Westborough – Tom Ryan, author of “Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship,” will be appearing at the Westborough Public Library Saturday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. Ryan, who will be accompanied by his miniature schnauzer, Atticus M. Finch, will be discussing the challenges and adventures they faced in the mountains of New Hampshire.
“Following Atticus” is Ryan's inspiring tale of how he and Atticus, an unlikely pair of mountaineers, attempted to scale all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000-foot peaks twice in the 90 days of winter to pay tribute to a friend who died of cancer. At the heart of this journey is an extraordinary relationship that blurs the line between man and dog, an indelible bond that began when Ryan, following the advice of Atticus's breeder, carried the pup wherever he went for the first month of their life together. It is ultimately a story of transformation: how a 5-pound puppy pierced the heart of a tough-as-nails newspaperman, opening his eyes to the world's beauty and its possibilities.
Ryan is the founder of the Newburyport newspaper “The Undertoad,” and served as its publisher and editor for more than a decade. In 2007, he sold the newspaper and moved to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to write and hike with Atticus. Over the last five years, he and Atticus have climbed more than 450 4,000-foot peaks. After raising thousand of dollars for Angell Animal Medical Center, the pair was inducted into the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Hall of Fame.
Ryan writes the popular column “The Adventures of Tom & Atticus” in the NorthCountry News and Mountainside Guide, as well as a blog of the same name, www.tomandatticus.blogspot.com.
Copies of “Following Atticus” will be available for purchase and autographing. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Westborough Public Library, 55 West Main St., at 1-508-366-3050.
