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No Better Friend: A Man, a Dog, and Their Incredible True Story of Friendship and Survival in World War II
Discover an extraordinary tale of friendship and survival between a man and a dog in World War II in this young readers' adaptation of the New York Times bestseller No Better Friend.
No Better Friend tells the incredible true story of Frank Williams, a radarman in Britain's Royal Air Force, and Judy, a purebred pointer, who met as prisoners of war during World War II. Judy, who became the war's only official canine POW, was a fiercely loyal dog who sensed danger—warning her fellow prisoners of imminent attacks and protecting them from brutal beatings. Frank and Judy's friendship, an unbreakable bond forged in the worst circumstances, is one of the great recently unearthed stories of World War II.
As they discover Frank and Judy's story in this specially adapted text, young readers will also learn about key World War II moments through informative and engaging sidebars, maps, photographs, and a timeline.
No Better Friend tells the incredible true story of Frank Williams, a radarman in Britain's Royal Air Force, and Judy, a purebred pointer, who met as prisoners of war during World War II. Judy, who became the war's only official canine POW, was a fiercely loyal dog who sensed danger—warning her fellow prisoners of imminent attacks and protecting them from brutal beatings. Frank and Judy's friendship, an unbreakable bond forged in the worst circumstances, is one of the great recently unearthed stories of World War II.
As they discover Frank and Judy's story in this specially adapted text, young readers will also learn about key World War II moments through informative and engaging sidebars, maps, photographs, and a timeline.
296 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2015
570 people are currently reading
6236 people want to read
About the author
Robert Weintraub
22 books33 followersRobert Weintraub is a sports columnist for Slate.com and has written for ESPN.com, Play, The Guardian, Football Outsiders, and many other publications, as well as written and produced for ESPN, Turner Broadcasting, ABC Sports, the Discovery Channel, and dozens of other television outlets. He lives in Decatur, Georgia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
August 2, 2015
Remarkable in the quality of the narrative, but even more so in the fact that it is all true. When I think nothing will ever surprise me about a dog's brilliance, loyalty, endurance, problem-solving, strength, and any other favorable trait you can imagine, an impossibly amazing dog story comes to my attention.
Don't let it miss yours.
I say this as someone who AVOIDS reading dog stories, due to the heartache they are likely to cause. In this case we know at the start that this is war time, it's true, and it is going to work out, one way or the other. The raves it has revcieved convinced me to read it, and I have no regrets.
Don't let it miss yours.
I say this as someone who AVOIDS reading dog stories, due to the heartache they are likely to cause. In this case we know at the start that this is war time, it's true, and it is going to work out, one way or the other. The raves it has revcieved convinced me to read it, and I have no regrets.
October 24, 2015
Almost unreadable. This book is like being cornered at a dinner by your slightly unhinged aunt who has replaced her children with a labradoodle, and has pictures and daily anecdotes. Weintraub is that aunt with a research budget.
The feel of the book is an upbeat piece of WWII era propaganda, and the structure of the book once the Japanese assault begins is to describe some appalling act of brutality then follow it with a heartwarming anecdote about that beloved dog Judy. Not only are we given a sweet Judy spoonful to swallow after every bitter taste of the war in the Pacific, but we are also treated to a book that anthropomorphizes the dog at the center of the narrative to a degree that would give Beatrix Potter pause. Weintraub seems obsessed with the details of Judy's thinking, and how human she seemed in those moments where she so lovingly gave care and comfort to others. The speculation here goes to incredible degrees, from deciding that Judy hated the Japanese (as a race!) because of one incident when she was a pup with a group of drunken soldiers, to opining that poor Judy had PTSD despite there being no evidence except Weintraub apparently believing that a dog so human and who had suffered so much must have had PTSD (and then telling us about the Chinese herb they now use to treat it).
Then there is the sheer tenacity of the narration. There is no detail too banal to omit, not a single factoid that could not be left out. Every piece of biographical detail about Judy, about the crew members she encountered, about some person she shared a camp with for a few weeks. There is no stone left unrolled in this dog's life, which just isn't interesting enough for this book-length treatment. Strip away the filler, clean up the undergrowth, and what you have here is a book trying too hard to be Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, but with a DOG!
To be honest, I would have preferred had Weintraub dropped the attempt at "serious" history, and had he instead fully characterized Judy. A semi-fictional story told from Judy's perspective seems to be what he is trying for here anyway, and anchoring the book in Judy's words would have avoided the schizophrenic organization of the book as it is now. The focus jumps around to follow some peripheral action almost constantly, and limiting the story to what Judy would have known would still have made sense.
If you wonder why I still give it 2 stars, well that is because I am obviously not the target audience. Animal stories often repel me with their coy attempts at making humans out of their heroes. There is no doubt that Judy was an intelligent dog with considerable empathy. The error is in thinking that her intelligence was a human intelligence and that her emotions are those of the humans she lived with. This book belongs to a genre of animal hero books that I simply cannot appreciate. In the same way that I adore 19th century children's novels but do not expect others to appreciate the obvious superiority of A.L.O.E. over Optic, some people like to read books where they can pretend that dogs are four-legged humans. I went in hoping for Seabiscuit: An American Legend and it wasn't. Not even close. So who am I to condemn the book because it wasn't the type of story I wanted? So two points it is, largely for terrible organization and writing.
The feel of the book is an upbeat piece of WWII era propaganda, and the structure of the book once the Japanese assault begins is to describe some appalling act of brutality then follow it with a heartwarming anecdote about that beloved dog Judy. Not only are we given a sweet Judy spoonful to swallow after every bitter taste of the war in the Pacific, but we are also treated to a book that anthropomorphizes the dog at the center of the narrative to a degree that would give Beatrix Potter pause. Weintraub seems obsessed with the details of Judy's thinking, and how human she seemed in those moments where she so lovingly gave care and comfort to others. The speculation here goes to incredible degrees, from deciding that Judy hated the Japanese (as a race!) because of one incident when she was a pup with a group of drunken soldiers, to opining that poor Judy had PTSD despite there being no evidence except Weintraub apparently believing that a dog so human and who had suffered so much must have had PTSD (and then telling us about the Chinese herb they now use to treat it).
Then there is the sheer tenacity of the narration. There is no detail too banal to omit, not a single factoid that could not be left out. Every piece of biographical detail about Judy, about the crew members she encountered, about some person she shared a camp with for a few weeks. There is no stone left unrolled in this dog's life, which just isn't interesting enough for this book-length treatment. Strip away the filler, clean up the undergrowth, and what you have here is a book trying too hard to be Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, but with a DOG!
To be honest, I would have preferred had Weintraub dropped the attempt at "serious" history, and had he instead fully characterized Judy. A semi-fictional story told from Judy's perspective seems to be what he is trying for here anyway, and anchoring the book in Judy's words would have avoided the schizophrenic organization of the book as it is now. The focus jumps around to follow some peripheral action almost constantly, and limiting the story to what Judy would have known would still have made sense.
If you wonder why I still give it 2 stars, well that is because I am obviously not the target audience. Animal stories often repel me with their coy attempts at making humans out of their heroes. There is no doubt that Judy was an intelligent dog with considerable empathy. The error is in thinking that her intelligence was a human intelligence and that her emotions are those of the humans she lived with. This book belongs to a genre of animal hero books that I simply cannot appreciate. In the same way that I adore 19th century children's novels but do not expect others to appreciate the obvious superiority of A.L.O.E. over Optic, some people like to read books where they can pretend that dogs are four-legged humans. I went in hoping for Seabiscuit: An American Legend and it wasn't. Not even close. So who am I to condemn the book because it wasn't the type of story I wanted? So two points it is, largely for terrible organization and writing.
May 30, 2015
Just finished reading this wonderful book. Judy is a true inspiration to the men and women that she survived with in WWII. The books gives lots of information about the battles in the Pacific region during the war and insights into the prisoner of war camps . There is quite a lot of information about the actual war so if you do not enjoy reading about the hardships of war I would not recommend this book. But it is a very inspiring story and well worth the read.
September 27, 2018
The story about Judy's survival is remarkable, but the author just went overboard a bit with all the other details stemming from his research. The story just of Judy would have been great, but the author goes of track during the book so many times that the books get labourious to follow. Some of the chapters are about the early battles in the Malayan Campaign and Prisoner of War life under the Japanese where Judy's name is only mentioned as an afterthoght and the author makes too many prusumptions as to what Judy probably was thinking while acting a certain way. Overall not a bad book, but was not my cup of tea.
March 24, 2015
What an amazing story! Judy was the only canine POW in WWII. She was so brave and a natural soldier. From her role as a nurse to injured soldiers to notifying when bombers were approaching, to her role in the POW camp and her friendship with Frank Williams.
Everyone who loves history or loves dogs (or both!) must read this book.
Everyone who loves history or loves dogs (or both!) must read this book.
December 3, 2021
The story of Judy in WWII is the greatest story of a dog in all of history. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has a different opinion. I read of the story in the book, Judy: A Dog In A Million by Damien Lewis. It became in the top 5 favorite of my 200 or so books on dogs I have read so far. Then I heard about another book on the same dog, No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog, and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in WWII, by Robert Weintraub.
At first I accidently got the youth version of No Better Friend, so I held out reading until I got the normal version.
Because I LOVED Damien Lewis's book, I chose to read both books at the same time, one chapter or part of the story in one, and then a chapter in the other. So now I have my answers on which I liked better.
First, the story of Judy is amazing no matter which version you read. And overall, they don't contradict each other except for some minor details. There is differences in the order of when some details are told, like when discussing details on how POW's would sabotage the railway with one book telling it early in the story and the other telling it later. So there is some difference in timing, and details added to one or the other, but overall, the books follow each other tit for tat.
The major difference is that No Better Friend has more. The book has more pages and in my versions of the books, smaller print. While in the main story of Judy that are very close in the level of detail until the end, in No Better Friend there is a lot more history told of the stories of those who intersect with Judy. There is more background of what was happening in the greater theater of war in the Pacific. In Judy, I didn't feel the two year gap from when she was a mascot on a gunboat in China when Japan attacked the Chinese, to when Frank and Judy had to flee Singapore when the Japanese attacked there. The additional details really opened up the story to a larger scale and a greater understanding.
The one area that No Better Friend especially had over on the story of Judy was at the end. No Better friend captured a lot more of the amazing days when the POW's were rescued. Then a lot more of the why and what when Frank and Judy moved to Africa. Then finished up the story of Frank until the end of his life.
There are some who prefer less details on the history. I saw one reader downgrade this book because they didn't like the expanse of historical details. That same person mentioned they didn't like the anthropomorphism attributed to Judy. First, I would say there was more of that in Judy then in No Better Friend. Second, for those of us around dogs, you get a feeling of what they are thinking from their behavior, and dogs behavior can be pretty darn noble as demonstrated where Judy found ways to save people from being beaten to death in the book.
In short, both Judy and No Better Friend are great books. If you want less overall historical details read Judy or probably the youth version of No Better friend. If you have read Judy, you will still enjoy reading the other. If you really want the full dose of a great story, I would recommend reading both of them side by side as I did. I did not find it repetitive but found it just doubled my enjoyment of a amazing, fantastic story, which as I have said before is the story of the most amazing dog that ever lived.
At first I accidently got the youth version of No Better Friend, so I held out reading until I got the normal version.
Because I LOVED Damien Lewis's book, I chose to read both books at the same time, one chapter or part of the story in one, and then a chapter in the other. So now I have my answers on which I liked better.
First, the story of Judy is amazing no matter which version you read. And overall, they don't contradict each other except for some minor details. There is differences in the order of when some details are told, like when discussing details on how POW's would sabotage the railway with one book telling it early in the story and the other telling it later. So there is some difference in timing, and details added to one or the other, but overall, the books follow each other tit for tat.
The major difference is that No Better Friend has more. The book has more pages and in my versions of the books, smaller print. While in the main story of Judy that are very close in the level of detail until the end, in No Better Friend there is a lot more history told of the stories of those who intersect with Judy. There is more background of what was happening in the greater theater of war in the Pacific. In Judy, I didn't feel the two year gap from when she was a mascot on a gunboat in China when Japan attacked the Chinese, to when Frank and Judy had to flee Singapore when the Japanese attacked there. The additional details really opened up the story to a larger scale and a greater understanding.
The one area that No Better Friend especially had over on the story of Judy was at the end. No Better friend captured a lot more of the amazing days when the POW's were rescued. Then a lot more of the why and what when Frank and Judy moved to Africa. Then finished up the story of Frank until the end of his life.
There are some who prefer less details on the history. I saw one reader downgrade this book because they didn't like the expanse of historical details. That same person mentioned they didn't like the anthropomorphism attributed to Judy. First, I would say there was more of that in Judy then in No Better Friend. Second, for those of us around dogs, you get a feeling of what they are thinking from their behavior, and dogs behavior can be pretty darn noble as demonstrated where Judy found ways to save people from being beaten to death in the book.
In short, both Judy and No Better Friend are great books. If you want less overall historical details read Judy or probably the youth version of No Better friend. If you have read Judy, you will still enjoy reading the other. If you really want the full dose of a great story, I would recommend reading both of them side by side as I did. I did not find it repetitive but found it just doubled my enjoyment of a amazing, fantastic story, which as I have said before is the story of the most amazing dog that ever lived.
August 8, 2016
A beautiful story about the true love found between a man and a dog. This book tells hilarious stories of this dog's adventures during World War II. The book also tells a few stories of other dogs used by other ships, those stories don't end so well for the dogs. The main dog, Judy, that the story is about had spunk and personality. As a dog lover, This book has been awesome. Judy was the only P.O.W. in World War II that was a dog. The Japanese could have killed her, but for some reason didn't. Her presence meant the difference between life and death for some of the men in the camp. One man in particular, who was Judy's best friend through out most of this book, got really close to Judy. There is no love more unconditional on this earth than the blind love given by a child or a pet. Judy was more than a pet, more than a mascot. Judy was a breath of fresh air in a world where men marched into the depths of Hell every second of every day. Judy was able to help many keep their sanity in situations where most men would have lost it. I look forward to revisiting this book in the future.
April 30, 2022
This is an amazing story of survival set in Asia just prior to and during WWII. It's also a love story between Judy and Frank; Judy is a purebred English Pointer born in Shanghai in 1936, and Frank is an English bloke from Portsmouth, UK. They met in a POW camp on Sumatra in 1942 and were inseparable until Judy's death in 1950 at age 14 (98 in dog years.)
I'm overcome by the hell that prisoners of war held by the Japanese endured. I'll be haunted for a long time by the stories and images described in the book; and also continue to be inspired by the selflessness of friendship the prisoners had for each other. The devotion that Judy and Frank had for each other literally saved their lives, and the witnessing of that steadfastness served to inspire others to fight on through the horrors of the prison camps, sinking ships, desert islands, and the scorching heat.
I love this book! I learned so much about the experience of Brits, Aussies and Dutch personnel and civilians in what is now Indonesia during WWII.
And I will never forget Judy!
I'm overcome by the hell that prisoners of war held by the Japanese endured. I'll be haunted for a long time by the stories and images described in the book; and also continue to be inspired by the selflessness of friendship the prisoners had for each other. The devotion that Judy and Frank had for each other literally saved their lives, and the witnessing of that steadfastness served to inspire others to fight on through the horrors of the prison camps, sinking ships, desert islands, and the scorching heat.
I love this book! I learned so much about the experience of Brits, Aussies and Dutch personnel and civilians in what is now Indonesia during WWII.
And I will never forget Judy!
July 15, 2015
This is a wonderful story for dog lovers, but also for history lovers and is a great read on World War II and the Pacific theater. I learned so much about the early phases of the Japanese aggression in the region as well as components for bringing America into the war. Although Japan, Italy and German were allies, the motivations and reasons for their alliance were not.
Judy, a Pointer, was a ship mascot dog who eventually ended up as a Japanese POW. She not only was helped to survive by the men who befriended her, but gave hope and determination to the men she became associated with.
Judy, a Pointer, was a ship mascot dog who eventually ended up as a Japanese POW. She not only was helped to survive by the men who befriended her, but gave hope and determination to the men she became associated with.
September 9, 2017
This book is fantastic. It tells an amazing story of Judy, a dog with seemingly 9 lives, who is a war dog with the british navy in WWII. It tells about her life and the lives of the men who fought next to her. It is very well written and a really incredible story. Highly recommended.
July 21, 2015
Well I am honored to read this book (thanks goodreads!) My honest review is this is such a story of survival and courage and loyalty. I didn't expect to really like this book but Judy was as the title says NO BETTER FRIEND in the time of need for Frank as well as the other men. I did not know there was a dog that was a prisoner of war so I read with a lot of interest. I can say if one likes reading of history and animals then they will find compassion in this book! This book talks about PTSD of both humans and dogs and I truly believe animals can be affected by trauma.
July 10, 2017
Interesting story, but not at all what I expected. It's definitely not A Dog's Journey or The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's more a war story, with an occasional "...and, by the way, the dog was walking around in the woods..." observation. The dog didn't play a significant part in the story until the very end, so I was pretty disappointed overall. The book is well written and the story is well told, but another title and a different marketing pitch might have been more accurate.
April 24, 2018
I wanted to give this a better review. I loved Judy. I loved the story. But after Robert Weintraub had done such amazing research, he couldn't bear to leave any of it out, and the book suffered. He kept wandering away from the main story, and it became hard to follow. The book does tell an amazing story of the oft forgotten side of WWII POW's in the Pacific. Judy had more lives than a cat. Frank William's devotion to her, and how they saved each other's lives, is amazing.
May 19, 2015
What a wonderful book. And what a gut wrenching book. Once I started it could not put it down. There were times when I wanted to cry, times when I felt like throwing up and times when I could only give my dog a big hug. I had NO idea of the extent and depth of what happened in the Pacific during the war. An amazing true story!
June 6, 2016
I wanted to love this book. And then I would have settled for liking it but it has taken me way too long to finish it and now I just don't care. I feel bad that I'm abandoning Judy somehow by not finishing this book but it's lacking. Not the story itself but the way it is written. It reminded me of why I hardly read nonfiction, I have the hardest time staying interested.
January 18, 2016
DNF. Too much war too little dog. This is a war story with a dog in it from time to time versus a dog story that happens to be in a war.
June 29, 2017
een maand over gedaan maar dat was die wel waard. recensie op mijn blog.
June 7, 2019
Abandoned.
March 28, 2018
No Better Friend is a non-fiction true story about a young boy named Frank that meets a small dog that saves his life and helps him survive the 2nd World War. I enjoyed reading this novel and here is why...
The novel starts of with the backstory of each character: Judy (dog) and Frank. Judy was born in 1936 in Shanghai, China, in a kennel for dogs belonging to British citizens. When she was just a few weeks old, Judy escaped from her outdoor pen. She then was taken care of by a little girl that fed and named her for 3 weeks. When Judy grew up she then was taken to join the navy as a sailors companion and entertainment and was transported to British waters. What the crew didn't realize was that with Judy's powerful nose and ears; she could detect many enemy plains in the far away distance and could signal the crew just in time to win the battle. This was one step closer for Judy meeting Frank. Frank was a 15 or so year old boy that was assigned by the Royal Britain Air Force at first. He piloted many plains but when the time came he was transferred to Artillery. There he would operate radar and try to fix the many problems with the new powerful system.
Then World War 2 came out and caused a lot of pain and torture. The Japanese invaded Britain and forced Judy and Frank to hop onto a ship and hope to sail away from the Japanese bombings. Soon enough the ships were sunk along with thousands of lives. Somehow Frank and Judy escaped; later on through harsh jungles and more bombings they both were captured by the Japanese and were taken as Prisoners of War (POW). Thats where Frank and Judy finally meet. When they did meet the Novel not only demonstrated but made me feel that if you have friendship than you can survive anything because you have the will and strength to carry on for and with that other person you love. In this case the Novel truly demonstrated the most common saying for a companion... "A dog is a Mans best friend." This book has stated many topics about what World War 2 was and how it happened; it also included what the Japanese did to the POW and how they broke and cheated many laws. But the main thing is how 2 living beings survived with each others company when they were on the verge of dying multiple times.
This true story (Novel) was very inspiring and emotional while accompanying informative structure. For every new topic the novel would have a small side note explaining multiple things; what was World War 2, Japanese POW camps and many more. Not only did the book bring tears to my eyes it inspired to reach out and help others when they are in need.
This book left me with tears and hope for the many soldiers that are in war serving their country and battling for survival every day. I would recommend this book to someone who loves suspenseful moments and lots of thrilling and sad scenes. I truly loved this non-fiction novel and hope many others read and tear for it, too!
The novel starts of with the backstory of each character: Judy (dog) and Frank. Judy was born in 1936 in Shanghai, China, in a kennel for dogs belonging to British citizens. When she was just a few weeks old, Judy escaped from her outdoor pen. She then was taken care of by a little girl that fed and named her for 3 weeks. When Judy grew up she then was taken to join the navy as a sailors companion and entertainment and was transported to British waters. What the crew didn't realize was that with Judy's powerful nose and ears; she could detect many enemy plains in the far away distance and could signal the crew just in time to win the battle. This was one step closer for Judy meeting Frank. Frank was a 15 or so year old boy that was assigned by the Royal Britain Air Force at first. He piloted many plains but when the time came he was transferred to Artillery. There he would operate radar and try to fix the many problems with the new powerful system.
Then World War 2 came out and caused a lot of pain and torture. The Japanese invaded Britain and forced Judy and Frank to hop onto a ship and hope to sail away from the Japanese bombings. Soon enough the ships were sunk along with thousands of lives. Somehow Frank and Judy escaped; later on through harsh jungles and more bombings they both were captured by the Japanese and were taken as Prisoners of War (POW). Thats where Frank and Judy finally meet. When they did meet the Novel not only demonstrated but made me feel that if you have friendship than you can survive anything because you have the will and strength to carry on for and with that other person you love. In this case the Novel truly demonstrated the most common saying for a companion... "A dog is a Mans best friend." This book has stated many topics about what World War 2 was and how it happened; it also included what the Japanese did to the POW and how they broke and cheated many laws. But the main thing is how 2 living beings survived with each others company when they were on the verge of dying multiple times.
This true story (Novel) was very inspiring and emotional while accompanying informative structure. For every new topic the novel would have a small side note explaining multiple things; what was World War 2, Japanese POW camps and many more. Not only did the book bring tears to my eyes it inspired to reach out and help others when they are in need.
This book left me with tears and hope for the many soldiers that are in war serving their country and battling for survival every day. I would recommend this book to someone who loves suspenseful moments and lots of thrilling and sad scenes. I truly loved this non-fiction novel and hope many others read and tear for it, too!
June 23, 2015
This is as amazing a story of survival as there is. Captured at the beginning of WWII in the Pacific, Judy (the dog) and the men captured along side her endured years of brutal imprisonment, force labor, malnutrition, disease, and more.
One can understand why some Pacific POWs doubt the veracity of Judy's story - that a dog, viewed as food by many in the area (including her captors), could have survived where so many men did not.
To say that this story is heart-wrenching for man and dog, puts it mildly.
What drags it down from a five rating is the writing. The author is a sports journalist and at times it reads like a sports column - excessive use of adjectives and adverbs distract from the story. At times it spills over into painful redundancy, for example, "The Grasshopper was in imminent danger of exploding at any minute."
So, 5 for the story but a low 3 for the writing.
That said, I would still recommend this to anyone with an interest in the war in the Pacific as well as dogs in general. Mediocre writing notwithstanding, it is a story worth experiencing.
One can understand why some Pacific POWs doubt the veracity of Judy's story - that a dog, viewed as food by many in the area (including her captors), could have survived where so many men did not.
To say that this story is heart-wrenching for man and dog, puts it mildly.
What drags it down from a five rating is the writing. The author is a sports journalist and at times it reads like a sports column - excessive use of adjectives and adverbs distract from the story. At times it spills over into painful redundancy, for example, "The Grasshopper was in imminent danger of exploding at any minute."
So, 5 for the story but a low 3 for the writing.
That said, I would still recommend this to anyone with an interest in the war in the Pacific as well as dogs in general. Mediocre writing notwithstanding, it is a story worth experiencing.
August 27, 2016
A YA book put in the Adult section and a Plus for me. A must read for middle schoolers to give them the WW2 history all should have. And a book all dog lovers would appreciate. An English Pointer and an English Airman meet up in a Japanese POW camp where both suffer the most brutal inhuman conditions, Unbelievable. Starving they barely find enough to survive on, many POW didn't or were killed other ways . The Airman trained the Pointer, Judy, to hid when the guards were looking, find snakes, rat, other gross stuff for both, and other POWs to live on. After V-J day both return to England. Judy gets the honor as a POW hero she deserves.
June 17, 2016
A real-life WW2 story of 2 British soldiers & best friends enduring ruthless Japanese POW camps. Oh, and one of them’s a dog. Unbroken starring an English pointer. (Unbarken?) Not exactly artful & there’s lots of filler to show off the author’s research skills. But it’s still a pretty remarkable tail… umm... tale. The pooch & her pals brave so many close calls, from bombers to torpedoes to Axis cruelty, that I often checked the notes to make sure it was all true. The dog saves more soldiers than MacArthur! Ridiculous but irresistible.
May 13, 2015
Weintraub recounts the story of Judy, a dog who started her life as a mascot on board a British Royal Navy gunboat and spent the years of WWII in a Japanese POW camp. She survived bombings, led men safely through deep jungles, and repeatedly risked her life to save others. Loved by many, she eventually became one lucky man’s dog, and gave him reason to live when all seemed dark. An amazing account of an incredible animal, and an eye-opening historical narrative.
January 14, 2018
Let me start of by saying I really enjoyed reading this book. There were some stories added in that I didn’t think tied in with the main story but it still turned out to be a good book. A good read for history and dog lovers alike. Judy, what a amazing dog.
August 14, 2016
No Better Friend by Robert Weintraub is a well-documented story of English pointer named Judy and her life as a war dog and the service men she took care of, especially, Frank Williams. A purebred born in Shanghai and adopted as a mascot of a Royal Navy Gunboat.
Before war had started, Judy had already amazed her shipmates by moving her sleeping box with blanket near the current group of people that she wanted to sleep near. She pushed, pulled and even pulled it down a ladder. She was friends with the whole crew with the exception of the Chinese cooks who probably thought she would make a good meal.
To me there were two books, the one about Judy and Frank Williams and the other one about World War II in the Pacific Asian Theatre. The stories of this amazing dog kept me reading and amazed me with stranger than fiction adventures that Judy had. The tales of the Pacific Asian theatre were where I got bogged down with details. I would have preferred that the author focused alone on Judy and Frank experiences only. The most memorable part have to do with the individuals. I will not remember all the details of what happened but I have vivid memories of when Judy went overboard for the first time, of the long trek through the unforgiving jungle, what it was like being held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese.
Judy was an amazing heroine. When the men were hungry, she searched for food like snakes and frogs, when life in the prison camp was so horrible that many wanted to die rather face another day, Judy knew how to encourage endurance. When the men were thirsty, Judy dug for water. When crocodiles added to the many hazards of the jungle trek, Judy learned how to scare them away. In short, Judy kept the men going. There are places where you had to laugh and other times when you joined Frank in despair.
I would highly recommend this book for the incredible story of Judy, the only dog Prisoner of War in the WWII and the amazing bond between Judy and Frank. Do let the mass of other details about that theatre deter you from reading this book.
I received a finished copy of No Better Friend from the publisher by a win from FirstReads. My thoughts and feelings in this review are totally my own.
Before war had started, Judy had already amazed her shipmates by moving her sleeping box with blanket near the current group of people that she wanted to sleep near. She pushed, pulled and even pulled it down a ladder. She was friends with the whole crew with the exception of the Chinese cooks who probably thought she would make a good meal.
To me there were two books, the one about Judy and Frank Williams and the other one about World War II in the Pacific Asian Theatre. The stories of this amazing dog kept me reading and amazed me with stranger than fiction adventures that Judy had. The tales of the Pacific Asian theatre were where I got bogged down with details. I would have preferred that the author focused alone on Judy and Frank experiences only. The most memorable part have to do with the individuals. I will not remember all the details of what happened but I have vivid memories of when Judy went overboard for the first time, of the long trek through the unforgiving jungle, what it was like being held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese.
Judy was an amazing heroine. When the men were hungry, she searched for food like snakes and frogs, when life in the prison camp was so horrible that many wanted to die rather face another day, Judy knew how to encourage endurance. When the men were thirsty, Judy dug for water. When crocodiles added to the many hazards of the jungle trek, Judy learned how to scare them away. In short, Judy kept the men going. There are places where you had to laugh and other times when you joined Frank in despair.
I would highly recommend this book for the incredible story of Judy, the only dog Prisoner of War in the WWII and the amazing bond between Judy and Frank. Do let the mass of other details about that theatre deter you from reading this book.
I received a finished copy of No Better Friend from the publisher by a win from FirstReads. My thoughts and feelings in this review are totally my own.
June 5, 2022
This English pointer never had an easy life. Born in pre World War II Shanghai, she survived human brutality on the city streets while still a pup. Later, as a mascot aboard a British gunship she travelled to Singapore in advance of the Japanese occupation. Fleeing the island with her shipmates, a torpedo struck the vessel. It was the first of many ill fated events for man and beast.
Eventually, sailors, civilians and one unfortunate dog found themselves imprisoned in a remote Sumatran camp. Prisoners were pushed to the very limits of existence. Beaten, starved and tormented, they worked as slave laborers building a railroad through impenetrable jungle. One man and one dog, a Royal Air Force technician named Frank and a dog named Judy, built an inscrutable relationship of trust which carried them through years of suffering. The story is unforgettable, a tale of endurance, love, and loyalty in defiance of unspeakable barbarity.
Eventually, sailors, civilians and one unfortunate dog found themselves imprisoned in a remote Sumatran camp. Prisoners were pushed to the very limits of existence. Beaten, starved and tormented, they worked as slave laborers building a railroad through impenetrable jungle. One man and one dog, a Royal Air Force technician named Frank and a dog named Judy, built an inscrutable relationship of trust which carried them through years of suffering. The story is unforgettable, a tale of endurance, love, and loyalty in defiance of unspeakable barbarity.
March 18, 2024
No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog, and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in WWII, by Robert Weintraub is an excellent non-fiction account of the relationship between a British military man (navy and air force), Frank Williams and his adopted dog, Judy, a tenacious English Pointer. They spent three years as Japanese prisoners of war in Sumatra. It was a harrowing tale of their love for one another and its ability to keep them both alive. They experienced horrific conditions; starvation, torture, illness, environmental extremes and so much more. It was a worthwhile story.
September 1, 2015
What an amazing story! The author so astutely captures Judy's personality that your mind's eye has no difficulty in imagining her grinning, assessing her many stressful situations, and acting with incredible intelligence and selflessness. In addition to telling the story of Judy and Frank, Weintraub also gives a compelling narrative of the POW camps on Sumatra. Really, really good.
January 19, 2021
I guess I’m in the minority. I didn’t like this book. The story was good but it was so poorly written. I assume it’s written for upper elementary students because of the basic world war 2 facts that were explained but it was just a reporting of facts with no pizazz to entertain. If it wasn’t so short and recommended to me by a friend, I would never have finished it.
June 27, 2016
I can't even begin to give you a full synopsis of this heartstopping, tear jerking book so will give you a brief one. Judy was awesome for protecting and giving comfort to the Service Men. The book filled with hero stories both dog and Man. Very open and honest look into the ugly of war.
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