Book Review ~ Dewey by Vicki Myron

Summary ~ DEWEY ~ THE SMALL -TOWN LIBRARY CAT WHO TOUCHED the WORLD (From Publishers Weekly):
One frigid Midwestern winter night in 1988, a ginger kitten was shoved into the after-hours book-return slot at the public library in Spencer, Iowa. And in this tender story, Myron, the library director, tells of the impact the cat, named Dewey Readmore Books, had on the library and its patrons, and on Myron herself. Through her developing relationship with the feline, Myron recounts the economic and social history of Spencer as well as her own success story—despite an alcoholic husband, living on welfare, and health problems ranging from the difficult birth of her daughter, Jodi, to breast cancer. After her divorce, Myron graduated college (the first in her family) and stumbled into a library job. She quickly rose to become director, realizing early on that this was a job I could love for the rest of my life. Dewey, meanwhile, brings disabled children out of their shells, invites businessmen to pet him with one hand while holding the Wall Street Journal with the other, eats rubber bands and becomes a media darling. The book is not only a tribute to a cat—anthropomorphized to a degree that can strain credulity (Dewey plays hide and seek with Myron, can read her thoughts, is mortified by his hair balls)—it’s a love letter to libraries.

In challenging times like we are facing right now, I believe it is important and good for the human soul to read a story like Dewey ~ The Small-Town Cat Who Touched the World.  To see a town and it’s citizens hit hard by financial woes, illness and all of life’s hard knocks, come together through the love of a single feline is a miracle.  The story of Dewey, the cat of the Spencer Library in Spencer, Iowa is a labor of love and respect for a cat and the lives that he affected locally and around the world. 

This story was a great one about the love for a cat who just happened to be left in the book return bin at a library in a small town and who was rescued by a woman and her library staff who allowed him to nestle and cuddle his way into their lives and the lives of so many others.  There are so many touching and tear-jerking passages in this book, that at almost every sitting, I had to grab a wad of tissues in order to make it though the chapter.  From Dewey’s visits with the children of Spencer, Iowa when they would come to the library for story hour, to the handicapped children who brightened and became more alert in Dewey’s presence.  Vicki Myron, with the help of writer Bret Witter, does a fabulous job of giving the reader background information about the townspeople of Spencer and even shares very personal stories from her own life in order to paint a complete picture of just how powerful and important Dewey Readmore Books’ friendship and love was.

 

Dewey graced the shelves and rooms of the Spencer Library for nineteen years and though he couldn’t possibly have known the impact he had on people all over the world, he knew that the time he spent with people in his library was worth while and helped bring smiles to sad hearts on a daily basis.

I absolutely loved this book.  It was a great story about a cat that made a difference to many.  The book was very easy to get lost in and there weren’t many slow parts at all.  I would recommend this book to any animal or book lover and I must advise that you keep a box of tissues close by at all times.

{Rating ~ 4.5 out of 5}

Thanks to Library Thing’s Early Reviewer Program for sending me my free copy of Dewey.

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