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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I was not as impressed as I thought I would be with this book. I am a huge cat lover- but the story was not moving me.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
Take this book for what it is: not grand literature (though not poorly written either), but a feel-good, moving story of a small town, the town's library, and the heartwarming impact of a cat named Dewey. The narrative focuses particularly on Dewey's effect on the author, making this more a librarian's memoir than a biography of an animal.
I'm not one to have visceral reactions to books or movies, but this one made me laugh out loud (so hard, I dropped the book), and tear up. (Granted, I'm reading this book at a time when I'm dealing with some struggles of my own, and have a newly-adopted fluffy orange kitten seeing me through it all).
In brief: if you like cats, and libraries, and are in the mood for something quaint and digestible but still emotionally redeeming, read the damn book. And enjoy it.
I'm not one to have visceral reactions to books or movies, but this one made me laugh out loud (so hard, I dropped the book), and tear up. (Granted, I'm reading this book at a time when I'm dealing with some struggles of my own, and have a newly-adopted fluffy orange kitten seeing me through it all).
In brief: if you like cats, and libraries, and are in the mood for something quaint and digestible but still emotionally redeeming, read the damn book. And enjoy it.
On January 18, 1988, an eight-week old kitten was found in the external book drop of the Spencer Public Library, in Spencer, Iowa. It was the coldest night of the year, with temperatures reaching -15 degrees. That cat, eventually named Dewey Readmore Books, became world-famous in years to come, even being featured in a documentary from Japan.
This book is his story. But it is so much more than that. It is also the story of Vicki Myron, the head librarian/director who found him. It's a story of a community rebounding from some pretty tough circumstances as the era of the family farm began to end. Many of us remember Farm-Aid, the huge concert, first founded by Willie Nelson and friends.
The stories contained in this book are nothing short of fantastic. The cat who is the main subject, seems to have had almost supernatural abilities. He followed directions. He seemed to be able to read minds. Most of all, he loved people. And he seemed to know when people needed his love more than usual. Within two years of his arrival, the library's yearly attendance increase by more than 37,000 people. At one point, the whole town was sending him birthday cards. He became more than the library's cat, more than Vicki's cat; he became Spencer's cat.
It's also a story of how libraries have changed since the mid-eighties. We see the addition of computers, which initially came along to help people find jobs during the farming crisis. We see the eventual elimination of the massive card catalogs that many of us remember. And we see how programs evolved to meet the needs of a changing culture.
While this book is mostly about Dewey, the cat. There are chapters that barely mention him. Unlike many people, obviously, I had never heard of this cat, even though he made news all around the world. There was even one couple who visited from New England, who sent donations every year after they visited, to help buy food and toys and other things for Dewey. People came from all around just to see this library cat.
I love this one quote from page 164, which has nothing to do with the cat: "Books have survived television, radio, talking pictures, circulars (early magazines), dailies (early newspapers), Punch and Judy shows, and Shakespeare's plays. They have survived World War II, the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death, and the fall of the Roman Empire. They even survived the Dark Ages, when almost no one could read and each book had to be copied by hand. They aren't going to be killed off by the Internet." I believe this with all my heart. Books and libraries will be a thing until the end of society as we know it.
Know this, though, just as I knew it when I picked it up off of the endcap at the library where I work. It would be wise to have a box of tissues on hand when you read this. And I'm not just talking about the ending. Some of the stories in this book are real tear-jerkers. This cat was definitely something special.
This book is his story. But it is so much more than that. It is also the story of Vicki Myron, the head librarian/director who found him. It's a story of a community rebounding from some pretty tough circumstances as the era of the family farm began to end. Many of us remember Farm-Aid, the huge concert, first founded by Willie Nelson and friends.
The stories contained in this book are nothing short of fantastic. The cat who is the main subject, seems to have had almost supernatural abilities. He followed directions. He seemed to be able to read minds. Most of all, he loved people. And he seemed to know when people needed his love more than usual. Within two years of his arrival, the library's yearly attendance increase by more than 37,000 people. At one point, the whole town was sending him birthday cards. He became more than the library's cat, more than Vicki's cat; he became Spencer's cat.
It's also a story of how libraries have changed since the mid-eighties. We see the addition of computers, which initially came along to help people find jobs during the farming crisis. We see the eventual elimination of the massive card catalogs that many of us remember. And we see how programs evolved to meet the needs of a changing culture.
While this book is mostly about Dewey, the cat. There are chapters that barely mention him. Unlike many people, obviously, I had never heard of this cat, even though he made news all around the world. There was even one couple who visited from New England, who sent donations every year after they visited, to help buy food and toys and other things for Dewey. People came from all around just to see this library cat.
I love this one quote from page 164, which has nothing to do with the cat: "Books have survived television, radio, talking pictures, circulars (early magazines), dailies (early newspapers), Punch and Judy shows, and Shakespeare's plays. They have survived World War II, the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death, and the fall of the Roman Empire. They even survived the Dark Ages, when almost no one could read and each book had to be copied by hand. They aren't going to be killed off by the Internet." I believe this with all my heart. Books and libraries will be a thing until the end of society as we know it.
Know this, though, just as I knew it when I picked it up off of the endcap at the library where I work. It would be wise to have a box of tissues on hand when you read this. And I'm not just talking about the ending. Some of the stories in this book are real tear-jerkers. This cat was definitely something special.
I think I feel in love with Dewey. Of course, that isn't so strange considering I am definitely a cat person and have 3 cats myself.
Truthfully, I think Vicki Myron probably exaggerated details about Dewey's life, but what non-fiction biography writer hasn't. Sometimes though, it was a little too fake to me.
But trust me, I did enjoy the book. I know for sure because at the end, it made me cry.
So to all the other cat people out here, I encourage you to fall in love with Dewey.
Truthfully, I think Vicki Myron probably exaggerated details about Dewey's life, but what non-fiction biography writer hasn't. Sometimes though, it was a little too fake to me.
But trust me, I did enjoy the book. I know for sure because at the end, it made me cry.
So to all the other cat people out here, I encourage you to fall in love with Dewey.
For animal lovers only--Dewey's eating habits, pooping habits, and playing habits are described in loving, fanatical detail. I love animals, though I'm really a dog person, so I didn't mind so much. This story is about Spencer, Iowa and Vicki Myron as much as it is about Dewey Readmore Books, but it's a quick read with some interesting stories told.
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