Book Review: Dewey: The Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Author: Vicky Myron with Bret Witter
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, ISBN: 0-446-40741-0
Date Published: September 2008



Synopsis

DEWEY is the heartwarming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa, as told by his owner and companion of nineteen years, Vicki Myron, the librarian who found him on a frigid January morning when he was abandoned as a kitten in the book drop slot. It is also the story of a remarkable small town, which burned down at the beginning of the Depression, only to rebuild itself, and which was almost shuttered during the farm crisis of the 1980s, before regrouping and rededicating itself to small town American values. Dewey's local charm and worldwide fame became a symbol of hope for this recovering town. Through Dewey's antics, we come to know and love many of the colorful and inspiring people of Spencer. But perhaps the most inspiring person in Spencer is Vicki Myron herself, a single mother who survived the bankruptcy of her family farm and working in a box factory to put two of her brothers through college to become one of the leaders of the Iowa library system. Dewey is one lovable, roguish cat who managed to transform an entire town and inspire people across the globe.

I have wanted to read this for some time. I have always loved animal stories. I’ve read Marley & Me and loved every bit of it. I’ve have also read James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small series in my youth and loved them all.

I was expecting the book to be about Dewey the cat. But, it turned out to be more than just about Dewey. It was about the small town, Spencer, in Iowa and about the author herself, Vicki Myron. Because of this, it is not your typical cute cat stories. Most everything is all intertwined into Dewey’s story.

He is the perfect library cat – who wouldn’t love an outgoing and calm cat like him? Because of his personality, he became famous worldwide.

Personally, I liked the book Marley & Me more than Dewey, which is surprising because I am a cat lover.

My personal rating: 4 out of 5 stars. The only reason why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 is because it sometimes went into details about either the small town and about the author that didn’t relate much to Dewey himself. It just didn’t seem to flow or intertwine together well. But, that is just my two cents.