Book review: "Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre"

Devolution had me riveted. I suppose I start from the standpoint of a '70s kid who grew up seeing TV shows about Sasquatch sightings, and this book, like Max Brooks' World War Z, tells a compelling story from the perspective of those who lived through it. A small development, out in the woods, is cut off from civilization after Mt. Rainier erupts. That same eruption displaced a Sasquatch troop that has been living deep in the woods for a very long time, so stealthy and so far from most humans that only the occasional sightings have surfaced.

But what if they really exist? What if they're out there? What if they were flushed from their normal living and hunting grounds and ran into a small group of humanity. They're hungry and desperate, and they're North America's great ape. Gigantic, hugely powerful, and smart. So now what?

The story of this collision of ape and human, and the story of the humans' attempts to survive, is the story of Devolution. This is a terrific tale!

Don't steal her trick!

For as long as I can remember, Lexi's favorite people-pleasing trick has been sitting high. It's cute, and it's not the kind of trick you expect for a dog like her. In fact, it doesn't seem like so broad and solidly built dog would be able to do it. But she makes it happen, and I think that may be part of why she likes doing it for us--and especially for Marc--because it's not easy.

Earlier tonight, Lexi was lying on her bed and Tucker was sitting in front of Marc. Marc asked him if he could sit high, and I saw Lexi's head come up off the bed, like she was not at all amused. As Marc was asking Tucker about sitting high, Lexi gave a little noise that wasn't quite a growl and wasn't quite a grunt. Either way, definitely not a happy sound and clearly directed at Marc.

She stayed there, but as Marc continued to discuss the trick with Tucker, Lexi moved this up to a warning bark. Very unusual for her. Marc got it and stopped, and we've now learned that she not only considers it her special trick but we're to respect that. It's enough we made her share her house with this other dog, but now we might steal her special trick? No way!