Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon

Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon by Bronwen Dickey is a book about the history of pit bulls in the United States.

Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon
AuthorBronwen Dickey
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience & Nature
PublisherKnopf[1]
Publication date
  • 10 May 2016
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages336
ISBN9780307961761

Content

edit

The book examines the mixed sentiment towards the pit bull breed by the American public and how the media has affected that perception.[1] Dickey spent seven years researching the topic and interviewed hundreds of people ranging from animal behaviorists to trainers.[1][2][3]

Reception

edit

The book received a mostly positive reception from critics.[4][5]

The Wall Street Journal said that "Ms. Dickey has earned her reputation as a first-rate reporter.”[6] The New York Times stated that "Dickey not only writes about the ebb and flow of public fear and loathing, she takes the reader on a thoroughly comprehensible tour of genetics and behavioral science to explain why breeding never guarantees an individual dog's personality, and shouldn't be used to condemn it."[7]

The Christian Science Monitor called it “brilliant" and "a powerful and disturbing book that shows how the rise of the killer-pit bull narrative reflects many broader American anxieties and pathologies surrounding race, class, and poverty."[8]

Anti-pit bull advocates accused Dickey of downplaying the potential danger of pit bull dogs.[9] She also received death threats at book signings.[10][11]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Nonfiction Book Review: Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon by Bronwen Dickey. Knopf, $26.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-307-96176-1". Publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  2. ^ Rivero, Daniel (26 May 2016). "The racist story behind the pit bull's fall from American icon to demon dog". Splinternews.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Fear, loathing, and the mythology of the pit bull: Bronwen Dickey on America's most divisive dog - Atlanta Magazine". Atlantamagazine.com. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  4. ^ "PIT BULL by Bronwen Dickey - Kirkus Reviews". Kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon - Manhattan Book Review". Manhattanbookreview.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  6. ^ Shipman, Pat (27 May 2016). "Breeding Contempt". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via www.wsj.com. (subscription required)
  7. ^ Gorman, James (27 May 2016). "Review: 'Pit Bull' Traces Path From Fighter to Pet to Demon". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-07-18. Retrieved 10 July 2018. (subscription required)
  8. ^ "'Pit Bull' aims to tell the story of a maligned breed". Christian Science Monitor. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Pit bull author's critics are off the leash – Shaffer". Newsobserver.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2018. (subscription required)
  10. ^ "An author says she hoped to advance the debate about pit bulls. Instead, she became a target". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  11. ^ Klein, David (20 July 2016). "Pit Bulls May or May Not Be Dangerous. But Bronwen Dickey Can Attest That Writing About Them Definitely Is". Indyweek.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.