Monsters, Tricksters and Sacred Cows: Animal Tales and American Identities Book

3 1/2 stars. Rescue Ink breaks some of the stereotypes about those involved in animal rescue and about tough, tattooed bikers. I think that this contradiction of expected behavior is the best thing about the book.

The perception is that women are the tenderhearted ones who rescue animals - everyone knows that. And for the most part, that is true. Apparently, someone forgot to mention it to this group of mostly big, heavily inked bikers. And they are not above using the intimidation factor to get what they want when it comes to rescuing an abused or neglected animal.

I applaud the mission and dedication of these guys. The stories are interesting, sad, sometimes with joyful endings. It hurts to even read some of them. Still, they are not stories much different that other rescuers and people who read about them have seen or read too many times. The strength in this book, and in this group of unlikely rescuers, is the message it sends. Big, strong guys can be compassionate. Abusing and neglecting animals makes a person weaker, takes away from his humanity rather than adding to it, and owning a big, tough dog does not make anyone a tough person. Rescue Ink, both the book and the group, is getting that message out to anyone who will listen. As all of us readers have learned, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, whether literally or when seeing a biker holding a newborn kitten.

Animal rescue in any form is a hard job, and these guys are as good at it as the proverbial little old lady in sneakers, sometimes better. One quote about rescuers that hit home for me:

More than the anger and frustration at seeing animals discarded like fast-food wrappers, more than the sadness at seeing dogs that are starved or ripped up in dogfighting "practice," the most dangerous side effect is weariness.

The book is not great literature and doesn't pretend to be, but is a worthwhile and touching read for anyone who loves animals. The pictures make it all the more real. There is apparently a series about the group on National Geographic Channel, but I haven't seen it.