My Life Among the Underdogs: A Memoir

I don't write many book reviews any longer- I read well over 200 books a year and just don't have that kind of time. And I never was a fan of nonfiction. I'm not a nosy person, and don't care to read about their lives.This book, however, I had to have! I'm a huge animal lover, a fan of Pit Bulls and Parolees, and this book, while having some personal info in it, is more about the dogs that mattered the most- a handful of them, anyway. THAT was the kind of nonfiction I could get behind, so I ordered an autographed copy of the book, preordered the Kindle version, and waited eagerly for midnight for the book to show up on my device.I devoured it in 2 sittings, only because sleep was necessary. If you love the show, you've seen Monster and Blueie. You watched the rescue of Lucky the "ghost dog". You saw pictures of Mariah's beautiful dog, L.A. Your heart hurts watching the show and you cry with each loss. Now you can read more about these special dogs that touched your heart from Tia Torres's perspective. I chuckled, I was excited to read more, I cried several times, and I was truly sorry to reach the end of the book.Ms. Torres, you've said you enjoy writing. I hope you will publish another with some more amazing dog stories. I'd love to read more about some other favorites, like Rhino, how Jasper became yours, the story of Jack (since you talked of the beautiful Monster in this book), and any other truly amazing dogs who've touched your heart the way they've touched mine. This book was amazing, well written, included only one typo to my eye ("lung" instead of "lunge") and I'll definitely be looking for more books to read in between bingeing the show.

My heartfelt thanks too you, your family and your rescue that comes into our homes year after year. It is always a learning experience watching a!I of you with unconditional love for all the underdogs. I have a chronic/terminal illness. I have been very sick for yrs. I thank you for your tenacity and courage and above all your love of your dogs/animals. I for one will NEVER forget this amazing journey you have taken me on. You are a very bright light in my own bullish life. Thanks again Tia.....

Started reading this at noon today and couldn't put it down till I was finished reading it. 5 hours later, and in awe of this amazing lady. I've been watching the show since it aired and have cried during many episodes. Reading this book made me laugh and cry so many times. Tia is such a down to earth lady and will do anything for her kids, 2 legged and 4. Remembering all the dogs mentioned in this book brought back memories of each dog as they were in the show. Bluie and Tania's story, both in the show and again in the book had me crying like a baby. Keep up the amazing job you do and God Bless you and your family. Truly an amazing animal loving family🐕🐕

Tia Torres -- the formidable founder and proprietor of Villalobos Rescue Center and reluctant star of Animal Planet’s Pit Bulls & Parolees -- has unleashed her inner author with the release of her first book, the memoir “My Life Among the Underdogs.” The writing is colorful, sharply funny, heart-rending, and a bit rough around the edges, much like Torres herself.Every chapter features a dog with a vivid personality -- each a survivor of trauma inflicted by humans -- that has figured prominently in Torres’s life; and as these stories unfold, Torres reveals, by painful degrees, a few dark details about her own hardscrabble history and her ongoing struggles and triumphs in the harsh world of animal rescue. The moral of these tales is that although people tend to let you down, your dogs never will.As a great admirer of Torres and longtime fan of the show, I lapped it all up. As a former editor, I winced a little in noticing the small fixes that would have improved the narrative.There are timeline issues (e.g., a wedding date that precedes the proposal date by three months; a reported 13-year lapse in dog ownership that doesn’t jibe with other parts of the text) that caught my eye immediately and could have been resolved by the most cursory proofread. Repetitions (sometimes on the same page), a smattering of cliches, and some syntactical tangles likewise might have benefited from a gentle copy editor’s hand.Torres noted on her show that she’d labored over this book for eight years, and its very publication, given her all-consuming day job, is a small miracle. Fiercely proud and rightly confident of the power of her story, she reportedly refused editorial help. But the role of a good editor is, among other things, to check for inconsistencies, to collaborate with the author on content flow and word choice, and to give the reader a seamlessly immersive experience. It's a delicate balance to smooth the writing while preserving the author’s voice.The good news is that Torres’s voice comes through loud and clear. I’m grateful for this glimpse into her back story, the formative (and often harrowing) experiences and acquired wisdom that make Tia who she is, and I hope she has at least one more book in her. If so, I’ll be reading.

This book is a must read for anyone who loves animals and especially those working in various rescue groups. It is heartwarming and tear producing, and you will be inspired in the reading of Tia's stories. The only recommendation is that she write another one or 10 as we would love to read more stories of her life with her dog and human family. I highly recommend this book because you will not be bored as her writing is spot-on, and your spirit will be uplifted hearing about her life and her hardships along the way. Her main theme in her book and her life is never let life get you down where you feel helpless. Fall down, get up and do it all again and again until you get it right. Thank You Tia Torres for being such a shining example for us all.

Loved this book - it was heartfelt and shared wonderful stories about the dogs who were the stars in their owners eyes. I was moved by the stories and admire the thought behind it. Well done!

Having watched Pitbulls & Parolees on TV I wanted to get a better insight as to how Villa Lobos started and expanded into what it is today. Very good read and I have a lot of admiration for Tia Torres and her family. They have and are doing an awesome job if rescuing Pitbulls + other breeds. Because of this book and TV programme I have a completely different outlook toward the Pitbull breed. It is people who have given this breed a very bad name and they should be disgusted with themselves for training this robust, gentle & living breed to fight!!

Most of the chapters made my eyes wet: three made me outright cry - Duke, Monster and Bluie. I'd have liked to know how Moe and Kanani joined the family, and maybe more about Earl and the other parolees but I may have missed some of this as I was late to the series - I only found it a few weeks ago. Or maybe some of this will be in the next book, if Tia can be persuaded to write it. I hope she does. She writes eloquently and without sickly sentimentality and I'd love to hear more about her life, her work and her amazing family of people and dogs. Pit bulls are banned in the UK, sadly, due more to bad breeders and bad owners than bad dogs, so this is as close as I can get to meeting them, and the way Tia writes makes me feel like I have met them.

I am a big fan of this lady she comes across as what you see is what you get such a selfless person, her personal life has not been easy wish there had been a little more detail regarding that however she is naturally a private person, and still she and her family puts these dogs and all animals first. She is also has great empathy for humans too and will give them second chance if she feels they deserve it hence the parolees. Keep up the good work Tia

Enjoyable to read this book. I and my husband watch every series that comes on the t.v. even if we've seen them many times before. We have cried and laughed along with Tia and the family and extended family. As I read this book, I found myself wishing that I could help. Tia and the family thank you all for the love and care you give to everythink.

Beautifully written in a no nonsense but empathetic loving honest way. I cried with warmth at each chapter. I admire the work that Villalobos do so please buy this book as the money goes to the dogs and if you like animals you will enjoy the amazing life that Tia Torres has led animal training and rescuing