Book Review: Dewey by Vicki Myron
The Story of the Library Cat that Touched the Town of Spencer Iowa
The practice of using pets as companion animals for the elderly or infirm in hospitals and nursing homes is well known. Keeping cats is a tradition in many libraries, originally as a means of pest control, but more recently as a way of creating a welcoming atmosphere in the library.
Library cats can be found throughout the world. Dewey (Hodder & Stoughton, 2008) is the story of one particular cat that stood out from the crowd.
Abandoned Kitten’s Effect on a Small Town
On a winter morning in 1988 Vicki Myron found more than she expected in the library’s drop box. Someone had dumped a tiny kitten inside, and it was lucky to have survived overnight in the freezing cold. Vicki decided to keep the kitten in the library, as a pet that could be shared with the community.
At the time of Dewey’s arrival Spencer Iowa was still reeling from the farm crisis of the l980s. Rural jobs were scarce and small towns like Spencer were hit hard. In telling Dewey’s tale, Myron also shares the story of life as a single mother in a hard-hit economy.
Anecdotes for Cat Lovers
Dewey (full name Dewey Readmore Books) was a cat of some considerable personality and intuition. His addition to the Spencer Library provides the book with many entertaining anecdotes that will appeal to cat lovers everywhere.
Myron’s accounts of the effect Dewey has on the people he meets in the library are by turns touching and funny. His antics as a kitten running loose in a library are humorous and well-told. His interactions with the children of Spencer play an important part in the story, and the description of Dewey’s impact on a young disabled girl is particularly moving.
Comparisons with Marley & Me - A Memoir of a Family
Touted as a Marley & Me for cat lovers, Dewey does invite comparison with John Grogan’s successful autobiographical novel about life with Marley the labrador. Both books tell the story of a family, with a beloved pet as the central character. While Dewey’s interactions with the staff and patrons of the Spencer Public Library make up the majority of the book, it is Myron’s history that prevents Dewey from becoming just a collection of cute cat stories.
Myron chronicles Dewey’s life as his fame spread beyond the walls of the library to the world at large. Along the way she relates many events from her own life and from the world of Spencer. Dewey is as much about Vicki Myron’s relationship with her daughter and her family, and the story of the town of Spencer as it is about Dewey himself.
Although the story of the lovable library cat has a broad appeal, parents should be aware that some themes – particularly those involving Myron’s alcoholic husband – may be too adult for younger readers.
Full of many poignant moments, Dewey would make an excellent gift - particularly for lovers of cats.
Dewey (ISBN: 978 0 340 96077 6, 277 pages)
Dewey by Vicki Myron
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