Title: Dewey’s Nine Lives
Author: Vicky Myron with Brett Witter
ISBN: 978-0525-95186-5
Story Length: 320 pages
Genre: Pet Stories

Description of Dewey’s Nine Lives

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was a blockbuster bestseller and a publishing phenomenon. It has sold nearly a million copies, spawned three children’s books, and will be the basis for an upcoming movie. No doubt about it, Dewey has created a community. Dewey touched readers everywhere, who realized that no matter how difficult their lives might seem, or how ordinary their talents, they can-and should-make a positive difference to those around them. Now, Dewey is back, with even more heartwarming moments and life lessons to share.

Dewey’s Nine Lives offers nine funny, inspiring, and heartwarming stories about cats–all told from the perspective of “Dewey’s Mom,” librarian Vicki Myron. The amazing felines in this book include Dewey, of course, whose further never-before-told adventures are shared, and several others who Vicki found out about when their owners reached out to her. Vicki learned, through extensive interviews and story sharing, what made these cats special, and how they fit into Dewey’s community of perseverance and love. From a divorced mother in Alaska who saved a drowning kitten on Christmas Eve to a troubled Vietnam veteran whose heart was opened by his long relationship with a rescued cat, these Dewey-style stories will inspire readers to laugh, cry, care, and, most importantly, believe in the magic of animals to touch individual lives.

–From Amazon.com

Three Quick Points About Dewey’s Nine Lives

• Point 1: Some overlap. I purchased the first book so did expect some overlap in the recounting of Dewey’s related stories, but it’s hardly noticeable. It just gives the book an air of familiarity.
• Point 2: Immensely readable The prose style is casual, much like a friend telling you a story.
• Point 3: Surprisingly heart-rending. I expected to smile, perhaps giggle, while reading, but I never expected to cry (at least, not as much as I did).

Short Synopsis of Dewey’s Nine Lives

A compilation of nine stories recounting how some very special cats (Dewey included) entered into and changed the lives of their owners.

The stories include: Dewey and Tobi; Mr. Sir Bob Kittens (aka Ninja, aka Mr. Pumpkin Pants); Spooky; Tabitha, Boogie, Gail, BJ, Chimilee, Kit, Miss Gray, Maira, Midnight, Blackie, Honey Bunny, Chazzi, Candi, Nikki, Easy, Buffy, Prissy, Taffy…and more; Christmas Cat; Cookie; Marshmallow; Church Cat; Dewey and Rusty.

My Thoughts on Dewey’s Nine Lives

I won’t lie, I’m a cat person. It’s why I purchased (read and loved) “Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World” and jumped at the opportunity to read “Dewey’s Nine Lives”.

While I prefer the original Dewey book, I still enjoyed reading these individual stories. But, to be frank, I couldn’t read them all back to back.

The writing style was casual and easy to digest, quite like a friend retelling a story, although sometimes it became flat, like a reporter recounting the straight facts.

No, it wasn’t the writing that kept me from reading the stories one after another. It was their heart-rending natures. Going in I expected to smile and giggle at all of the kitty antics—and I did—but I didn’t expect to cry as much as I did either.

Right off, in the first story, Dewey’s passing hangs heavy. And maybe I’m oversensitive because as my kitty ages, I think about her inevitable passing (I pray well into the future). But even as depressing as some of the stories were, they contained a measure of hope and even some wisdom.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re looking for a book filled with Dewey stories, this isn’t it. While Dewey plays a role, larger in some stories than others, they are mainly stories about other small town folks who’ve had their lives changed by a cat.

This book is best suited to cat lovers or people who enjoy sentimentality, but I’d caution you against reading it if you have an aging cat or have recently lost one; some of the stories might push you over the edge, especially Tobi’s and Cookie’s.

Rating: Worth every penny (?)

Back Cover of Sky Burial

As a young girl in China Xinran heard a rumour about a soldier in Tibet who had been brutally fed to the vultures in a ritural known as a sky burial: the tale frightened and fascinated her. Several decades later Xinran met Shu Wen, a Chinese woman who had spent years searching for her missing husband Kejun, after he disappeared in Tibet; her extraordinary life story would unravel the legend of the sky burial. For thirty years she was lost in the wild and alien landscape of Tibet, in the vast and silent plateaux and the magisterial mountain ranges, living with communities of nomads, moving with the seasons and struggling to survive.

In this haunting book, Xinran recreates Shu Wen’s remarkable journey in a grand story of love, loss, loyalty and survival. Moving, shocking and finally enriching, Sky Burial paints a unique portrait of a woman and a land, both at the mercy of fate and politics.

Three Quick Points About Sky Burial

• Point 1: There is a 99% chance that you will need a box of tissues nearby.
• Point 2: You will almost certainly be left wondering whether or not such profound and enduring love can even exist in our generation.
• Point 3: The story of Shu Wen will likely haunt you long after you’ve read the final sentence.

Full Review of Sky Burial

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Sky Burial Synopsis

Sky Burial is a sweeping memoir of mythical love and devotion. But it’s not just a love story, it is a story about loss and life in general. It came about when Xinran overheard a brief discussion about a barbaric act called a Sky Burial. At the time (5 years old), she didn’t know what it meant, but years later, she would when she met with a woman named Shu Wen. Sky Burial is Wen’s story.

Kejun and Wen, a young man and woman who met in medical school and became close. During medical school, Kejun decided that he should join the military to serve his country. For two years, Wen heard no word from him, but when he came home to study Tibetan and Tibetan medicine, it allowed them two years for their relationship to grow and their love to blossom. Finally they decided it was time to marry.

Three weeks after getting married, Kejun was called away again. Unfortunately, the news Wen received was not good: the love of her life was dead. Based on what Kejun had told her before he left and the military’s inability to supply her with concrete answers, Wen decided it simply was not possible that her Kejun was dead. With determination to bring her husband home, she decided she would go to Tibet and find him herself.

Wen signed up for the military, despite the objections she was met with, even from a few military officials. Since they military was in need of trained medical professionals, they pushed her through, even skipping basic field training and shipped her off to Tibet.

When in Tibet, Wen ends up saving the life of a once wealthy Tibetan woman named Zhuoma. This woman would later play a great role in Wen’s life when the two become separated from the military unit. After explaining her story of Kejun and why she’s in Tibet, Wen learns that Zhuoma shares a similar story of lost love and the two agree to help each other find their respective loves.

On this epic journey spanning thirty years, Shu Wen meets a Tibetan family who takes her in and becomes a nomad herself while developing a tight bond with them, experiences even more loss, learns the meaning of a sky burial, and learns the true fate of her lost Kejun.

Final Thoughts On Sky Burial

I read this book on a plane–mistake. Passengers in nearby seats kept stealing furtive glances at my tear streaked face. Even now, when I revisit Shu Wen’s story, I find myself beating back the tears. In a word, this book is powerful.

Shu Wen’s story is incredibly moving and her strength (emotional and otherwise) is staggering. While following the story, I couldn’t help feeling that there was some greater influences at work placing the right people where they needed to be in order for Wen to adapt, grow, and mature on her quest. We were also able to glimpse into the nomadic Tibetan way of life, some of their customs, and beliefs.

Although I read the translated UK version of the book (and since I cannot read Chinese, nor do I have the American translation, I am not able to compare them), the story was eloquently told. The language was poignant, the settings well-painted, and the subtle emotions haunting.

The only discourse I had with the book was the political discussion which came up between Wen and a small group of Chinese at a Dharmaraja festival. For those not well versed on the politics between Tibet and China of that time, it becomes confusing. Of course, the discussion is mainly just speculation and wild conjecture.

Also, occasionally Xinran injects a few pages of notes or asides between chapters to fill in gaps or explain a break in the interview or introduce some additional information about Shu Wen. This helps remind the reader that we’re reading a memoir based on an interview. However, it can bring the reader tumbling back to earth after floating up into Shu Wen’s story. It’s a double-edged sword that some may dislike.

When I finished reading I, like Xinran, was still filled with questions for Shu Wen. My mind still has trouble wrapping around the love and strength she possessed and the lessons she was kind enough to share with anyone willing to listen. This is one of the few books I will likely re-read well into the future.

Avoid reading it with a critical historical eye. Instead, read it for what it is: one person’s story of love and loss.

Rating: Worth every penny (?)

Get Sky Burial at Amazon.com