玛力和我：与全世界最坏的狗狗的生活和爱

　　John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

　　Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good-Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these."

　　And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

　　Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog？ Just ask the Grogans.

　　美国费城问询报专栏作家John Grogan以自己养的黄色拉布拉多为素材，写了这本《玛力与我——与全世界最坏的狗狗的生活和爱》，深深触动了爱狗人士的心弦，让他们阅读时又哭又笑。

　　书中详述玛力调皮捣蛋的恶作剧，44公斤的体重，是天生过动儿，家里的门被他的牙齿摧残得体无完肤，墙面被抓得伤痕累累，沙发也是面目全非。更伤脑筋的是，它什么东西都啃，包括女主人的珠宝和脏兮兮的尿布。John送它去狗学校上学，玛力竟被退学。第二次再申请，好不容易毕业，玛力得意忘形下把毕业证书给啃个稀烂。

　　但坏狗狗自有可爱之处，负责保护家里三个孩子，女主人流产时贴心的依在女主人膝头。这本非文学书籍已在纽约时报畅销书排行榜连续20周登上榜首，首刷五万本一直追加到今日，销售纪录已达24刷117万本。电影版权也已卖给福斯公司，准备搬上银幕。

　　John接受采访时说：“这其实不只是一本写狗的书。玛力出现之前，我们的生活就是事业，人际关系和我们自己，它让我们从自我为重心的生活，转变成更慷慨付出。”他在书中有一段写着“Marley教我每天充满活力、快乐的无拘束生活，掌握当下以及倾听你的心。它教我欣赏简单的事务─在林中散步，看雪，冬日的阳光……它教我友谊和无私，更重要的是，坚定不移的忠贞。”

　　玛力已在2003年死亡，活了13岁。葛洛根表示，他在那之后发现了这个故事的魅力，遂在报纸专栏中讲述这一亲身经历，引起读者热烈回响后决定出书。

　　About author

　　John Grogan is the Pennsylvania columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the former editor in chief of Rodale's Organic Gardening magazine. Previously he worked as a reporter, bureau chief, and columnist at newspapers in Michigan and Florida. His work has won numerous awards, including the National Press Club's Consumer Journalism Award. He lives on a wooded hillside in Pennsylvania with his wife, Jenny, and their three children.

　　约翰·葛洛根，美国费城问询报专栏作家，小说家。主要作品有《求助，我遗失并需要笑声》、《成功箴言》、《金块和银球》、和《工作间法则》。