A Handful of Happiness: How a Prickly Creature Softened a Prickly Heart
About this audiobook
A 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.
About the author
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.
Antonella Tomaselli is a journalist, blogger, environmentalist, and lover of animals. A true dog person, she has written and directed several documentaries of her canine friends. She is an active propagandist against the abandonment of pets, and has published many books and specialized articles on different dog breeds.
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.
Hillary Huber is a multiple Audie Award finalist, an Earphones Award winner, and an AudioFile Best Voice. She has recorded over six hundred titles spanning many genres and holds a bachelor's degree in English literature. A voracious reader and listener, she was raised in Connecticut and Hawaii but now splits her time between California and New York.
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.
