Will's Red Coat

A true story of acceptance, perseverance, and the possibility of love and redemption as evocative, charming, and powerful as the New York Times bestseller Following Atticus.

From the author of Following Atticus, an international bestseller that has inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the world, comes the moving true story of a despondent and broken old dog and the man who gave him a second chance. Drawn by a fateful online post, Tom Ryan, with the help of his canine hiking partner, Atticus M. Finch, adopts Will, an elderly, deaf, and nearly blind soul. Long neglected and filled with anger and pain, Will finds himself in a curious world unlike any he has ever known.

Tom hopes to give Will a place to die with dignity surrounded by the natural beauty of the White Mountains of his New Hampshire home. But when he witnesses Will's fear and lack of trust, Tom realizes that his task entails so much more. With endless patience and the same meditative empathy Tom has nurtured in his relationship with Atticus, Will eventually begins to thrive. Soon, an angry, hurt, depressed, and near-death Will has transformed into a happy, frolicking fellow with a puppy-like zest for discovery, inspiring hundreds of thousands of people with his courage, resilience, and renewed heart. Will lived for two more years - to the ripe old age of 17 - and helped Tom understand a great deal about aging, how to live a full life and make the best of our days.

Will's Red Coat is a real-life fairy tale of promises kept and a life-changing, inviolable bond between friends. Heartbreaking, uplifting, and ultimately unforgettable, it honours the possibility held in all of us, at any stage of life.

Tom Ryan is the author of the New York Times bestseller Following Atticus: How a little dog led one man on a journey of rediscovery to the top of the world. He is also the founder of the Newburyport, Massachusetts newspaper The Undertoad and served as publisher and editor for more than a decade. In 2007 he moved to the White Mountains of New Hampshire with his miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch and together they climbed more than 450 4,000-foot peaks. After raising thousands of dollars for Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, the pair were inducted into the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Hall of Flame.

Tom Ryan touched the hearts of thousands when he wrote about his intrepid little dog Atticus and their quest to climb 48 mountains to raise money in memory of a friend who had died of cancer. But nothing touched his fans more than the story of Will, the old, gruff dog whom Tom and Atticus brought into their home in May 2012, believing that they were simply doing a good deed by helping nurse an old dog through his final days. With the right attention and affection in a loving home, Will bounced back and lived for two more years - to the ripe old age of 17 - and helped Tom understand a great deal about aging, how to live a full life and make the best of our days. In Will's Red Coat, Tom tells the story of his misadventures with Will and how he nursed him back to health and a good life.

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