Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

This is also a nonfiction book about a cat named Dewey Readmore Books from Spencer, Iowa. As a cat owner and lover as well as book lover, I found this book to be very inspirational and heartwarming.

Synopsis: This book is about a cat named Dewey who became the cat of the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa. When he was only a few weeks old, he was found stuffed into the return book slot at the Spencer Public Library. He was discovered by Vicki Myron, the library director.

Vicki had survived losing her family farm, breast cancer and an alcoholic husband and was a single mother. Dewey brought her love, companionship, and comfort. He lived until the age of seventeen when he died of cancer.

Review:

The first theme that stood out to me was the intangible things a pet can bring to your life.
“Find your place. Be happy with what you have. Treat everyone well. Live a good life. It isn’t about material things; its about love. Those are the lessons Dewey taught me. But he also taught me something else: you never know when you’ll fall in love.”

A pet brings a multitude of things to one’s life from companionship and comfort.
The next theme that stood out to me was the purpose of a library and librarian to one’s community.

“A good librarian, though, digs deeper. What does your community value? Where has it been? How and why has it changed? And most important, where is it going? A good librarian develops a filter in the back of her mind to catch and process information.”

“A great library doesn’t have to be big or beautiful. It doesn’t have to have the best facilities or the most efficient staff or the most users.” A great library provides. It is enmeshed in the life of a community in a way that makes it indispensable. A great library is one nobody notices because it is always there, and always has what people need.”