Ken Olive

Goldie's Garden: a Dog's Tale of Hurricanes, Heroism, and War Ken Olive

In "Goldie's Garden" a yellow Labrador retriever and four siblings are born to "Daisey, in an animal shelter. the pups open their eyes, and each of them is tied with a different color ribbon, for identification. Goldie is adopted by Josh, 13 years old, a member of the Flowers family, who lives in Biloxi, Ms. Goldie becomes a larger part of the family as times evolve. Her main task is to watch over her adopted mother's fruit and vegetable garden. Josh drops out of college only 2 weeks after the tragedy of 9/11, joins the Marines, and is stationed in Afghanistan. The story shifts to and from fields of battle, where Josh becomes a young man, and the Flowers, now extended family, due to a death, and consequent moving to Biloxi by Josh's Grandmother, Doris, and cousin, Connie. Doris likes wine, cigars, and men, not particularly in that order, but she provides tons of comedy, without trying to. Josh's sister, Jessica grows from a spoiled brat, as a youngster, to a much more mature young woman, not without a few bumps in the road, after Josh leaves for the Marines. Josh gets wounded after two years and is discharged. Now, he, Connie, and Jess, have to figure out their long term plans. Josh is a few years older than the girls, but they are both Seniors in high school, so these decisions take place very close together. At different times in the book Goldie is faced with danger to one of the family members and always comes through, helping them weather a crisis.