*Content warning: Commander Speaks covers topics of animal abuse, sexual predators, and death of children.
Commander Speaks by Jody Jaffe is a fun story that constantly put a smile on my face while also addressing serious and difficult topics that were written beautifully.
This book follows a German show jumping horse, his owner who is a famous mystery author, and an animal communicator. The three work together to learn about relationships while also trying to solve a few real-life mysteries.
Commander Speaks is an easy read. I was quickly drawn into the story, forgetting all about time, and I didn't want to put it down. As an editor, I always love to first ask authors what the easiest and hardest parts of the writing and editing processes are. Jody told me, "The easiest part is listening to the voices in my head and transcribing them. I once interviewed the author Gail Godwin who told me she heard her characters speak when she swam laps. My characters don't confine themselves to the pool or anywhere. They are busy chattering all the time.
"The hardest part is copyediting. I have lost count on how many times this book was read by me, my husband (who is a professional editor) and a friend who is also a professional editor. And yet, a very sweet Australian reviewer kept finding more mistakes. I had to finally ask her to stop after it went to print. Major props to the copy editors of the world."
The horse, Commander (AKA Dante), is without a doubt my favorite character. He has such a lively and enjoyable personality. He's funny, opinionated, and compassionate. Jody told me that Dante is also what she loves most about this story. She said, "I'm in love with him. I think Commander Speaks is a love story on the micro level between Izzie and Dante and on the macro level between humans (especially horse-crazed females like myself) and horses. I love Dante's love of words. I love his sense of justice. I love his earnestness. But most of all, I love his big heart."
I asked Jody if anyone (horse or human) from her life influenced Dante's character. She responded, "Mr. Ed! I grew up watching him. And what horse-crazed person doesn't dream of a talking horse? A horse is a horse of course of course..."
Dante is a very chatty character, but he's only able to speak to Izzie, the animal communicator. Animal communication has become a popular topic, so I asked Jody what inspired her to write a book about it. "I, like many of my horse-obsessed friends," she said, "have used animal communicators for a variety of reasons. When my beloved mare, Brenda Starr (Tommy), died, my father gave me a session with an animal communicator. She told me when Tommy crossed over she was met by a small man named John who was a jockey. Tommy died after giving birth to Royal T, named after my good friend's husband, John Royal, who'd died a few days before. And yes, he was a jockey. So, do I believe? Who knows? I believe anything's possible, even or especially talking horses."
Animal communication is not the only topic Commander Speaks covers. It covers topics of mistreating animals, sexual predators, and other difficult topics. I asked Jody why she wanted to share these topics in her writing. "The best disinfectant is sunshine. Both horse abuse and preying on children have to stop. Neither will until everyone in our sport realizes these are big problems and we have a responsibility to make it stop. Either by reporting it, or shining a light on it. And NEVER condoning it.
"The other difficult topics I cover are also important to acknowledge. There's nothing worse in our existence as human beings as losing a child. I want to celebrate the parents who've fought for a way through the smothering grief and found a way back to some semblance of happiness - as my hero, Vonda Johnston has. She is inspirational. And for those parents who haven't, I'd like to offer hope that the next day may not be as horrible.
"As for the parts about Type 1 Diabetes, it's all taken from my life and the reason I'm donating the proceeds from Commander Speaks to Type 1 Diabetes research. I'd like to see the day my son never has to inject insulin again or experience a painful and terrifying (at least to his mother) low."
These topics are not easy to talk, think, or write about, but Jody wrote about them with care, understanding, and conscientiousness. I felt the importance of not being afraid of difficult topics while still being sensitive to those that have been affected. Commander Speaks has made me want to speak up more about these topics for those that cannot or struggle to.
From my first communication with Jody, I knew this book was very meaningful to her. She told me, "I've been exploring this passion I have for horses through every book I've written. And four books into this exploration I still don't know why I can't live without horses. It's like the strongest magnetic pull I am incapable of resisting.
"I wrote Commander Speaks because a friend's daughter was molested by a well-known trainer. She is a talented rider who has left the sport because after she reported him to Safe Sport, his cadre circled him with support and excoriated her. It was shameful. Thankfully she, like the women behind #WeRideTogether, is resilient."
Because this story means so much to Jody, I asked her what the theme of it was to her. She said, "To me this book is about love. I got to explore many different kinds of love. Izzie and Dante, Izzie and her old high school boyfriend, Mrs. A and Izzie, Mrs. A and Dante, and my second favorite character in the book, Millie, the elderly woman who loves her niece.
"And it's also about hate. I hate what some trainers do to horses. Gasoline in the water?? A non-lethal dose of the euthanasia drug?? Electric spurs?? Cobra venom?? I could go on. But it makes me sick and furious. I don't understand how people who start out loving horses can harm them.
"And then there are the sick people who prey on children, abusing their power over them. Not quite as bad are the people who condone this behavior - the people who think the child was asking for it, or so many years have passed, or it was just an affair. To be very clear, there is a legal age of consent for a reason. Anything below that is a child."
While reading the story, I felt all the emotions so strongly. As an editor (and writer feeling this is an area my writing can improve), I asked Jody how she crafted the emotions to really allow the reader to feel them. "Again, I listen to the voices in my head. It's almost like watching a movie. I pay careful attention to what they are saying and how they are saying it. Also, as you probably noticed by my responses, I am a very emotional person. This is not always a good thing, but it seems to help when writing a book."
Commander Speaks is a splendidly written story that is fun and entertaining while addressing some difficult topics of the horse show world. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves horses, mysteries, or characters with big personalities that is comfortable reading about these topics.
Thank you, Jody, for writing this story and sharing it with the world. It made an impact on me that won't be forgotten. Also, thank you, Jody, for taking the time to answer my questions.
Learn more about Jody here.
Get a copy of Commander Speaks here.