When Spencer librarian Vicki Myron kept an abandoned kitten as a library cat, she could not foresee the effect he would have on the people of her town, and her own life.
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)
The copyright of the article Book Review: Dewey by Vicki Myron in Biographies/Memoirs is owned by Susan Whelan. Permission to republish Book Review: Dewey by Vicki Myron in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I am halfway through reading Dewey. I have fallen in love with Dewey, and
find myself in tears at the end of each chapter. I prefer this book to
Marley and Me as I am a cat lover. Mrs. Myron has had such a tough life
that I think Dewey was an angel sent to her by God.1
Dec 3, 2008 10:56 PM
Guest
:
I haven't bought the book yet, but I plan on buying it this week. As a cat
lover, this looks like it'll be a good read. And that Dewey sure is a cute
little fellow.
Dec 29, 2008 4:37 AM
Guest
:
As a lifetime animal lover farm girl from Indiana, I currently have several
cats, some whom look like Dewey. I love this book!! It is well written,
easy to read, and leaves me yearning for more stories. Reminds me of James
Herriott's books. Thank you! God Bless!
Jan 3, 2009 6:31 PM
Guest
:
I'm currently reading about the Dewey the library cat and have been in
tears several times, both because of Dewey's good fortunate in being
rescued by such a caring person as Ms. Myron and also by her amazing
victory over so many obstacles in her life. Ms. Myron, as well as Dewey,
should be held up as an example of a person's amazing ability to not only
survive adversity but to triumph over it. I have found her story really
inspiring and will pass the book on to my many friends who are cat lovers
and who may also need a little encouragement when life is less than
ideal. Thank you Ms. Myron for a wonderful story.
Jan 4, 2009 1:12 PM
Guest
:
I read Dewey yesterday and just cried and cried. It is a wonderfully
touching book that highlights how special animals can be and how they help
us through the hard times in life. Dewey was a master at knowing just when
people needed him. I picked up the newspaper this morning and saw an
article saying that Vicki Myron was recently given a new cat who was also a
stray orange tabby by a friend who found the cat covered in dirt and ice in
the road. I think Dewey sent Page, whose name came from a fan for the new
page in Myron's life,to her because he knew she needed a cat to be her
friend:) Dewey was something special and will not be forgotten.
Jan 4, 2009 11:05 PM
Guest
:
I have a beautiful ginger cat, which is what drew me to the cover of this
book when I was shopping for Christmas presents. I picked it up &
thought I wonder what this is about?! I adore this book!! I have been in
tears also. Dewey is such a great true story of survival and love you can't
help but feel uplifted, inspired and full of hope after reading this!! Thanks Vicki Myron, for sharing Dewey with all of us :) This book is
a must have!!!!
Jan 10, 2009 3:59 PM
Guest
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This true story made me both laugh and cry. it touched my heart. Too bad
the good people(and animals) have to die. Even if they don't die in your
heart its nice to known there stillt here in flesh and blood.
Jan 20, 2009 7:23 AM
Guest
:
I think Dewey is a wonderful book so far. I have only gotten through half
the book and I want the cat. I have the same kind of cat named Dewey.It is
such a coinsadince that I have the same cat named Dewey. I t is such a
great book.
Jan 21, 2009 6:49 AM
Guest
:
ewey is a truly amazing book, i wish vicki myron would make more books like
that!!!
Jan 26, 2009 10:03 AM
Guest
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I just finished Dewey and loved the cat and the whole town of Spencer. What
a great community to care for this majestic animal. As a librarian, I can
only hope to have a library animal as sweet, smart and loving as Dewey.
Thank you for the great read.
Feb 2, 2009 1:40 PM
Guest
:
I just finished this wonderful book, still wiping away a few tears. Vicki
Myron comes across as a freind telling me her story about her life,
community and of course the star and lovable life of DEWEY. With an aging
dog of my own and an animal lover from IOWA this story touched me
personally. My son gave me this book for Christmas..pretty nice gift
indeed. Thank you for sharing Vicki Myron..you are a remarkable,wonderful
woman and author.
Feb 16, 2009 10:06 AM
Guest
:
this comment is especially for vicki myron. i read DEWEY over the weekend
and cannot stop thinking of DEWEY and how much you loved him. i too
had an alley cat by the name of DEWEY. my husband and i named him for
DEWEY BEACH, one of our favorite places in delaware. i first saw DEWEY at
an estate with a horse farm, where our company picnic was being held in
sept 1995. DEWEY and his brother came out of the barn and could hardly
walk they were so young. to make a long story short, DEWEY'S brother was
shaken to death by a jack russel terrier who probably thought he was a
rodent. when my husband and i heard this we immediately asked the
owner of the farm who would look after the other kitten (dewey). we
were told to take him, because he to would probably meet the same fate
as his brother. so began our love affair with DEWEY.
Feb 16, 2009 10:21 AM
Guest
:
this is a continuation of my post on DEWEY. our cat DEWEY, named for DEWEY BEACH DE. was always there for me whether good or bad times. he always waited for me and slept with his head on my pillow. when my
husband and i obtained 2 shih tzus, DEWEY loved them. he went outside when
they did and played with their toys. he loved everyone. he also had 3 other
cats to play with, but he really enjoyed people and the dogs the most. we
lost DEWEY in NOV 2007 at 12 yrs. he had a massive tumor surrounding
his heart. i've had many cats but he was the love of my life, and i
miss him so much. i had him cremated and keep his ashes close. your
book was truly enlightening and made me realize how precious each moment
with your pet is. when i was reading the book, my one shih tzu,
reggie, who loved dewey, started to lick the front cover of the book when i
kept saying to him 'look reggie, this book is about dewey. we also
called him THE DUDES OR DUKESTER. that really had an impact when i read
that in your book. you have made my day. thank you for sharing your
heart warming story. the best to you.
Feb 21, 2009 11:15 AM
Guest
:
My mom gave me this book for my birthday, and Dewey's story has had a
WONDERFUL impact on my life. It warms my heart to know that Dewey has
touched and inspired the world. This is an EXTRAORDINARY story ! It
teaches lessons about what is TRULY important in life; Dewey made EVERYONE
feel loved and special. Stories like this don't come along very often. It
will bring you joy, laughter, inspiration, sadness, awe, and so many other
emotions that I cannot even express...and then some! I SINCERELY hope that
each of you will take the time to read it. Check it out at your local
library or buy it if you need to…tell EVERYONE! If we all adopted just a
small part of Dewey’s character, the world would be a MUCH better place.
Mar 9, 2009 12:43 PM
Guest
:
I just finished "Dewey" this weekend, and I still have tears in
my eyes. The story was so warm and compassionate...it truly captured the
love one can have for a cat. I can only wish that I had met Dewey
personally. Luckily, Vicki Myron has placed videos of Dewey on her website,
so we can catch a glimpse of him in better days. I read this book with my
ginger tabby on my lap, and he softened the grief I felt at Dewey's
passing.
Mar 15, 2009 1:39 PM
Guest
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I finished reading this book at 2:00 AM and i cried for 45 minutes because
Dewey died. IT'S SO SAD!!!!
Mar 18, 2009 11:18 AM
Guest
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as a cat lover (we had two siamese)this book made me chuckle;smile,as well
as sad,in particular because of reading what Vicky had to endure in her
life. living in The Netherlands,and planning a vacation I will
certainly try to visit Spencer,Iowa,just to see it and its library. thank you for a wonderfull story. s.huybrechts
Mar 30, 2009 4:37 PM
Guest
:
the book was great!!!! the end was kinda sad though. :-( but the book was
great i thought it was cool that the book setting was so close to now i
mean vicki is still alive & the spencer library is still here and you
could go ask them about cute lil dewey!! i wish i could've been one of the
kids in that library one day! that would be great! but the bad thing that
relates to this book is that i have to write a book report on it for
school! but it was an awesome book vicki! great job!
May 19, 2009 5:12 PM
Guest
:
I began reading Dewey this morning at 7am and finished the book by 8pm. I
couldn't put it down. I laughed, I cried, I was so absorbed in the entire
book. Several times I broke down in tears but at the end when Vicki had to
have Dewey put down it almost broke my heart. I wept. My 14 week old kitten
got soaked as I held him close and told him how much I loved him. Thank you
Vicki for writing this book. And for showing us that there are a lot of
people with hearts bigger than they realize.
Oct 28, 2008
