THE LEADING LADY

A pleasant, personalized account of two celebrities— singer/entertainer Sullivan (If You Could See What I Hear, 1975) and TV star White (Betty White's Pet-Love, 1983; Betty White in Person, 1987)—and the guide dog who touched both their lives. When Sullivan, blind since birth, realizes that his devoted guide dog, a golden retriever named Dinah, is herself losing her sight, he begrudgingly decides to adopt a new working dog—a strapping young Labrador retriever named Nelson. But when Dinah cannot accept the ``career change'' to family pet, it is longtime friend and animal-lover White who comes to the rescue by taking Dinah in. Here, in alternating chapters written by White and Sullivan, are stories about Dinah's early and later years—her extensive and demanding travels with Sullivan (often on airplanes to strange cities and hotels) for TV appearances, golf tournaments (yes, Sullivan plays golf), and concerts, and her move into White's pet-filled household. But there's more here than show-biz glitz- -there's honest talk on family dynamics (Sullivan is married and has two children), on how a blind person overcomes fears and manages to lead a fulfilling life, on guide-dog training (Sullivan is candid about the mistakes he first makes with Dinah), and on how one graceful, devoted, hard-working canine affects positively the lives of those around her. Appealing for its autobiographical content, its insight into the lives of the blind, and its message of human-animal bonding. (Eight pages of b&w photographs—not seen.)