What do you think?
Rate this book
Every Dog
David Planter fights authority, and authority usually wins.
Raised in a series of foster homes after his mother abandons him at the age of five, David survives nine foster homes in eleven years, an unintended and extended stay in juvenile detention, a series of dysfunctional multicultural relationships, and a tour of duty in Afghanistan, only to return to a country where he still doesn't fit in.
EVERY DOG is a tragi-comic multicultural novel where every dog will have his day ... and sometimes, despite tragedy, love strikes twice.
Raised in a series of foster homes after his mother abandons him at the age of five, David survives nine foster homes in eleven years, an unintended and extended stay in juvenile detention, a series of dysfunctional multicultural relationships, and a tour of duty in Afghanistan, only to return to a country where he still doesn't fit in.
EVERY DOG is a tragi-comic multicultural novel where every dog will have his day ... and sometimes, despite tragedy, love strikes twice.
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 25, 2012
10 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
H.M. Mann
20 books21 followersH.M. Mann is the pseudonym of multicultural romantic comedy novelist J. J. Murray, who writes multicultural poetry, short stories, plays, and novels with a Southern U. S. flavor. His influences include the works of Ernest Gaines, Margaret Walker, Alice Walker, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the music of Muddy Waters, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder. Readers can connect with J.J. Murray/H. M. Mann by e-mailing A3JMurray@msn.com or AuthorHMMann@hotmail.com or through Facebook.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 8, 2018
This book is excellent, except for the ending. I chuckled, I was moved to tears, I was interested in it the whole way. The ending wasn't even horrible, just too perfect with the personal life.
About 65% way through, the book starts getting a little religious, including having passages of the bible. The religion isn't preachy, just one man's way of trying to deal with reality. I skipped the passages, personally.
At first, I thought I had re-read the description and thought it was a YA book, but that changed within the first 1/4. Even if it had just been a YA book about the camp, it would have been a 4 star book.
About 65% way through, the book starts getting a little religious, including having passages of the bible. The religion isn't preachy, just one man's way of trying to deal with reality. I skipped the passages, personally.
At first, I thought I had re-read the description and thought it was a YA book, but that changed within the first 1/4. Even if it had just been a YA book about the camp, it would have been a 4 star book.
April 3, 2018
A 5 Star For Sure...
A moving story that unfolds beautifully, grabbed hold of my heart and would not let go. Captivating, heart breaking, an unforgettable romance.
Amazing and memorable characters with great dynamics. I admire this author so much and have read so many of his book, he always delivers, always leave me wanting more.
I have absolutely no hesitation what so ever in reccomending this novel. A MUST read. Thank you again JJM 😁
A moving story that unfolds beautifully, grabbed hold of my heart and would not let go. Captivating, heart breaking, an unforgettable romance.
Amazing and memorable characters with great dynamics. I admire this author so much and have read so many of his book, he always delivers, always leave me wanting more.
I have absolutely no hesitation what so ever in reccomending this novel. A MUST read. Thank you again JJM 😁
May 12, 2017
Heart Wrenching and Heart Warming Story.
You'll laugh with this book and you'll cry with this book. Well written story that follows the main character from a childhood in foster care to almost juvenile delinquency, to emancipation, to marriage, to war, through grief to hope. It was a rollercoaster of emotion. I couldn't put it down.
I always enjoy J.J. Murray stories.
You'll laugh with this book and you'll cry with this book. Well written story that follows the main character from a childhood in foster care to almost juvenile delinquency, to emancipation, to marriage, to war, through grief to hope. It was a rollercoaster of emotion. I couldn't put it down.
I always enjoy J.J. Murray stories.
April 7, 2018
Slow but worth the wait!
I struggle at times waiting for the ah ha moment...however I couldn't put the book down because I knew JJ was going to come with it as he alway does. He did not disappoint. It was a beautiful journey that come full circle and soothes the readers soul with the comfort of faith we often forget we have. Beautiful story!
I struggle at times waiting for the ah ha moment...however I couldn't put the book down because I knew JJ was going to come with it as he alway does. He did not disappoint. It was a beautiful journey that come full circle and soothes the readers soul with the comfort of faith we often forget we have. Beautiful story!
March 23, 2019
Unfortunate
The book had some good parts, David life was really a tale of survival however it got too preachy at times. The real killer for me though was the relationship with the sister. I just can’t see that being healthy.
The book had some good parts, David life was really a tale of survival however it got too preachy at times. The real killer for me though was the relationship with the sister. I just can’t see that being healthy.
June 8, 2019
I can't say that I've ever been as affected by a novel as I was by "Every Dog." This book wreaked havoc on my emotions and I came out on the other side having enjoyed every minute of it.
Please don't do yourself the disservice of dismissing this book or being put off by its length. The author was not overly wordy or superfluous; instead, he took the time to develop most every character that David the hero (or anti-hero, depending on how you view him) came in contact with, and as a result, you achieve a better understanding of who David was, who he was not and what he was to become.
I especially appreciated David's back story (as I am a stickler for authors providing enough detail that the reader does not have to surmise at every turn), but I do have to say that because the book began with a riveting present-day scenario only to flashback through his first 19 - 20 years of life, I was anxious to get to the climactic outcome.
If asked, I would have a hard time classifying this book, as there was an amalgamation of just about every modern genre that you could think of. This however, was not a bad thing. On the cover page, the book is touted as a multicultural coming-of-age novel, but it is so much more. It is easily one part comedy, one part drama, one part interracial romance, with a dash of non-fiction and a pinch of contemporary Christian prose for good measure and worldly swearing for balance.
This book had me literally laughing, no...guffawing OUT LOUD and often (especially throughout the Camp Gray Days), sighing and crying (the romance was tender, steamy, palpable, heart-rending and devastating) and raging (I took SERIOUS issue with the circumstances that caused David to come full-circle and how he could reconcile such seemingly impossible issues in a year's time; I won't spoil the story, but his willingness to change a letter in his tattoo had me fit to be tied!!!).
The author was meticulous and thorough in his research, which gave the story a very realistic tone and an unblemished voice to David's sometimes imperfect narrative. I could envision the mountains and the smell of pine in the WILDS of Virginia, taste the choking dust of Afghanistan's deserts, feel the stirring caused by stolen kisses at the Fire Tower or the grief of utter loneliness on the Appalachian Trail. I was most impressed however, with how the sometimes subtle, sometimes overt references to God did not come off as preachy, but were instead demystifying while still leaving the humanity of each character intact.
The ending of the book for me though seemed... "meh". It was forced and ultimately fell a bit flat, especially since the author spent so much time building such an amazing crescendo. David's ultimate resolution appeared contrived and if I'm being honest, left me more than a little annoyed. Still, the witty banter, creativity and overall composition of this book made it worth the read. Though I finished this book in about three nights (reading a few hours at bedtime), I will easily be reminiscing on it for days to come.
I highly recommend "Every Dog" and plan to present it to my book club as a must read as well
Please don't do yourself the disservice of dismissing this book or being put off by its length. The author was not overly wordy or superfluous; instead, he took the time to develop most every character that David the hero (or anti-hero, depending on how you view him) came in contact with, and as a result, you achieve a better understanding of who David was, who he was not and what he was to become.
I especially appreciated David's back story (as I am a stickler for authors providing enough detail that the reader does not have to surmise at every turn), but I do have to say that because the book began with a riveting present-day scenario only to flashback through his first 19 - 20 years of life, I was anxious to get to the climactic outcome.
If asked, I would have a hard time classifying this book, as there was an amalgamation of just about every modern genre that you could think of. This however, was not a bad thing. On the cover page, the book is touted as a multicultural coming-of-age novel, but it is so much more. It is easily one part comedy, one part drama, one part interracial romance, with a dash of non-fiction and a pinch of contemporary Christian prose for good measure and worldly swearing for balance.
This book had me literally laughing, no...guffawing OUT LOUD and often (especially throughout the Camp Gray Days), sighing and crying (the romance was tender, steamy, palpable, heart-rending and devastating) and raging (I took SERIOUS issue with the circumstances that caused David to come full-circle and how he could reconcile such seemingly impossible issues in a year's time; I won't spoil the story, but his willingness to change a letter in his tattoo had me fit to be tied!!!).
The author was meticulous and thorough in his research, which gave the story a very realistic tone and an unblemished voice to David's sometimes imperfect narrative. I could envision the mountains and the smell of pine in the WILDS of Virginia, taste the choking dust of Afghanistan's deserts, feel the stirring caused by stolen kisses at the Fire Tower or the grief of utter loneliness on the Appalachian Trail. I was most impressed however, with how the sometimes subtle, sometimes overt references to God did not come off as preachy, but were instead demystifying while still leaving the humanity of each character intact.
The ending of the book for me though seemed... "meh". It was forced and ultimately fell a bit flat, especially since the author spent so much time building such an amazing crescendo. David's ultimate resolution appeared contrived and if I'm being honest, left me more than a little annoyed. Still, the witty banter, creativity and overall composition of this book made it worth the read. Though I finished this book in about three nights (reading a few hours at bedtime), I will easily be reminiscing on it for days to come.
I highly recommend "Every Dog" and plan to present it to my book club as a must read as well
September 17, 2012
Loved this book, so different from the others this author has written, although there is always something to learn from his musings. This one left a touch of the Lord when you needed it, maybe you had been struggling or haven't been reading the bible lately like you should, this book brought the bible to you in a way often not shown by christian writers. I thank you H.M. Mann, thank you for the Word, God is everywhere even when you don't recognize it and his hand is in everything. It was not a mistake or a coincidence that I was reading this book when I was reading it, going through the things I was going through. God had his hand in it and he indeed good all the time! Amen.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews