In the Company of Grace

A Veterinarian's Memoir of Trauma and Healing

De: Jody Lulich

Narrado por: James Fouhey

Rising to accept a prestigious award, Jody Lulich wondered what to say. Describe how caring for helpless, voiceless animals in his own shame and pain provided a lifeline, a chance to heal himself as well? Lulich tells his story in In the Company of Grace, a memoir about finding courage in compassion and strength in healing-and power in finally confronting the darkness of his youth.

Lulich's white father and Black mother met at a civil rights rally, but love was no defense against their personal demons. His mother's suicide and his sometimes brutal father's subsequent withdrawal set Lulich on a course from the South Side of Chicago to the Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine in Alabama to an endowed chair at the University of Minnesota. Though shadowed by troubling secrets, his memoir also features scenes of surprising light and promise. Most consequentially, at Tuskegee Lulich rents a room in the home of a seventy-five-year-old Black woman named Grace, whose wholehearted adoption of him-and her own stories of the Jim Crow era-finally gives him a sense of belonging and possibility.

Completing his book amid the furor over George Floyd's murder, Lulich reflects on all the ways that race has shaped his life. In the Company of Grace is a moving testament to the power of compassion in the face of seemingly overwhelming circumstances.

©2023 Jody Lulich (P)2024 Tantor

An inspiring and moving memoir

The author takes us on his journey from a childhood filled with loss and pain to his becoming a man who has helped and inspired countless people. We meet Grace Hooks, an elderly woman from whom he rented a room while he was in vet school. We learn the stories of her life as a black woman during the Jim Crow era. Her stories of courage and determination in the face of prejudice are an inspiration for us all and Jody makes sure they will not be fogotten.

The book is extremely touching. I couldn’t put it down. The narrator does an excellent job bringing the stories to life. I strongly recommend that you give In the Company of Grace a listen.