Book Review: Emma & I by Sheila Hocken

"I don't care if you can see I'm blind. I can see too: I've got Emma, and she's all I need."

I chanced upon Emma & I at a second hand shop. Naturally I picked it up since it featured a dog. The paperback version that I bought was a 1978 edition. The pages has yellowed with a couple of dog ears. However, the book was well written and very engaging. No way was I going to put it down.

This book is Sheila Hocken's account with her guide dog, a chocolate brown Labrador named Emma. Until Emma walked into Sheila's world, her life was pretty much a crawl. Emma introduces Sheila life at the pace of 4 miles an hour. The amazing devotion of a guide dog and a young blind girl determined to live life to the fullest is simply inspirational. Walks through the town are amazingly hilarious and at times quite a challenging adventure of its own.

Relationships are tested. The strangest relationship between Emma and the cats or Sheila and a sighted random stranger in a radio station provide thought-provoking moments. And what awaits both Emma and Sheila when they both go under the knife!

A good book that one can read again and again (I am reading this for the fourtth time), Emma & I is a recommended read to anyone who loves dogs or is dealing with the blind.

Article first published as Book Review: Emma & I by Sheila Hocken on Blogcritics.