“Dewey” by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

“Dewey” by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
2008, Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-446-40741-0

“Dewey”. Read it. Like it. Cry at the end. See how short a book review can be? I’ll say more.

Somewhere on the internet several months ago I read a review somebody had posted about “Dewey”. I don’t remember who it was. That is part of the magic of the internet. I immediately logged onto my account at the Oakland Public Library and put a hold on the book. Twelve people were ahead of me, but I have the patience of a cat. It paid off last Friday. I checked out the book and read it on Memorial Day.

This is the story of Dewey who, on a frost bitten day in January, 1988, was rescued from the very, very cold book drop at the public library in Spencer, Iowa. The librarian Vicki and her staff thawed Dewey out. He immediately captured their hearts and became the library cat.

This story shows how Dewey recovered and thrived but also how many, many people in the town of Spencer and throughout the world came to know of him and to love him.

If you like to hear about cats you’re going to love this story. Dewey lived to the ripe old age of 19 but he was the library’s ambassador for all the years he lived in the library. There wasn’t one person who walked through those doors Dewey didn’t go say hello to. He would stay around for a quick pat. He’d curl up in their laps. He’d chase after the keys in the librarian’s typewriters. When they moved to computers he’d bask in the heat given off of the monitors. A film crew came from Japan to film him. People would go hundreds of miles out of their way to visit with him.

But, mostly he thawed the ice between people, for folks who didn't talk much when they came to the library became folks who opened up to Dewey and the staff. For special children with handicaps Dewey helped them to break out of their prisons and experience something more. Dewey healed a lot of hearts in the time he lived in the library. I know just reading about him helped to make me feel better.

Vicky Myron has written of what a special cat Dewey meant to her and her family. I felt an instant empathy with her. We have 5 cats in our family right now and each and every one of them is special and unique.

I believe you will enjoy this book. You can get more information about Dewey at the Spencer Library website. Also, take a look at The Library Cats Map where cats all over the world who live and lived in libraries are listed.

The picture I took of Dewey's book has my own Shelby interested in what is going on inside.