Tom Ryan – författare

After a close friend died of cancer, middle-aged, overweight, acrophobic newspaperman Tom Ryan decided to pay tribute to her in a most unorthodox manner. Ryan and his friend, miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch, would attempt to climb all forty-eight of New Hampshire’s four-thousand-foot peaks twice in one winter while raising money for charity. It was an adventure of a lifetime, leading them across hundreds of miles and deep into an enchanting but dangerous winter wonderland. At the heart of the amazing journey was the extraordinary relationship they shared, one that blurred the line between man and dog.

Following Atticus is an unforgettable true saga of adventure, friendship, and the unlikeliest of family, as one remarkable animal opens the eyes and heart of a tough-as-nails newspaperman to the world’s beauty and its possibilities.

A story of a dog and an indelible bond that is beautiful, heartbreaking, and unforgettable from the New York Times–bestselling author of Following Atticus.

Drawn by an online post, Tom Ryan adopted Will, a frightened, deaf, and mostly blind elderly dog, and brought him home to live with him and Atticus. The only owners Will ever knew had grown too fragile to take care of themselves, or of him. Ultimately, Will was left at a kill shelter in New Jersey.

Tom hoped to give Will a place to die with dignity, amid the rustic beauty of the White Mountains of his New Hampshire home. But when Will bites him numerous times and acts out in violent displays, Tom realizes he is in for a challenge.

With endless patience and the kind of continued empathy Tom has nurtured in his relationship with Atticus, Will eventually begins to thrive. Soon, the angry, hurt, depressed, and near-death oldster has transformed into a happy, gamboling companion with a puppy-like zest for discovery. Will perseveres for two and a half years, inspiring hundreds of thousands of Tom and Atticus’s fans with his courage, resilience, and unforgettable heart.

Includes eight pages of color photographs.

“A wonderful book. It is a journey of courage, love and the deep connection between humans and the animals who teach us so very much about ourselves and life.” —BookTrib.com

A true story of acceptance, perseverance, and the possibility of love and redemption as evocative, charming, and powerful as the New York Times bestseller Following Atticus.From the author of Following Atticus, an international bestseller that has inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the world, comes the moving true story of a despondent and broken old dog and the man who gave him a second chance. Drawn by a fateful online post, Tom Ryan, with the help of his canine hiking partner, Atticus M. Finch, adopts Will, an elderly, deaf, and nearly blind soul. Long neglected and filled with anger and pain, Will finds himself in a curious world unlike any he has ever known. Tom hopes to give Will a place to die with dignity surrounded by the natural beauty of the White Mountains of his New Hampshire home. But when he witnesses Will''s fear and lack of trust, Tom realizes that his task entails so much more. With endless patience and the same meditative empathy Tom has nurtured in his relationship with Atticus, Will eventually begins to thrive. Soon, an angry, hurt, depressed, and near-death Will has transformed into a happy, frolicking fellow with a puppy-like zest for discovery, inspiring hundreds of thousands of people with his courage, resilience, and renewed heart. Will lived for two more years - to the ripe old age of 17 - and helped Tom understand a great deal about aging, how to live a full life and make the best of our days. Will''s Red Coat is a real-life fairy tale of promises kept and a life-changing, inviolable bond between friends. Heartbreaking, uplifting, and ultimately unforgettable, it honours the possibility held in all of us, at any stage of life.