Two weeks before Christmas 2012, a 20-year-old man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In just 10 minutes, he had gunned down 20 children and 6 staff. Prior to arriving at the school, Lanza had also murdered his own mother. Instead of unwrapping Christmas presents and baking cookies for Santa, 20 families were left to plan funerals for their 6 and 7 year olds and 6 teachers and school personnel became heroes for their sacrifice and efforts to protect those children.

Sandy Hook had a traumatic ripple effect on the entirety of America, as people were at a loss to comprehend how someone could murder innocent first graders. Many of us remember where we were when we first heard the tragic news - I was on Facebook while Christmas shopping with my parents at Gabe's. Americans are no strangers to gun violence, nor school shootings, but the age of the victims was new and the timing of the shooting around the holidays was especially heartbreaking. I still think about those children frequently and wonder who they would have grown up to become, as well as the staff who made the ultimate sacrifice when they should only have had to be teaching math and English that day.

Guy Bacon lost his sister Charlotte Bacon in the Newtown shootings. Described as a "free spirit," she loved animals and the color pink. In The Dogs of Newtown, Guy shares 15 of the therapy dogs who helped him and others heal in the aftermath of that awful December day.

The Dogs of Newtown illustrates the therapeutic healing animals can bring to people who are suffering. The book has the power to even lift the spirit of those who were not directly affected but still struggle with the fears and struggle of gun violence, school shootings, and the loss of 27 powerful and beloved personalities. This book is a memorial to the victims of that day as much as it is a tribute to the animals who licked tears and snuggled the fear away.

For those interested in more stories of Charlotte and her love for animals, Renata Bowers also penned a book about her called Good Dogs, Great Listeners.

NOTE: I received an ARC copy of this book on NetGalley. I received no incentive to read or review this book other than said copy of work. The review below contains my own thoughts and opinions. Special thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free copy.