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HAPPY, HEARTWARMING, AND HOPEFUL Sep 17, 2008 (246 of 284 found this helpful)
Remember Marley: A Dog Like No Other, a canine greatly loved by his master? Well, here is Dewey, an abandoned orange kitten not only beloved by his mistress but by the entire town of Spencer, Iowa.
Dewey's origins were questionable as was his introduction to library director Vicki Myron. January 18, 1988 was a frigid Monday in Spencer. "It was a killing freeze, the kind that made it almost painful to breathe." When Vicki arrived at the library that morning her assistant told her she had heard a noise coming from a metal slot, the library's after-hours drop box behind the building. Soon, they both heard the noise and thought it was an animal. The opening of the box was only a few inches wide, so whatever it was had to be very small. Being metal the box was even colder than it was outside, and there in a corner of the box was a tiny kitten.
It was the most pitiful thing she had ever seen, so thin she could see every rib, and she could feel its heart beating, its lungs pumping. "The poor kitten was so weak it could barely hold up its head, and it was shaking uncontrollably. It opened its mouth, but the sound which came two seconds later, was weak and ragged." But one look into his big eyes and she was Dewey's and he was hers.
Dewey was not the only one who had endured hardship - Vicki was a single mom who had lost the family farm and survived an abusive husband. The people of Spencer were going through tough times during the farm crisis of that time. Depression, ennui seemed to be everywhere.
Nonetheless, Vicki was determined to capture the interest of those who came to the small library and hopefully make them a little happier. With the help of Dewey she did that and more. For 19 years he returned the affection of the townspeople twofold, amusing them, enchanting them, rubbing against many hands in gratitude for their caresses.
What difference can one small animal make? Dewey's story spread across state lines and even around the world. In 2003 Japanese Public Television filmed Dewey, and his obituary ran in well over 200 newspapers. His story will warm your hearts, make you laugh and cry. Don't miss it.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
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I WANTED TO LIKE THIS BOOK BUT ... Oct 7, 2008 (85 of 110 found this helpful)
As a cat owner and sucker for sentimental stories about pets, I wanted to like this book -- but "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" just never lands on its feet. This self-proclaimed "heartland story" about a stray cat who finds a home in an Iowa library and ends up "changing lives ... one lap at a time" is occasionally charming but mostly just grating. Part of the problem is that writer and primary Dewey caretaker Vicki Myron, with an assist from co-writer Bret Witter, doesn't bother laying down the narrative carpentry. As a result, the book rushes through scenes episodically without setting them up and working them through to a satisfying emotional payoff. In one truncated episode, an insistent Dewey approaches a young girl who hates cats, befriends her, and the girl falls in love with Dewey -- all in one paragraph when an entire chapter or at least a few pages could have been used to better effect in detailing the arc of the budding relationship. (For an example of how to do this right, read the "All Creatures Great and Small" series.) Another problem is that much of the story isn't about Dewey, the eccentric and loveable cat, but about Myron and Iowa in the 1980s and '90s. Many of these standalone vignettes seem intended to set the record straight about Myron. For instance, she threw up that one night decades ago because of a painful tooth and not because, as rumor had it, of a drinking binge, "but there was no beating a bad reputation in a small town." The connection between these interludes and the story proper is forced at best and reiterates the same point that Dewey got Myron through those tough times. (For small-town mood and atmosphere, check out "Lake Woebegone.") And where are the photos of Dewey? The ones included at the top of each chapter are grainy, black-and-white shots that are so tiny all you can see is a ball of fur. For the kind of book "Dewey" is trying to be, I would have forgiven and even welcomed more sentimental fluff.
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Dewey is unique and charming Sep 28, 2008 (66 of 96 found this helpful)
Dewey the library cat is a unique and charming story which was very enjoyable, well written and interesting. However, I wish the author had stayed with Dewey and written her autobiography in another book. I felt so many personal insertions took away from the central character, Dewey. The book could have been half as long and then appealed to younger readers. As it was published, it is an adult read and too long and too involved in people rather than cat problems.
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Symbol of Spencer Oct 28, 2008 (65 of 87 found this helpful)
This book is for everybody. Whether you are a child or an adult, whether you like cats or not, even whether you like reading or not! It is a really heartwarming story that reads very easy and that will fill your heart with great affection. It is a story of an extraordinary cat, a librarian, and their lives in a small Iowa town. It's a story that brought the little town of Spencer onto the world map. The Japanese television filmed Dewey, and after he died, his obituary ran in over 200 papers. But most of all, this isn't just another cat story; it's a story of survival, endurance, trust, and hope. Finally, it is a story about love and living a good life. You will understand all that after you read the final few chapters.
I highly recommend this book! You will fall in love with Dewey after reading the first few pages. I promise you that! For more heartwarming stories about another ginger cat I suggest the series of Why Some Cats are Rascals ( Book 3). Read them all - you will want to share the stories with your loved ones.
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Utterly poignant Sep 20, 2008 (56 of 73 found this helpful)
Unless you are a cat-hater and especially hard-hearted I can guarantee that you will not read this book with dry eyes. The book tells the story of a kitten found in the return book slot of the City Library at Spencer, Iowa, and that kitten's extraordinary personality, his devotion to doing his self-appointed duty toward those who loved him and the patrons of the library, and the effect he had on all who came to know him. This is the best book about a cat I think I have ever read--certainly the best non-fiction account. I have not been so affected since I read (and re-read) The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford (read 12 Nov 1972 - re-read 15 Apr 1991), but that was fiction whereas this book is glowingly true. Do yourself a favor--read it.