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Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,236 ratings

An instant New York Times bestseller, Thunder Dog tells the true story of a blind man, his guide dog, and the life-changing power of faith and trust in the face of terror.

When one of four hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center's North Tower on September 11, 2001, Michael Hingson, a district sales manager for a data protection and network security systems company, was sitting down for a meeting. His guide dog, Roselle, was at his feet.

Blind from birth, Michael could hear the sounds of shattering glass, falling debris, and terrified people flooding all around him. But Roselle sat calmly beside him. In that moment, Michael chose to trust Roselle's judgment and not to panic. They were a team.

As you relive that fateful day in September 2001 alongside Michael and Roselle, you'll learn:

  • The ways that grief and loss can lead the way for change
  • How the rare trust between a man and his guide dog can inspire your own unshakeable faith
  • The healing power of telling your own story

Praise for Thunder Dog:

"Chapter by chapter of this intriguing work will keep you spellbound. Thunder Dog celebrates the power of the human and animal bond. We all can learn life lessons from this incredible story."

--Larry King, Emmy award-winning broadcaster and longtime host of Larry King Live

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Hingson, national ambassador for the Braille Literacy Campaign,  is a miraculous survivor of 9/11. He lives with his wife, Karen, in the San Francisco Bay Area with two guide dogs, Africa and Fantasia, and one cat, Sherlock.



Susy Flory is the author or coauthor of four books, including So Long Status Quo, a memoir about nine women who changed the world. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two children, and two dogs, Eli and Sprinkles.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004Y1NWQU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Nelson; 1st edition (August 6, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 6, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 588 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 258 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,236 ratings

About the authors

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
5,236 global ratings
To know that a dog can be your most trusted friend
5 Stars
To know that a dog can be your most trusted friend
This picture is of my best friend who passed away this year. I read Thunder Dog shortly after and it made me realize how close I was with my dog “Delilah” and how much I would trust her in a serious situation. She might be trained but I. Never had to leash her when we went for walks because she was always at my side. I truly wish every person who has a need would be able to have a special dog help them lead a better life. This book really taught me how important those dogs that are service animals are and how much they can help others
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2024
Easy to read, very descriptive and informative
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
Really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it. Great read.
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
I liked everything about the story.
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2024
I appreciated the detail, humor and self-awareness.
I remember 9/11 and how I sat glued to the TV waiting for the discovery of survivors but then understood none were to be found. This book helped to understand the reality of the devastation.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2022
It was truly an inspiring story. The true account of what happened that day gave me chills with every turn of the page. It certainly gave me a much better insight into being blind or handicapped. What being blind felt like for the author and how they didn't want to be treated as less. If you don't live it sometimes you just don't realize the effects it can have on a life and the things sighted people take for granted until you read this one.
It made me tear up in many places and also made me chuckle, which gave it alot of light in a dark place (no pun intended). I loved the descriptions of faith and Psalm 23 being delivered in such a way. It made me think of it on a much greater spectrum in my own life andI will be sharing it!

I will be thinking of this one with only a few days away from this fateful day, but also in the days to come.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2011
Reading the title of Michael Hingson's memoir/autobiography leads one to think Thunder Dog will focus on Hingson's survival on 9-11. However, Hingson's personal story, which he co-wrote with Susy Flory, devotes less than half its ink to the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The book is indeed a survival story, but it's one that spans Hingson's lifetime, beginning with his parents' decision to treat their son, blinded by excess oxygen at birth, as they would a sighted child.

Remarkably, Hingson learns to ride a bike and drive a car, albeit only in parking lots. Hingson's story majors in the theme that attitudes rather than physical limitations construct handicaps. It's an important idea that bears repeating n our rationalizing world.

On a personal note, I recall my own blind father, to whom I dedicated my book blog, hitting fly balls to my brother in our back yard. His tenacity, like Hingson's, inspired my own bull-headed, never quit attitude. I suggested to my students that they'll understand my belief that all can learn, all can succeed by reading Thunder Dog.

Thunder Dog offers insight into the world of blind people and the myriad technological advances, many of which I knew nothing about, in the past twenty-five years, including technology that transfers internet sites from text to speech.

The other star of Thunder Dog is Roselle, Hingson's guide dog who led him out of his office in the North Tower. The book also offers history into many of the challenges guide dogs and their owners face.

Read Thunder Dog for its message because you won't find a writing style or structure that rises to the standards of great literature. The most "literary" trope occurs at the beginning of each chapter as Hingson and Flory begin each with a quote from famous people such as Rosa Parks and Mahatma Gandhi: "Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency" (167).
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2022
This was our reading assignment for September Book Club 2022. I had no idea what an interesting and vital book I was about to pick up and read. Having done so now, I give kudos to Michael Hindson and of course Roselle.
The story that only speaks to the true Dog lovers in us, but also to the friends we may have that in fact have visible handicaps. This book begs the question, if we cannot see beyond a persons handicap, who is really the handicapped person.
It also brought back into my memory events of 9/11. Where I was, who I was with, some of the thoughts that run through my mind at the time, what happened to Me and some of my work associates immediately following the days and weeks after this Horrific event.
I appreciate all that Michael wrote within his book, and also his list of 10 things he learned from Roselle.
A very vital and interesting read!
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2019
While the writing style is a bit more pedantic then what I prefer reading, it’s really hard to be critical of anyone who purposefully turned his horrifying experience on 9/11 into something positive!

I enjoyed how 9/11 was interspersed with the author’s youth & later experiences as an adult. I would have to agree that the totality of his life prior to 9/11, plus having a truly extraordinary guide dog, factored into their survival.

A 9/11 survivor I know cleared everyone from his office, pushing them to the stairs after the first plane hit, & was outside to see the second plane hit, as well as to see panicked people leap from the towers to their deaths. He lost many co-workers & friends that day, and shortly thereafter chose to retire at a very young age. He has never been the same, & I mean that in a negative sense. Perhaps his ability to SEE what was going on was too overwhelming, being “sighted” that day may have been a handicap.

I am very familiar with the Guide Dog program. They gave my father a lovely black lab after the elderly blind person Casey had been paired with passed away.

I moved to Palmdale in 1990, and happened to join a horse club through whom I met the Area Puppy Raising Supervisor. The volunteers and employees of Guide Dogs for the Blind perform an amazing service. I could not ever be a volunteer puppy raiser, it would break my heart to send the pup back to San Rafael when it was time. My friend the Area Supervisor has often said, “I’ve got news for YOU missy! I would NEVER approve you as a puppy raiser — your dogs are too damn spoiled!” Like I said, everyone who volunteers and works for Guide Dogs is special, indeed. Proper training and exposing these adorable puppies to various situations, preparing them for their Guide Dog training is serious work!

Ah, I just learned that Michael & Rosselle try to attend the annual area Field Day for Guide Dog puppies & their raisers, so my friends have had the opportunity to meet him, and have appreciated his support of the local program.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Life affirming and moving story of tenacity and bravery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2024
A wonderful true story of how Michael and his guide dog Roselle escaped from tower1, on 9/11, helping others to safety as they did, and were then caught up in the collapse of tower 2 before finally making it home, interspersed with stories of his life blind from birth but never accepting it as a disability
Aussie Barb
5.0 out of 5 stars READ it NOW !
Reviewed in Australia on June 5, 2023
What a stunning, amazing read!
I enjoyed this book so much ...I was MADE to read this book by a friend ( thank you my friend !)
I learnt so very much from this book...I couldn't put it down ! It should be required reading in schools too.
I enjoyed it so much I bought books as gifts for friends ..they all greatly enjoyed them too.
While you are reading this man's story , imagine yourself in his shoes. He is an inspiration to us all.
Alexander Glas
5.0 out of 5 stars Auch wenn's nicht in Deutsch ist ...
Reviewed in Germany on December 26, 2012
... oder gerade eben deswegen. Michael Hingsons Geschichte sollte ein jeder gehört haben. Bitte auch keinesfalls vom Preis abschrecken lassen, das Hörbuch ist so gut wie 2 zusammen. Es umfasst ganze 6 CDs inkl. Bonustrack.
Julie Bold
5.0 out of 5 stars A FIVE STARS BOOK
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2024
The best kind of books are those that tell a story, but also give you so much more. And this is one of those books. It will stay with me for a very long time. It is well written and insightful, and thanks to the author, it has given me a new greater understanding of those who are visually impaired. It has also given a new appreciation of Guide Dogs. The author’s experience of 9/11 is written with sensitivity and honesty, and his descriptions of the relationship with his Guide Dogs are very special. Despite all he experienced on 9/11, the book leaves you hopeful and full of faith. A book I would recommend wholeheartedly.
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Trust God!
Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2021
Nice story, you learn a lot about blind people and guide dogs. Most important for me was the guidance of God in that moment of danger. God is in control and we don't need to worry whatever happens in this world! Thank you for this encouragement.
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