I’m not a pet owner, and I never plan to be one to any pet that doesn’t live outside of water. But I know better than to never say never. Because life doesn’t take well to the word “never.” Author Peggy Race understands that sentiment very well. Though a life-long animal lover, she couldn’t have known that rescuing animals would have the significant impact on her life that it did. The events leading up to her answering this calling are the driving force behind her memoir, Desiree, The Music of My Soul. Below is my review of Desiree along with my interview with Race.
Desiree, The Music of My Soul book summary
After the unexpected death of her second husband in 2009, Peggy finds her life turned upside down. Her two dogs are her main source of support. So, she seeks to immerse herself in the dog world as a means of healing. On one such retreat she meets Desiree, a seven-year-old Australian Shephard mix, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina who has been seeking adoption ever since the disaster.
Despite forming a real connection with Desiree, Peggy recognizes that she poses some behavioral challenges. But Peggy is determined to save this fellow damaged creature and find her a permanent home with her. After a challenging introduction, Desiree becomes a permanent part of the family. As a result, the two eventually heal from their past traumas together.
Race’s relationship history
Race’s story isn’t an epic, unbelievable journey. Instead, it’s a personal look at how caring for another living creature can provide purpose and fulfillment after devastation.
Race lays the groundwork of her early life as a passive aggressive introvert, particularly in her human relationships. After a first failed marriage, she takes on the responsibility of continuing to raise her high-maintenance step-children.
Then in 2009, she meets her second husband, Terry, who initially appears to be a more fitting match. He and Peggy settle into a life together, but that existence is short-lived after tragedy strikes, and Peggy finds herself once again on her own.
Race hints at some red flags leading up to this turn of events. This underlying tension compels the reader to continue on, soaking up the tragically juicy twist that sends Race in a tailspin.
A new challenge
It’s also a giant lead up into the meat of the book which shifts focus to her dogs. This is where the book will really take off for the animal lovers who pick this book up for the book’s titular character, Desiree. My interest in reading this book wasn’t to soak in the tragic spectacle of her circumstances but to see how she heals from it.
Left with her dog, Dakota, and Terry’s dog, Jilly, Race focuses her attention on them after Terry is gone. Their dogs played a large part in their relationship from day one when the two took bike riding excursions and short getaways with their animals. Jilly was always a challenging dog who got along with Peggy and Dakota but few others. Only Terry could seem to control her. With him no longer around, Jilly becomes unmanageable.
When things don’t work out with Jilly, she adopts a new dog, Faith, who acclimates well to her new environment. However, she doesn’t provide Peggy with the challenge that she craves to conquer.
A canine do-over
Just as Peggy is drawn to difficult men who are not good for her, she forms a kinship with a new dog, Desiree, who has a tendency to jump fences and fight with other dogs. So, she turns her life upside down in order to acclimate to this dog’s special needs. Unsurprisingly, it’s a challenge that takes moving a bunch of mountains, but she’s ultimately successful in her quest.
Once they are finally settled, Peggy then seriously undergoes what should be a leisurely task of tracing Desiree’s origins in New Orleans to figure out where she began versus where she ended up. Her research not only gives her a better understanding of Desiree’s emotional and physical behaviors, but it also leads her to want to give back in more charitable ways, particularly in pet rescues and the further rehabilitation of a city still trying to get back on its feet 10 years later.
Ultimately, Race is successful in saving Desiree from her long-term status as a stray awaiting adoption. Desiree teaches Peggy to look beyond her own pain in order to help others and to succeed in finding happiness in her passions. She puts her energy into creatures who cannot help themselves, and in helping them, she also helps to heal.
My recommendation
I recommend Desiree, The Music of my Soul to dog lovers, those who are trying to cope with a major loss, and those who love stories about charity work and personal growth. I admit that this is not a book that I would normally borrow or buy, but I do like to be surprised by true stories that are driven by a need for fulfillment and a cause bigger than ourselves. And this book definitely held its share of surprises and taught me about a world and lifestyle that I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Author Interview with Peggy Race
Author links (links open in a new tab)
Desiree, The Music of My Soul book summary
Staunch and rooted to her childhood values, Peggy engages in a battle to overcome a failed marriage, the sudden, heartrending loss of her second husband and her own self-doubts. While sandwiched between each layer of uncertainty, Peggy fights her way forward through the love of her dogs.
Amid personal tragedy, Peggy’s life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Desiree, a rescued Hurricane Katrina dog. Fueled by the serendipitous connection, Peggy deploys an unending passion for answers as she searches for purpose. As Peggy unravels Desiree’s significance in her life, she looks beyond the confines of loss and discovers her true self.
Desiree, The Music of My Soul is a poetic and soul-stirring love story which captures one woman’s journey of strength and self-discovery that transcends grief and loss. Filled with hope and inspiration, Desiree, The Music of My Soul, symbolizes the resilience of the human spirit.
Desiree, The Music of My Soul book excerpt
As the afternoon hours dwindled away, I had one last dog on my list. Desiree lived across the street in Dogtown.
Little did I know at five o’clock on that Monday afternoon, as I descended upon Octagons 7 and 8, better known as Conrad’s and Leopold’s, my life would change completely.
Waiting with eager anticipation, I stood inside the indoor kennel while the caretaker went to leash her up. As the door separating the indoor/outdoor areas opened, my world stopped. Like a snapshot, framed by the door jamb, her portrait captured my attention. She was easy on the eye, a remarkable sight.
A medium-sized girl, Desiree stood nineteen inches tall and weighed thirty-eight pounds. Her velvety nut-brown eyes glistened like jewels. Dropping her lower jaw, her mouth opened wide and her pink tongue hung out. The corners of her mouth gleamed with pure delight. Entering the kennel, she walked forward with an effortless gait. As the caretaker and I sat on the kennel floor to review her file, Desiree lowered her body to the ground, rolled over and exposed her belly. My smile linked with a sigh as I ran my fingers through her soft multi-colored coat. My heart glowed with happiness. My project dog just picked me.
Best Friends named her Desiree, and appropriately so. Of French origin meaning “The Desired One,” I wondered why this beautiful creature had not yet found her forever home. In a world of dog pageants, standing full of majestic tenderness, I imagined her crowned as “Miss Doggie USA 2011.”
Review excerpts
Peggy Race’s debut memoir takes the reader on a journey of personal struggle, trial and beauty. After a failed marriage and a subsequent unspeakable tragedy, she learns that the one constant in her life is the love of her dogs. When a Katrina rescue dog named Desiree comes into her life, Race works through her grief using Desiree’s difficult past as a lens into her own battles and help reconcile her pain. Desiree is a story about the human need for the unconditional love that is sometimes best manifest in the face and wagging tale of a dog. –Jim Landwehr, author of Dirty Shirt, The Portland House, and Cretin Boy.
“Readers will undoubtedly enjoy Race’s passionate and inquisitive nature.”– Kirkus Reviews
Got a tissue? Good. Got a box of tissues? Better. Got a case? There you go! Race’s memoir, Desiree, The Music Of My Soul, sings with raw emotion. Dog lovers will feel every word, but so will anyone who has loved any animal, or anyone, human or pet, at all. It’s not easy to make a reader feel wrung out and uplifted at the same time, but Race has accomplished it. Sit down and read, and keep the tissues handy! –Kathie Giorgio, author of The Home For Wayward Clocks and If You Tame Me
This riveting story, at once an autobiography and dog celebration, will especially delight canine enthusiasts. This audience receives a heart-warming story of a good Samaritan who rescues a dog and herself at the same time as she searches out the truth about Desiree’s past and explores the process of their tumultuous bonding and the true meaning of Desiree’s role in her life. – – -Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Talking Shop
What is a fun or strange source of inspiration that ended up in your book?
Although my book was inspired by a rescued Hurricane Katrina Dog, I share a story of a “yellow star” that I drew from the church basket during the season of Epiphany. We received instructions to let the word pick us. The word was ours for the year and we were to ponder the significance of that word in our lives. The first year, I drew the word hopefulness. The word was a catalyst fueled my belief that I was traveling down the right path in life.
How long did it take to write your book from the day you got the idea to write it to the day you published it?
The idea for the book began in 2014 at about the same time I began working with a life coach. After several months of coaching, my coach challenged me to find a writing group. Eventually, I signed up for the Once-A-Month Write-A-Book Workshop through the AllWriter’s Workplace and Workshop in Waukesha Wisconsin. I officially started writing the book in February 2016. Overall, once I began writing, the book took four years to write and 5-1/2 years after I put the first words on paper, the book will be released in August 2021 by Black Rose Writing.
How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?
I have never considered myself a writer and I did not have any formal training prior to joining the writing group in 2016. Then again, I am a shy introvert and therefore find it easier to put my words on paper.
If you don’t make a living exclusively writing, what is your day job? How, in any way, does it relate to your life as a writer?
I’ve been employed for over 33 years at Standard Process, a whole foods nutritional supplement company. I am currently a process technician and part of my role involves writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s). Writing of SOP’s is factual based type of logical writing that includes detailed knowledge of a process. Although there may be some connection between my day job and my writing hobby, I feel there is more creativity needed when writing a book.
What is the most fun part about writing? The most difficult?
The fun part of writing is when my thoughts flow and I am able to tie things together, especially when I can tie in a part of the story and connect it to something earlier in the book. The most difficult is getting those first words on the paper; figuring out how to start. I tend to analyze everything which tends to handicap me at times.
What is your most stereotypical writer trait? Your least stereotypical?
I am a true caffeine addict. I won’t even consider sitting down to start writing until I have a mug of coffee sitting aside my computer. As I share in my memoir, I am out walking my dogs at 4am…not because I’m up all night but because I am an early bird. I often joke that I came into the world at 3:16am which set the tone for my life.
“What If” Scenarios
If your book ever becomes a movie and you get final say over the cast, which actors would you hire to play your characters?
The actors I choose would have to reflect the characters in the book. Therefore, I would select Martin Henderson to play my late husband Terry. Not only is he handsome, but he is a dog lover and he enjoys cooking. Those are two things that really resonated with Terry. For myself, I would choose Kristin Bell, a woman who is an animal activist and also rescues dogs.
If you could have one person that you admire, living or dead, read your book, who would it be?
It would be my late husband Terry. There are quotes in the book from Terry that reflect his passionate stance on issues. I hope that he would be proud to have those words published.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
I would start looking for a movie deal.
You have the means to hire a full time assistant to help you with your writing. What tasks do you give them to do?
Social media/marketing
You have final say over who reads the audio book version of your story. Who do you choose?
Undoubtedly, Morgan Freeman
Your story gets picked up by a streaming service to make into a series. What service would you want it to be, and would you want them to follow your story closely, or would you rather see what directions they take it in?
Netflix. Since my book is factual, I’d prefer to see the script followed closely. On the other hand, I’d be curious to see what twists and turns the streaming service would add or delete from the story line.
Just for Fun
Your trademark feature.
Wet hair/LL Bean/Columbia. Being that I walk my dogs for an hour and then do my own workout prior to heading to work, there is only so much available time to get ready for work. I always leave the house with wet hair.
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
I would like to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the life of animals and inspired others to do the same.
One bucket list item you’ve completed and one that’s still on your list.
Writing this book and having it published currently tops my list of completed items.
A movie or a piece of music that changed your life.
The TV program Dogtown which I talk about in my memoir inspired me to take my first volunteer vacation and ultimately led me on a new path in life.
Favorite time of/part of your day.
I love my early morning dog walks. It is a wonderfully peaceful time and a great way to start the day. It is during those early morning walks where my mind can relax, and it is the time when I generate new ideas.
Favorite place you’ve visited/place you want to visit.
Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab Utah is an animal lover’s paradise.
Food you’d like to win a lifetime supply of.
Chocolate
A book that you recommend everyone reads.
The Doggie in the Window by Rory Kress.
Being an advocate, I found the book provided a behind-the-scene look into the commercial dog breeding industry.
The topic you can’t shut up about and the topic you wish everyone would shut up about.
As I state in my book, I find my rambling voice when the topic revolves around dogs😊. As an advocate, politics plays a role in animal welfare, yet politics is something I don’t care to discuss.
Your most unrealistic dream job.
Certified Animal Behaviorist.
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