Unleashed: Poems by Writers' Dogs by Amy Hempel

Unleashed: Poems by Writers' Dogs Reviews

• 
  J & J

  So hard to read the sad ones...
• 
  Laura Leaney

  So insightful! Sample poem by Karen Shepard (owner of Labrador Retriever named Birch):
  
  You gonna eat that?
  You gonna eat that?
  You gonna eat that?
  
  
  I'll eat that.
• 
  Amanda

  Does for poetry what "Marley and Me" did for memoir. Endearing, heart warming and poignant, I laughed until I cried and cried until I cried some more. I'd recommend it to any dog lover. Have a tissue box handy for the last section!
• 
  Alyn G

  A great read! I laughed, I cried, and I looked at my dog just a little bit differently after reading this book. A few of the poems are especially good; "The Odyssey" and "Shelter" are two of these, as is the "story" about a dog that eats a bowl of dough and goes to sit in the sun. Also, dogs are Buddhists, and I'm glad the authors in the "theology" (perhaps it should be called dogma?) section realized this fact.
• 
  Kristy

  I knew some of the dogs who wrote these--
• 
  Beth

  I was really looking forward to reading this book, but it really fell flat for me in the expressiveness and emotional impact department. For someone who loves dogs as much as I do, that shows you how flat this book is, if I couldn't personally be moved by the poems. There were only three poems in the whole collection that made me smile or sigh with contentment just a little bit.
  
  The idea behind this book was brilliant, but the execution of it, not so brilliant.
• 
  Molly

  Apparently, many writers' dogs like to write in patterns, particularly with rhyme and in villanelle form. There were more opportunities, I believe, that weren't quite taken--the funny was not strong (funny is hard), a little too unspecific but still familiar. Perhaps this book was more charming in concept, in the introduction, than in actuality.
  
  Favorites were the poems by Alicia Munoz and (of course) Maxine Kumin.
• 
  Jen

  What can I say? I like poems about dogs. Or by dogs. Beaglesongs.
• 
  Corey

  Arthur Miller and John Irving write dog poetry? How have I not hear about this until now?
• 
  Bonnie Schroeder

  Hard to rate a book of poetry, since I don’t read it often, but this little volume contained some touching, funny, and philosophical entries “written by” all sorts of dogs—some of which sounded suspiciously like my own. Writers both famous and unknown (to me, at least) shared poems starring their dogs, and this was a very enjoyable read.
• 
  M.J. Prest

  This is so clever and sweet. Several of the poets were my professors in college, and several others were playwrights and authors I studied. There’s something for every dog lover in this anthology, no matter if you are suffering through a new puppy or are mourning your best friend.
• 
  Estelle

  Even someone like me, who has never owned a dog, will find humor and truth in this collection of poems obviously lovingly penned in their dogs' own voice by their writer owners.
• 
  Andy Pronti

  There are quite a few great poems in this collection that describe my pup perfectly
• 
  Book2Dragon

  Enjoyable, and really like Amy.
• 
  Rogue Male

  8/10 Arf!
• 
  Mg Nelson

  Have tissues handy.
  
  It's a truly beautiful homage to our best friends. I heard one poem read from the book and went immediately and bought the book.
• 
  Brian

  Who knew so many Poets wrote from their dog's POV. If you've never understood dog lovers, this will give some insight.
• 
  Xine Segalas

  I am not one to gravitate toward reading a lot of poetry, but I love dogs and was intrigued by what might be on their minds. Unleashed: Poems by Writers Dogs quickly became my favorite book of poetry for over two decades. I highly recommend this humorous and heartwarming poetry collection dedicated to our best friend, the dog.
• 
  Koeeoaddi

  Wuff! I really wanted to love this book. I did smile a few times, but didn't find the stand out poems I expected and many of the poems just fell flat. Worse still, the Dunn poem that I pinned my hopes on was down right depressing. Not bad -- I don't think he could write a bad poem -- but bleak. Oh well...
• 
  Kellie

  An interesting book of poetry, "written" by the writer's dogs. I liked a few, disliked quite a few, skipped one, and the rest just weren't that memorable.
  
  My favorites were Homer's Odyssey and this one by Karen Shepard, because my dog could have written it!
  
  You gonna eat that?
  You gonna eat that?
  You gonna eat that?
  
  I'll eat that.
  
• 
  Mary

  I love this book. If you want unabashed sentimentality, you probably won't like it. But if you like poetry, and you want to read what writers trying to imagine dearly loved dogs writing poetry, you will like this. The poems are (almost all ) from the dog's point of view.
• 
  Ruth

  I was disappointed in this book, after the glowing reviews I'd read. It's been long enough now that I don't remember why it didn't resonate with me.
  
  R
• 
  Maureen

  "Life is never meaningless/Because there's always food. Consider kibble,/its taste, its smell, its mood."
• 
  Christopher

  Wonderful collection of poems "written" by poets' dogs. Funny, moving and inspiring!
• 
  Maya

  A mixed bag, as all anthologies are, but with some so wonderful & true that they broke my heart or had me laughing so hard I cried. Great for poetry nights.
• 
  Abby

  Charming collection of poems from the perspective of writers' beloved dogs. Particularly happy to see some of my favorites (Maxine Kumin, Mark Doty) included in this book.