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Get startedA Handful of Happiness
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Learn moreA feel-good memoir of a man and his hedgehog
Massimo Vacchetta, an Italian veterinarian specializing in large animals, is recently divorced and feeling heartbroken and depressed―until the day that someone brings an orphaned baby hedgehog into his clinic. As the tiny hedgehog cries and whimpers, Massimo immediately understands the extent of the animal’s vulnerability and isolation. Recognizing her helplessness and desperation in himself, he connects with her in a way he has never connected with any other animal.
In caring for this hedgehog, Massimo uncovers her vibrant personality and rediscovers his own. Soon, another sick hedgehog lands in his lap. And then another. As people begin to seek him out to heal and care for the injured or orphaned animals, Massimo finally discovers his life’s mission.
As other sick hedgies are healed and released, Massimo continues to dote on Ninna like a child, constantly fretting about her health and happiness, caring about her in a way he has never cared about anyone or anything else. But the cage that once kept her safe soon becomes a prison, and as much as it breaks Massimo’s heart to let her go, he knows she longs to be free.
Through this life-affirming story of a man and his hedgehog, we learn that no love is too great and no creature too small.
Massimo Vacchetta has worked as a large animal veterinarian for twenty years. Two years ago he opened “La Ninna,” a shelter and rehabilitation center for hedgehogs. He is the chairman of the association Centro Recupero Ricci “La Ninna,” whose mission is the protection of hedgehogs and their environment. You can find out more on their Facebook page, @CentroRecuperoRicciLaNinna.
James Anderson Foster, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, has narrated audiobooks for a variety of publishers, across nearly all genres, both fiction and nonfiction. In 2015, he was a finalist in three categories for the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Voice Arts Awards—mystery, science fiction, and fantasy.
Jamie Richards is a translator based in Milan, Italy. She holds an MFA in literary translation from the University of Iowa and a PhD in comparative literature from the University of Oregon. Her translations include works by Igiaba Scego, Matteo Bussola, Ermanno Cavazzoni, Giovanni Orelli, and Zerocalcare.