Caesar (American literature, Mukogawa U.; English, Clarion U.) provides a linked series of 13 wide-ranging essays that are at times light and on other occasions very serious, but at all times
very personal. The author writes of the heart-rending experience he and his wife endured while deciding to have a dog castrated and his inability to kill a raccoon. He also writes of his
observations of animals in Spain, reading about the training of big cats, and watching Animal Planet. Even his critical essays of movies and books carry an immediate, intimate quality as he
provides an implicit critique and discussions of recent trends in animal studies. The concept of the book works very well, and the research and writing are of high quality. The book will
interest anyone from writers to animal lovers. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
