambridge MA 02138
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Dear Tom,
Thank you for coming to Montauk Library and presenting a delightful program.
It was a pleasure to meet you, Lex, and your wonderful family. We hope to see you again.
Christine Langerfeld
President of the Friends of Montauk Library
Montauk, NY 11954
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Tom Clark’s SAINT PATRICK'S CAPTIVITY populates the obscure terrain of fifth-century Ireland with vividly imagined characters who give vibrant life to what little we can know with certainty about this land almost beyond the reach of history. Drawing on Roman history, the writings of Greeks and Romans about the Celts, Saint Patrick’s own account of his youth, and medieval Irish reconstructions of their motherland’s past, Clark has woven an intricate and irresistible Celtic knot of a tale.
Catherine McKenna
Margaret Brooks Robinson Professor and Chair of Celtic Languages and Literatures
Harvard University
Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street
Cambridge MA 02138
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Dean Koontz, Bestselling Author
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The JOY OF LEX is a celebration of life. It is a journey into the lives of a wonderful dog and an exceptional man. It highlights the abilities and duties of a service dog and how the dog enriches the life of an individual that is determined to live life to the fullest, regardless of daunting health challenges. An incredible bond of love, interdependence, and respect develops through this collaborative effort of canine and man. If you know someone that could benefit from the generosity and love of a service dog, give them this book. If you just love dogs and respect people with enormous courage, buy it for yourself. It is an uplifting and inspiring story told through poems and pictures.
Ray Powell, DVM
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THE JOY OF LEX is a true story, and a touching one. It is a story of being tried by some of life's most difficult circumstances. It's the story of cooperation between a man and his animal. It's a story of devotion and love. Together, they step up to the plate –– and hit a home run! It's a true joy.
Diane Buccheri
Publisher OCEAN Magazine
www.OceanMagazine.org
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I just received... It is amazing. I can’t wait to be able to sit and read.
Thank you!
Laura Ann Dubecky
Northeast Region
Instructor/ Graduate Program Manager
Canine Companions for Independence
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THE JOY OF LEX – this is indeed a very passionate story written in a poetry style that flows beautifully as if each page is a story within the big story. Thank you for sharing this heartfelt story with us.
Connie and Bill Reilly
Cedarburg, Wisconsin
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Whenever I feel blue, I open The
Joy of Lex and am reminded of what really is important. You are truly an inspiration to us all in so many ways.
Carol Matthews
Chief Operating Officer & Director of Policy
Beginning with Children Foundation
575 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022
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