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

What a simply lovely book! Dewey was slipped into the book return box of the Spencer Public Library in Iowa one cold January night. Vicki Myron, the library director, and another staff member found him almost frozen in the morning. This lovely little cat endeared himself to all the staff members and, when it was decided to make him the official library cat, to almost everyone in town. Then Dewey went on to capture the imagination of people all over the world.

Vicki tells us about Dewey but also about herself and her family. She also talks about living in a small town dependent on agriculture during the farm crisis of the 1980's. Dewey came along at just the right time to give the town something to think about other than mortgage rates show more and foreclosures and falling commodity prices.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves cats and even to those people who think they don't. Dewey will change your mind. show less

I have never cried so much over a book. You can't say we aren't forwarned as the back cover mentions a five hanky ending. I would say a half box of kleenex myself.

I have had Dewey on my shelf for awhile until I felt ready to deal with a five hanky book. Last night was it. Read in one sitting, it was a wonderful story. I don't know if you have to be an animal lover or not but Dewey is way more appealing than Lassie. Apparently his story was known around the world but he came to my attention only with the appearance of the book. For those who don't know about him, he was stuffed into the book return of the library in Spencer, Iowa on a freezing January night in 1988. Rescued the next day by the librarians he had frostbitten paws, was show more filthy, starving, skeletal and only about eight weeks old. He settled down in the library for the next nineteen years with one aborted escape attempt early on.

Dewey was not an ordinary cat. He became accepted by the majority of the library patrons fairly quickly, especially the children. Dewey had an uncanny ability to know who needed his company at any given time and he would be right there for them. The individual stories are most touching and I was crying all through the book.

Dewey Readmore Books also became the King of the library. He would station himself at the door every day at two minutes before opening and just be there for anyone who wished to notice him. He had his hiding places and his special fake fur lined bed. He had his favorite toys which unbelievably lasted most of his life. They must have been well constructed. He loved to play games - hide and seek, attack the typewriter keys, and find rubber bands, which he loved to eat, in places you would never think possible. Every meeting which took place at the library was attended by Dewey who would go around the table and greet each person and then choose one lucky one whose lap he would sit in. If there was a film he would watch intently but always leave before the meeting was over so as not to seem too interested in human business.

Dewey is thoroughly loveable and wonderful and this is his book but it is also the story of Spencer, Iowa - its history and travails from a fire in the thirties which burned half the town down to the contemporary problems of a town in America's heartland. I feel for it as it cannot be doing well in the current state of our economy. And it is the tale of the people of Spencer - their hardworking tenacity in the face of adversity. The kind of people we call the salt of the earth. And finally it is Vicki Myron's story. She was the director of the library during the Dewey period and he was unquestionably her cat despite residing at the library. It is Vicki's story that turned the faucets on and her courage in writing this book is touching.

She ends the book by saying she had written it for Dewey. He well deserves the honor and he chose the best person to write it for him. I defy you to read it and not cry. Nevertheless it is a must read, especially if you are a cat lover show less

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, and I definitely don't read about cats, but I do love libraries so I bit the bullet and requested a copy of this book for review- boy am I glad I did! This book is a must-read for anyone who loves cats, libraries, Iowa, or just a feel-good story about normal people working through the hard times.

Found half frozen in the book return slot after the coldest night of the year, Dewey becomes the official cat for the local library in Spencer, Iowa and helps keep people entertained for the next 19 years. As the town reeled from the economic and social impact of the farm crisis of the 1980s, Dewey served as a touchstone, dedicating his energies to those who really needed the love and attention only he could show more provide.

Author Vicki Myron's love for Spencer and for Dewey shines through every page of this story, and her own inspiring story of overcome a troubled early marriage and finishing her education mirror the story of the town itself. Vicki's tireless dedication to making the Spencer library a vibrant and valuable member of the community speaks volumes; every small town librarian should take heart and find inspiration in her successful efforts.

I loved the anecdotes about Dewey's spreading fame (a Japanese documentary? really?) and his love for rubber bands, but it was the stories of people whose lives were touched by Dewey that really powered the narrative for me. I confess to tearing up at the very end, even though it was clear Vicki made the choice that was best for Dewey. When Dewey died in 2006, his obituary appeared in over 250 newspapers- after reading this book, I understand why...

All in all, I highly recommend this book! show less

Cats
Books.
Libraries.
Kind souls who adopt cats.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron is a heart warming book and is the best book I've read in a long time.

Let's be real: The world is full of negativity these days. How to cure it? Pick up a book as heartwarming and lovely as Vicki Myron's Dewey. This orange library cat will cure all of the hatred in your soul for crappy and garbage people. Vicki and her library staff taking in a fluffy, little, frostbitten fur ball is incredible, but then seeing the good he put into the world... That really made my heart sing.

Is it a literary masterpiece? No. I doubt people are going to pick apart themes and act like this is the new 1984. But it is a positive story that show more will make you feel good inside. I needed this book so desperately in my life, and it's honestly one of my new favourites.

Five out of five stars. show less

“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.”

A non-fiction book about an adorable cat and a small town's history. The cat helps change that history and give the town's heart a bit more beat. Until they acted like asses at the end of his life and started taking that for granted (typical people!) It really comes across as an almost miraculous story when the little bundle of kitten was discovered in the mail slot like discarded trash. show more I'm sure the librarians never imagined how popular the cat would eventually become and how much it would affect the life of the librarian, Vicki.

While some of the town lore was interesting, I admit to skimming some of it. The fun antics of Dewey captivated me - I'm a cat lover myself so could relate to some of the chilling spots, box obsessions and personality quirks, but there were new cat weirdness situations that was new to me. For example, Dewey LOVES rubber bands, so much so that they had to keep them under lock and key.

The cat's adorable, and if you ever wanted to know how a cat would adapt to living in a library, here you go. Cats and books go together, right?



It's not just a long book about staring at a cat, but how Dewey changed the lives of several with their own histories. When Dewey started becoming one of the furry famous, the stories of interviews and different cat food commercials were more interesting that you'd think judging off description alone. Sweet stories overload - There's a tragically handicapped girl who smiled for the first time in years with Dewey's attention, people not wanting to disturb the cards because Dewey was laying in the box, people coming across the country in family trips to find the legendary cat.

Dewey' doesn't just dish out the sweet stuff, though - it talks about the naysayers, the political library committees (grrr), and of course how people were less accepting of the cat who had done so much for the town with revenue and aid when he gets older and less pleasingly fuzzy.

The ending is, of course, sad. I knew what was coming so that softened the blow, but I was surprised (and touched) with how much Vicki was affected for life. I won't spoil the ending with how she changes her life in a huge way, but it adds a sense of loyalty and charm to a book that was already unique and special.

Besides being a treat for cat lovers, it digs into the details of how special libraries are and how much they offer patrons, especially in small towns that struggle. Through economic woes, factory shut-downs, numerous changes, the librarian and Dewey stuck around to do what they could in the small amount of time life allotted them. After reading the stories of Dewey and all his little habits, Vicki's life and her struggles with her daughter and cancer, I came to really feel like I knew both of them in a way. That's one of the best things a non-fiction book can do for a person, be authentic enough to give that personal connection.

Read it for the cat, read it for the memories of the small town in Iowa, read it for the library ambience - it's worth a look even if it's just for the adorable pictures that grace the chapter headings. show less

I hadn't planned to read this book. I'm not a cat person. I don't dislike cats. I just come from a long line of dog owners. My mother's family always had dogs, and I can name many of their dogs who lived and died long before I was born. The only pet I've ever had was a dog. If I ever have another pet, it will be a dog. My father's family had cats on their farm. They were working cats, not pets. They lived outdoors, and kept the mouse population under control in the barn and fields. They didn't have names, but would respond to "Here, kitty!"

A friend, who also is not a cat person, read this book and gave me her copy to read. So I read it, reluctantly at first. I soon realized that this is more than a cute animal story. It's the story of a show more community, and a biography of librarian Vicki Myron. I was completely hooked when the author mentioned that one of the library employees commuted to work from Estherville. It became personal then. I've never been to Iowa, but I've heard stories about it all my life. My grandparents lived in Estherville for several years during the Depression. My uncle was born there. My grandmother often spoke of the Iowa winters, when snow would pile as high as the roof of the house, and she would have had a lot of sympathy for a small kitten left to fend for itself during a bitter Iowa winter night.

Dewey has plenty of cat tales for all of the reading cat lovers out there. It will be equally interesting to readers who enjoy non-fiction about small towns and the Midwest. Warmly recommended. show less

Why did I wait so long to read this delightful, huggable, inspiring book? Dewey touched my heart, but Vicki Myron, his 'mom', is incredible. What this small-town librarian, now retired, has been through - and survived with spirit - fills half of Dewey's book, but also turns what could have been just another soppy pet story into a truly heartfelt and honest account of life in a close midwestern community. I loved reading about Spencer, Iowa - mentally adding Dewey to my list of Iowan icons, including Captain Kirk and Bill Bryson! - and Vicki's life and work there, as much (if not more) than the anecdotes about a large ginger cat. That said, Dewey got to me right from the first pages - 'The kitten looked up at me, slowly and sadly' - and show more I was dreading the final chapters (oh, come on, everyone knows not to read books like this in company!) I had distract myself by squeezing the tip of one finger - hard! - so that I wouldn't burst into tears.

Non-cat lovers might be made of stronger stuff, but Vicki Myron tells her own story, and that of Dewey the library cat and the people of Spencer, Iowa, who fell in love with him, with openess, humour and love. The world needs more people like her, and I just wish that the library where I work was a safe environment for a cat (or indeed for the staff who work there)! show less