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

I absolutely adored this book. And I am not a cat person. At all.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World made me very homesick for my childhood and my hometown. My hometown is a small town, also in Iowa. In Southwest Iowa, as opposed to Northwest Iowa, where Dewey lived.

Dewey was found on a bitterly cold January morning in the overnight book drop at that Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa. I have never been to Spencer, but a very dear friend of mine is from a very large, somewhat well known Spencer family. Her Grandfather was the High School Principal for many years.

But I digress. After being rescued from the drop box, Dewey became the apple of the town's eye. Visitor traffic increased & everyone looked forward to spending time with Dewey at the library.

I liked this book because of the Iowa connection. Dewey was found in 1988. And the author, Vicki Myron, does an excellent job of setting the scene for small town Iowa in the winter of 1988. I remember it quite well, anybody associated with farming & agriculture remember it quite well. It was a dark & scary time.

I also liked the book because Myron referenced Iowa "things" that Iowa people know about. For example, she mentions the articles that "Iowa Boy" Chuck Offenburger wrote about Dewey for the Des Moines Register. Not only was Chuck Offenburger the "Iowa Boy", but he was from my hometown, Shenandoah. His family attended the same church as mine & his older brother, Dan, did a lot to breathe life into my dying hometown.

Another example, was her mention of the magazine called CountRy. For those who live in or long for the country. The founder & publisher of that magazine(and many others) grew up on the farm across the road from my Grandparents farm in an itty bitty Iowa town, Auburn, Iowa.

Those little pieces of my past, being mentioned in this heartwarming little book was thrilling. The story of Dewey, Vicki Myron, & the entire town of Spencer, Iowa warmed my heart on this chilly fall day. The story made me proud to be able to say that I am from a small town in Iowa, it may not have been Spencer, but the similarities between the towns are astounding.

Fans of Marley &Me will enjoy this book, even if they are not cat people. Because, while this is a story about a cat, it is also a testament to how pets get into your hearts & touch your lives. We should all be so lucky to have a Dewey or a Marley grace us with their presence.