Catz!

Book: Dewey by
Finished on Feb 9th, 2009
****

I've had cats all my life. Even when I didn't think I was ready to have another cat, somehow they would make their way into my life. So I know that look; that one that drags you in, not letting go, where every moment near them effects your life, as they watch.

Dewey had that look from a young age apparently. And the library/town that adopted him was not immune.

Spencer was a typical small town in the mid west, suffering from an economic downturn and the loss of families, until Dewey, the rescue cat became a focal point for the town to rally around. The story of Dewey is the story of a town's survival. It has humor, sadness (especially for anyone who has had to put a cat down) and most of all insight to what brings people together.

And I loved it. It was beautiful. A great balance between the generalizations of what one thing can do to help a community and the influence of that special thing on individuals.

I have to admit, my first thoughts were "really, how much can you write about one cat? They sleep 20 hours a day." Now that I'm finished the book, I see, once again, the power of writing; to expand the mundane, seemingly simple events to significant universal experiences.

Once I, on a whim, I went to a movie. It was a sunny afternoon and I was wandering downtown with nothing to do. The movie was Remains of the Day. I remember walking out of the theatre thinking "I'm a better person for seeing that movie."

It's not often I say that about a book.