The Leading Lady - by Betty White & Tom Sullivan (Paperback)

About the Book

The story of a dog, and the extraordinary difference she made in every life she touched. After 60 years in show business, White has earned her reputation as an American icon. She may be a bona fide television pioneer, but throughout White's life, her heart has always been with the animals--and one special golden retriever.

Book Synopsis

Hollywood icon Betty White and actor Tom Sullivan present the story of a guide dog named Dinah and the extraordinary difference she made in every life she touched.

Beloved actress Betty White is a bona fide television pioneer, but throughout her life, her heart has always been with the animals. One of the most enriching episodes in her career as an animal-rights advocate arrived with actor Tom Sullivan. Blind since birth, Tom was one of Betty's closest friends and professional partners. Their dearest collaboration was a mutual devotion to a golden retriever named Dinah.

This first-class guide dog was more than Tom's best friend, she was a source of unqualified loyalty and love. Most important, she enabled Tom to be truly independent for the first time in his life. However as Dinah got older, as her faculties weakened and her confidence faltered, Tom had little choice but to get a new dog. The effect of losing her purpose was devastating to the once-gallant Dinah. Then Betty gladly stepped in to give this great Lady a new lease on life.

What would transpire is a heartening and inspiring story of a dog who made a difference and who, in Betty White's words, "helped Tom grow up as she has helped me grow older." It is for all animal lovers, for all Betty White lovers, and everyone who can relate to the unconditional devotion of dogs and the people who love them.

INCLUDES PHOTOS

Review Quotes

"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 for TV appearances, golf tournaments, and concerts, and her move into White's pet-filled household...there's honest talk on family dynamics, on how a blind person overcomes fears and manages to lead a fulfilling life, on guide-dog training, 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."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Betty White was an award-winning film and television actress who appeared in such iconic television classics as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. In a career that spanned 8 decades, she received seven Emmy awards, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild awards, and a Grammy. Both a pet enthusiast and animal health advocate, White was the president emerita of the Morris Animal Foundation and was a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. Often referred to as a national treasure, Betty White passed away in 2021, just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

Tom Sullivan is both a performer and a bestselling author. Blind since birth, he wrote the national bestseller If You Could See What I Hear (which was made into a movie), has appeared over 60 times on the Tonight Show, served for over five years as special correspondent for Good Morning America, sung the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, and received the Books for a Better Life Award for Seeing Lessons. He's also appeared as a guest star in many television hits, including Designing Women, Highway to Heaven, Fame, M.A.S.H, Mork & Mindy, and WKRP in Cincinnati, and has been twice nominated for an Emmy Award. He also competes in golf tournaments, marathons, and triathlons. He lives in Los Angeles, California.