Jem: Lessons in Living

by John Donald Middleton

John Donald Middleton was no stranger to dogs. He and his family adopted, sheltered, and loved a variety of canines over the years. But from the beginning, he knew Jem was different. The four-pound bundle of thick, fawn-colored fur tumbled into John’s life during a tough season. After years of constant business travel and alcohol abuse, the husband and father of three grown children was in recovery and rebuilding his relationships. Jem’s total devotion and firecracker spirit became his inspiration. With honesty and tenderness, John chronicles their years together—a time filled with comedy and eventual tragedy, and seasoned with the loyalty of a small dog with a big heart. John is a husband, father, native Texan, and pug enthusiast.A graduate of Texas A&M University, he spent more than thirty years in business, most of them on the road. He’s a recovering alcoholic, sober since 2010. He is now semi-retired--if working two part-time jobs and volunteering for the DFW Pug Rescue can be considered “retired.” He and his very patient wife, Denise, live in Hurst, Texas, with four rescue pugs, and their “grand-dogs” often come to visit. Although John has always had dogs and various pets, Jem was the first dog that truly captured his heart. Lessons in Living, his memoir of their time together, is his first book.

Genres: Memoir

128 pages, Paperback

Published February 9, 2016

Reviews

[Lisa - *OwlBeSatReading* · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day, I will own a Pug. Or two. They are such quirky, adorable little dogs!

John Donald Middletons memoir, Jem, was a truly sweet, funny and heartbreaking read. This guy is a devoted dog lover. His life, albeit filled with many ups and downs, from alcoholism to family and work stresses, was made more bareable because he had such wonderful friends. All these friends were dogs, young and old who helped him get through some really traumatic times.

It just goes to show, if you've got a fluffy companion in your life, they unconditionally stick with you all the way. Providing you allow them to take over your life. And bed. And garden. And home. And bank account.

The authors writing style was easy to grasp, making Jem a quick read, but it warmed my heart, and caused proper lumps in my throat on many occasions.

This story made me quite sad, but on the flipside, it made me feel all the things. The same feels I get when I spot a Pug at 50 yards and make a beeline to just touch that fur, and have a dog~human conversation.

This was a moving little bio, I recommend for dog lovers, particularly Pugs, who don't mind having their heart strings pulled by all that lovely Pugginess.

A solid 4 stars, but then, its Pug~related, so I'm bound to rate it highly!

I'd like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

[Book Haunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a lot of providers, John Donald Middleton spent many years wrapped up in his work, on the road a lot, and drinking quite a bit. His family had grown used to him being unpredictable and unreliable. When John’s drinking escalated to a crisis point, it was time to seek help. He entered a recovery program.

As John entered his retirement years, he began to realize that he hadn’t been the father or the husband that he should have been. In conjunction with his recovery, John begins mending fences between himself and his children. When one of his sons gets a new puppy, a pug named Jem, John begins to spend a lot of time playing “grandpa” to the delightful little dog. John has had many dogs come and go throughout his life but Jem captures his heart like no other has before. Not only is Jem good therapy during his recovery, but spending time with Jem, gives John’s life purpose.

John’s time with Jem was very special and he can recount all of Jem’s charm with great detail. Jem teaches John to find joy and wonder in the world. But when the little pug that gave John’s life 3 years of fullness is struck down, John begins to struggle with his recovery and he questions what it was all for. Jem: Lessons in Living is an unflinching look at John’s shortcomings and struggles in life, his love for his family and his love for a very special dog. Having and then losing Jem has made John reflect on the important things in life and try to be a better man. This book grabbed my attention because our family owns a very special little pug too. Her name is Paloma and she is pure loveliness, such a little cutie pie! I do find dogs to be a great gift in life and I too have focused on my love for a dog while not coping with other struggles in life. All I can say is thank goodness that one certain dog was there for me in one of the toughest times of my life. I still miss her every single day as I’m sure John does with Jem. John has taken his love for Jem and refocused his energy into good outlets for himself, his family and lots of other little pugs. He volunteers as a foster for the pug rescue club and at the time of writing was the proud owner of 4 more pugs. Three cheers for you John! Thanks for sharing and thanks for giving too!

A portion of the price of each of these books sold is donated to the DFW Pug Rescue Club of Texas, Inc.; for more info or to make a contribution go to DFW Pug Rescue Club. To find out more about John and get a link to his newsletter go to www.jdmiddleton.net

I want to thank the publisher (Pious Pelican Press) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this, but I just didn't.

[Robert Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

One author's midlife struggle with alcoholism and attachment issues, revealed by his love of a pug. A heartfelt memoir. Authentic voice throughout, without any forced dramatic arc. A pleasant read with subtle textures of everyday life.

Nevertheless, some sense of the lessons being learned, and the conflict involved, might have arisen sooner. Aside from a couple brief references to alcohol, no indication of the troubles to come (or their connection to Jem) appeared until the conflict was revealed in ultimatum, full force in Chapter 7.

But perhaps I should not review this as a movie, or pot-boiler?
If one accepts the definition that "art" is personal representation of one's experiences displayed for others to interact with, "Jem" rises ably to the level of art. This story is a touching personal revelation, well executed.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jem: Lessons in Living by John Donald Middleton is a very engaging memoir that uses the story of a pug named Jem (as well as other dogs Middleton had known) as both a learning experience and a structural guide for his own story.

I found a lot of the book interesting even though I am a different type of dog owner than Middleton was throughout a large part of this book. When I say different I don't mean good versus bad, just different. Each chapter began with a little bit about Jem, then went on to continue the narrative of his own life and other dogs. Eventually the two timelines meet and we can place Jem within the larger timeline of Middleton's life.

In addition to being a good dog story, and in honesty that is why many of us picked it up, it also asks us to look at our own lives as Middleton looks at his. Dog owners try desperately to be as close to the person our dogs believe us to be and Middleton is honest about his shortcomings as they apply to his family and friends. Jem came along at the right time and was just the right dog to help Middleton make some of the most difficult self-assessments and changes.

I would recommend this to dog lovers as well as those who enjoy memoirs about people addressing their faults and trying to change. I also think this would be a wonderful addition to a course or conference on animals as therapy companions. This shows, from the human's perspective, how a dog can help overcome specific obstacles to growth and healthy relationships.

Reviewed from an ARC made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Julie Haigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart-warming and heart-breaking. 4.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I’ve never thought of a pug as a breed of dog I wanted to own before. Since my son added a Jugalier to our family (Jack Russell, Pug and Cavalier combination) we have found our Trevor is the most darling and intelligent sweetie and this book cover jumped right out at me as just the type of read that would interest me now. I had many chuckles at Jem’s little ways-reminding me of our own dog sometimes. It was a case of, when you’ve had one of these dogs, you’ll understand.

This was a lovely read. I thought it was going to be very brief after seeing the page count on amazon-it seemed like more pages than that but I enjoyed every one of them! It certainly had plenty going for it and I couldn’t wait to read on to each next bit.

In the book the author explores the unique personalities of his pets, past and present. It’s a tale of family ups and downs and laughter and tears-with doggies in tow. This was so sweet and so moving, a wonderful little book. Well worth reading. This certainly brought tears to my eyes-both tears of joy and tears of sadness. It’s a beautiful little book. Yet it says so much. Just lovely.

A portion of the proceeds from the book sales will be donated to DFW Pug Rescue Club of Texas.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over the years, Middleton had had many dogs. He and his wife, Denise, have adult three children who have also had dogs over the years. This is the story of Jem, the pug Middleton had bought as a puppy for his son, Matt, who had moved back home, which meant the author got to spend a lot of time with Jem. Jem was the brother of Middleton's other son, Josh's dog, Scout.

Middleton was out of town a lot on business but also had the opportunity to work from home often. When he did, he would have Jem and Scout spend the day with him, along with his older dog, Wendy. Jem and Middleton spent a lot time together and he took the dog everywhere. Jem came along right around the time the author recognized that he was an alcoholic, which made their bond even tighter. Despite having many dogs over the years, I could feel the bond between him and Jem ... and the author was honest in acknowledging that Jem was different and how much he meant to him.

Middleton is now retired and is a voluteer with DFW Pugs Rescue Club. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book is being donated to this rescue.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/03...

[Danny Deshong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A loving but sad tale about a man his best friend. I loved the little short story at the beginning of each chapter shedding light on the day to day happy moments between Jem and the author. The book is filled with warm moments with other pets as well along the way. Naturally there are sad moments which is inevitable but overall a sweet brief relationship tale amongst two souls.

[Silvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This touching story was as good, or maybe even better, as I expected. I would recommend this book to any dog lover, who knows how much one barking persona can change a life.
I spent a nice time with Jem: Lessons in Living, and only hope this won't be John's last book. I smiled, cried and wrote about it all here:
http://iwannaread.com/john-donald-mid...

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partly a memoir of the many dogs in his life and partly a memoir of the one, Jem, who taught him to be the man he is today; this is the touching and heartfelt story of John Middleton and the dog who taught him about life and about love.