Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon
 | |
| Author | Bronwen Dickey |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science & Nature |
| Publisher | Knopf[1] |
Publication date |
|
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 9780307961761 |
Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon by Bronwen Dickey is a book about the history of pit bulls in the United States.[1]
Conception[edit]
Bronwen Dickey spent seven years researching with dog experts.[2][3] For Dickey's efforts she received death threats at book signings.[4][5]
Content[edit]
The book covers the history of the Pitbull, in the United States. It covers how the dog went from beloved family pet owned by likes of Teddy Roosevelt to demonized dog fighting animal owned by the likes of Ed Faron and Michael Vick.
Reception[edit]
The book received a mostly positive reception from critics.[6][7]
This is a very good book... Ms. Dickey has earned her reputation as a first-rate reporter.” —The Wall Street Journal.[8]
Ms. Dickey not only writes about the ebb and flow of public fear and loathing, she takes the reader on a thoroughly comprehensible tour of genetics and behavioral science to explain why breeding never guarantees an individual dog's personality, and shouldn't be used to condemn it.... Picking out one breed to blame is neither warranted nor effective, and a reader of her book will be hard put to disagree." —The New York Times[9]
“Brilliant… A powerful and disturbing book that shows how the rise of the killer-pit bull narrative reflects many broader American anxieties and pathologies surrounding race, class, and poverty… A remarkable study of our capacities for cruelty and compassion toward dogs and other humans, and an eloquent argument for abandoning the fears and prejudices that have made pit bulls in particular the victims of mistreatment.” —Christian Science Monitor[10]
Anti pit bull advocates accused Bronwen Dickey of downplaying the potential danger of pit bull dogs.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Nonfiction Book Review: Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon by Bronwen Dickey. Knopf, $26.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-307-96176-1". Publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Rivero, Daniel (26 May 2016). "The racist story behind the pit bull's fall from American icon to demon dog". Splinternews.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ "Fear, loathing, and the mythology of the pit bull: Bronwen Dickey on America's most divisive dog - Atlanta Magazine". Atlantamagazine.com. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ "An author says she hoped to advance the debate about pit bulls. Instead, she became a target". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Klein, David (20 July 2016). "Pit Bulls May or May Not Be Dangerous. But Bronwen Dickey Can Attest That Writing About Them Definitely Is". Indyweek.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ "PIT BULL by Bronwen Dickey - Kirkus Reviews". Kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ "Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon - Manhattan Book Review". Manhattanbookreview.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Shipman, Pat (27 May 2016). "Breeding Contempt". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via www.wsj.com. (subscription required)
- ^ Gorman, James (27 May 2016). "Review: 'Pit Bull' Traces Path From Fighter to Pet to Demon". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-07-18. Retrieved 10 July 2018. (subscription required)
- ^ "'Pit Bull' aims to tell the story of a maligned breed". Christian Science Monitor. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ "Pit bull author's critics are off the leash – Shaffer". Newsobserver.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2018. (subscription required)