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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Heartwarming memoir of not just a special cat, but of a family, a community, and the character of a town. Very sweet book.
This book is about Dewey, a cat who lived in a small-town library in Spencer, Iowa. Come for the cute cat stories, but stay for the history of the town and the midwest.
I was struck by a section in the middle of the book where the author writes about the factories and economic development plans in Spencer. She writes about a meatpacking plant, "In 1952 when local businessmen developed the property, the plant was the pride of Spencer. It was locally owned, locally run, and employed local workers at top wages. In 1974, the salary was fifteen dollars an hour, the best paying job in town."
$15/an hour. In 1974. Let that sink in as we debate minimum wage today. The plant was sold in 1978 to a national competitor with nonunion job wages of $5/hour. From $15 to $5 an hour. Let that sink in even further. The plant then closed down. It was reopened a few years later with Hispanic immigrant labor at the lower wages with no benefits.
It is also about a cute orange tabby that captured the hearts before we were inundated with internet cat memes.
I was struck by a section in the middle of the book where the author writes about the factories and economic development plans in Spencer. She writes about a meatpacking plant, "In 1952 when local businessmen developed the property, the plant was the pride of Spencer. It was locally owned, locally run, and employed local workers at top wages. In 1974, the salary was fifteen dollars an hour, the best paying job in town."
$15/an hour. In 1974. Let that sink in as we debate minimum wage today. The plant was sold in 1978 to a national competitor with nonunion job wages of $5/hour. From $15 to $5 an hour. Let that sink in even further. The plant then closed down. It was reopened a few years later with Hispanic immigrant labor at the lower wages with no benefits.
It is also about a cute orange tabby that captured the hearts before we were inundated with internet cat memes.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Pop sugar reading challenge : a book with an animal in the title
This book wrecked me & gave me life. I knew I would be sad at the end. Inevitably when you read a book about an animal's entire life, there are going to be some tears shed.
This story is about Dewey, a small town cat who was rescued in the freezing cold by a librarian, Vicki Myron. They adopted him as the library's cat. He took his job with pride, putting a smile on every face that walked through that door. The little things that Dewey did are extraordinary & add up to his big life! Vicki mentions that of the people of Spencer, Iowa as well - just ordinary people (& pets) doing ordinary things extraordinarily.
Dewey had a little fame & ended up being known worldwide. It still shocks me that I never knew about him until recently! However I was in college around the time this book came out so I probably had my head buried in a textbook & didn't pay attention to much else.
I am a cat lover, I have two myself currently. I laughed out loud at a lot of Dewey's antics & personality traits because I know how unique cats can be! This book is great for anyone who loves cats, but really it is great for anyone. It is not chapter after chapter directly about Dewey, but also about Vicki's tough life & her family & the history of the town of Spencer, Iowa throughout the 1900s.
I grew up in a small town as well, so I could relate to some of these things.
There were two parts in this book when I started crying uncontrollably. They were both when cats died. I finished this book this morning cuddled with my Kenzie girl. She kept touching my face with her paws & reaching across my chest "hugging" me. She knew I was upset, but I don't know if she knew why. Nonetheless she was there for me. That's what cats do!
The best way to sum up my feelings toward this book is that I wish I could've met Dewey. I think we would've been great friends, although he had millions. Dewey loved everyone & everyone that met him loved Dewey.
This book wrecked me & gave me life. I knew I would be sad at the end. Inevitably when you read a book about an animal's entire life, there are going to be some tears shed.
This story is about Dewey, a small town cat who was rescued in the freezing cold by a librarian, Vicki Myron. They adopted him as the library's cat. He took his job with pride, putting a smile on every face that walked through that door. The little things that Dewey did are extraordinary & add up to his big life! Vicki mentions that of the people of Spencer, Iowa as well - just ordinary people (& pets) doing ordinary things extraordinarily.
Dewey had a little fame & ended up being known worldwide. It still shocks me that I never knew about him until recently! However I was in college around the time this book came out so I probably had my head buried in a textbook & didn't pay attention to much else.
I am a cat lover, I have two myself currently. I laughed out loud at a lot of Dewey's antics & personality traits because I know how unique cats can be! This book is great for anyone who loves cats, but really it is great for anyone. It is not chapter after chapter directly about Dewey, but also about Vicki's tough life & her family & the history of the town of Spencer, Iowa throughout the 1900s.
I grew up in a small town as well, so I could relate to some of these things.
There were two parts in this book when I started crying uncontrollably. They were both when cats died. I finished this book this morning cuddled with my Kenzie girl. She kept touching my face with her paws & reaching across my chest "hugging" me. She knew I was upset, but I don't know if she knew why. Nonetheless she was there for me. That's what cats do!
The best way to sum up my feelings toward this book is that I wish I could've met Dewey. I think we would've been great friends, although he had millions. Dewey loved everyone & everyone that met him loved Dewey.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
As a librarian, I knew I had to read it as soon as I saw the title. Now that I'm finished, I'm glad I did. Although I was a little put off by the Iowa worship, I can't blame anyone for being proud of their town, region, and state. As for the library cat, having worked in a public library (rather large) and a small library (special/academic), I could really empathize with the issues the author talks about and the feeling that the library is some place special. The author made me care about her, her family, and of course, Dewey, so the ending really made me a bit weepy. Great job!
Cute story, got a little bogged down in parts but still enjoyable overall
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Liked
*Audio narration
*Nonfiction that touched my heart
*Dewey's life story was sweet and inspiring
*Animals really do bring people together
*The ending made me cry
*Audio narration
*Nonfiction that touched my heart
*Dewey's life story was sweet and inspiring
*Animals really do bring people together
*The ending made me cry