The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel
by Garth Stein
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Book Summary Information
Author: Garth SteinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-06-09
ISBN: 0061537969
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Product features:
- * Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (Jun. 30th, 2009)
- * ISBN-10: 0061537969
Book Reviews of The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel
Book Review: Horrifying tale but done rather naively
Summary: 5 Stars
I had a very difficult time rating this book: while I have many problems with the manner in which it was written: the prose is simplistic and stilted, the anthropomorphic use of a scholar/philosopher/theologian dog was a bit trite, and insertion of relatively meaningless commentary on the dog's infatuation with race car driving (which really added very little to the story), I finally decided to give the book five stars - for its ability to reach large audiences regarding the tragic tale of what happens to good fathers and men all over the Western World - how their lives are literally destroyed by false and completely unfounded charges of sexual (and other) abuse based entirely upon the malicious attempts of young children and adults to harm others (usually as they seek to justify their own narcissistic desires).
The main character (other the dog who relates this story in the first person) Denny, is subjected to extraordinary adversity for extended periods of time; I found his reactions to be rather superficial although admirable. There are an enormous of other men, in real life, who undergo similar nightmares. Denny, unfortunately, is either one of the most self-actualized individuals ever born or his affect is severely lacking in the emotional-response department. The real pain he must have suffered was not adequately expressed. Regardless, the fact that this book has gained such popularity will hopefully draw attention to the plight of innocent fathers and their children all over the world.
In looking at some of the other (esp. negative) reviews of this book, it is disturbing to read those that trivialize the jest of this story - horrible things happen to good people who are then subjected to even greater evil by others at a time when empathy, love, and kindness are most needed.
PLOT SPOILER ALERT:
As a rule, I avoid spoilers but, in this case wish to do so (the person who gave me the book did not know about what the book was about and, having personally known others who have gone through "Danny's plight," I will do so now just in case you are buying this book for someone else). Denny, the main human character, is falsely accused of sexually molesting a hormone laden, nefarious nymph who tries to get into the poor sleeping man's pants just days after his wife dies a horrible death and then innocently tries to return the child home through a Hellish snowstorm. He falls asleep in exhaustion and the child attacks him in his sleep and later accuses him of sexually abusing her. The girl is then aided by Denny's own narcissistic evil in-laws who want to steal his child from him. (Read the book of the details). As a result, Denny is subjected to living Hell when his child is taken from him, his wealthy in-laws then sue him for child support that leads him to financial ruin, and he loses everything - all "in the best interests of the child" (a euphemism used by our sick culture to destroy men and their children).
The reason for the above spoiler is because this scenario plays out all over the United States, everyday, to innocent children and their loving fathers. Instead of investigating and giving these innocent people due process, they are instantly destroyed without any opportunity to defend themselves and their children are immediately stolen from them: indeed these children are harmed, abused, and even murdered. Just a few weeks ago, a Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services "Child Abuse Investigator" was caught by police while having sex with a 15-year-old child and arrested. The very next day, another child was MURDERED because once again LA County DCFS, REFUSED to investigate real acts of child abuse. There are been many other innocent children who have been murdered (literally) because of Los Angeles County DCFS.
A recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling for "Humphries vs. County of Los Angeles" describes, in horrifying detail, what happens to real children and their parents when false accusations are made. The following is the verbatim opening opinion made in the Humphries case (look it up, if need be):
"OPINION
"Appellants Craig and Wendy Humphries are living every parent's nightmare. ' Accused of abuse by a rebellious child, they were arrested, and had their other children taken away from them. ' When a doctor confirmed that the abuse charges could not be true, the state dismissed the criminal case against them. The Humphries then petitioned the criminal court, which found them "factually innocent" of the charges for which they had been arrested, and ordered the arrest records sealed and destroyed. Similarly, the juvenile court dismissed all counts of the dependency petition as "not true."
"Notwithstanding the findings of two California courts that the Humphries were 'factually innocent' and the charges 'not true,' the Humphries were identified as 'substantiated' child abusers and placed on California's Child Abuse Central Index ('the CACI'), a database of known or suspected child abusers. As the Humphries quickly learned, California offers no procedure to remove their listing on the database as suspected child abusers, and thus no opportunity to clear their names. More importantly, California makes the CACI database available to a broad array of government agencies, employers, and law enforcement entities and even requires some public and private groups to consult the database before making hiring, licensing, and custody decisions.
"This case presents the question of whether California's maintenance of the CACI violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because identified individuals are not given a fair opportunity to challenge the allegations against them. We hold that it does."
As part of the Humphries vs. County of Los Angeles case, it was revealed that HALF of all of the people (over 400,000 people) on California Child Abuse Index are INNOCENT and have been denied their Constitutional Rights to Due Process. Again, don't believe me? Just do a simple Internet search.
If anything the author, Garth Stein did a grave disservice by downplaying what REALLY happens to men like the character Denny in this book. While the book may make many cry, it presents a very simplistic description of what happens to so many innocent men (who, unlike Denny are divorced rather than widowed) and insufficiently fails to accurately describe the emotional turmoil they endure. Overall, the story told in "Art of Racing in the Rain" is an understatement of a very real and enormous epidemic throughout the Western World - innocent people, more often than not good fathers who LOVE their children, are falsely accused and destroyed by false allegations of child molestation by 15-year-old girls.
For those wishing to read true stories about men who are falsely accused (warning, this book WILL make you cry), read Winner Take All: A Woman Exposes the Violation of Men's Rights at the Hands of Family Law by Canadian author, Molly Murphy. Although Murphy, like Stien, describes the veritable tsunami of destruction caused by false accusations, Murphy's stories are true stories.
Had I known, in advance, what this book was about I would not have read it. Just the same, it tells an important story, albeit in an often trivial way. Stein's story may be fictional but it provides a horrifying glimpse at our real world.
Summary of The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope--a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.
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