Book Review: My Dog Skip by Willie Morris

Title: My Dog Skip

Author: Willie Morris

Genre: Memoir

Number of Pages: 122

Rating: B+

Recommended?: Yes

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When I was little my mom got My Dog Skip from Blockbuster and my brother and I both bawled our eyes out during a scene towards the end. Back then, I didn’t know it was based on a book but as an adult I decided to get it from the library, figuring I was emotionally stable enough to handle it. Well, I didn’t bawl this time but I’ll be damned if the ending didn’t get me a little choked up.

My Dog Skip is about the author’s childhood dog, set in Mississippi in the 1940’s where everything was simpler and kids were a lot more free-range. The nostalgia in this book is really, really heavy; maybe too heavy (I couldn’t help thinking about how much less nostalgic this book would probably be if it were written by anyone other than a white man.)

Regardless, I’m a huge dog person so I was a sucker for Skip’s indomitable loyalty and affection. Morris is a natural born storyteller and he brings a lot of humor and warmth into this account of his out-of-the-ordinary boyhood. You really get a sense of how much he loved Skip and what a important part of his life he still is, even years after his death.

The lush invocation of the changing seasons in 1940’s Mississippi is outstanding, with rich descriptions of the stifling heat and darkly foreboding forests scarcely touched by man. It was a very quick read and I think it’s a good pick for readers of all ages (I found it in the adult section of the library, but it’s perfectly appropriate for readers ages 11 and up.)

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