Dewey

Myron, Vicki. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. New York: Grand Central, 2008.

This is the perfect book for me. One of my bestest, bestest friends reallllly knows me. What could be more perfect than cats and libraries in a book? This was one of the best Challenge diversions I’ve had in a long time. It was also a really nice way to wake up my first morning alone in Hilltop. What could be more luxurious than reading in bed for several hours on a Saturday morning?

Dewey Readmore Books was a kitten discovered in the bottom of a library bookdrop in Spencer, Iowa. Despite being nearly frozen to death he demonstrated such charm and love the library director couldn’t help but fall in love with him. From that day forward he belonged to the Spencer public library. He grew up in the library charming every library employee, every patron everyday. Before long Dewey was receiving attention from people all over the country. Before he (and the librarians) knew it, he was an international success. There is no doubt Vicki Myron loved Dewey. Weaving her own personal story with that of Dewey’s, she pasionately describes how much Dewey came to mean to her.

Probably the hardest part (for me) was to read of Dewey’s death. At 18 years old you would think old age took its course on the kitty. When I read that it was actually cancer, I cried. I could definitely relate to saying goodbye to a feline friend that way. I can relate to not wanting her to suffer, either. When Vicki put Dewey to sleep I was right back in my own vet’s office, holding my cat in the exact same way. It’s funny how pets grow to mean so much to us. Dewey was no exception. He not only grabbed the heart of Vicky Myron, but he captured the world.