Grogan, John 1957–

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Grogan, John 1957–

PERSONAL: Born March 20, 1957, in Detroit, MI; married; wife's name Jenny (a reporter); children: three. Education: Central Michigan University, B.A. (journalism and English), 1979; Ohio State University, M.A.

ADDRESSES: Home—PA. Office—Philadelphia Inquirer, P.O. Box 8263, Philadelphia, PA 19101. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Herald-Palladium, St. Joseph, MI, police reporter, 1979; South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL, reporter and columnist, c. 1990s; Organic Gardening, Emmaus, PA, editor-in-chief, 1999–2002; Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, columnist, 2002–.

AWARDS, HONORS: Kiplinger Mid-Career Program in Public Affairs reporting fellowship, Ohio State University, 1985; Poynter Institute for Media Studies fellowship; Consumer Journalism Award, National Press Club.

WRITINGS:

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog (memoir), Morrow (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: John Grogan wrote his memoir, Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog, about life with the yellow Labrador retriever he and his wife, Jenny, picked from a litter of puppies and named after reggae star Bob Marley. At the time, the newlyweds were living in Florida, and Marley was the first addition to their family. The dog's bizarre behavior often tested the couple; he failed obedience class and chewed the walls during thunderstorms, which he feared. Normal puppy behavior was replaced with unusual adult dog behavior that required a six-page list of instructions when a friend cared for Marley while the Grogans went on a trip.

Marley was well loved, however, and was an important part of the family as it grew with the births of the Grogan children. The dog died at the age of thirteen, and Grogan, who at the time was working for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote a column about his pet that resulted in 800 e-mails and telephone calls from readers. The book includes the column and also charts the progress of Grogan's growing family. Booklist reviewer Nancy Bent called Marley & Me, a "warm, friendly memoir," and Library Journal critic Eva Lautemann concurred, calling it "a humorous and loving tribute."