4 book reviews
by K. Cope
January 03, 2009
The winter break allotted me some time to sit back and read four books: Chasing Tail Lights, The Stranger, The Poet Slave of Cuba, and Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. Here are my reviews, in order of enjoyment.
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was written by Vicki Myron, who is a graduate of the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University. In essence, the book is an expression of love for a cat that was abandoned in a library book drop as a kitten and adopted not only by the public library staff but also by those library patrons who hail from the rural city of Spencer, Iowa. Just as every individual ever born has a distinguishable personality or trait, most animal lovers will swear each animal or pet does as well. Myron details how remarkably adaptable Dewey was in his role as “the” library cat who greeted and entertained library visitors, while also sensing anyone’s specific need for personal attention and cuddling. During his life span of nineteen years, Dewey’s amenable nature attracted fame locally and worldwide among the media, including newspapers, magazines, television, and the Internet. The author weaves anecdotes about Dewey’s habits along with description and history of Spencer, Iowa, and the author’s own struggles and successes in life. Myron’s story illustrates the impact that animals, or pets, can have on human existence, and the humanity that is shown because of love for an animal. Word is that actress Meryl Streep will have the starring role in the movie adaptation of the book. For a picture and more information about Dewey, visit … http://spencerlibrary.com/deweybio.htm
Chasing Tail Lights by Patrick Jones is similar in theme to the novel Speak by Laura Halse Anderson. Christy is a quiet teenager who does not seek attention. Her goal after graduating from high school is to get out of Flint, Michigan, as fast as she can. Christy has associations with various characters in the book -- Christy, Anne, Ryan, Robert, Bree, Terrell, and others – and each interaction is important to weaving the intricate plot. The reader must be patient to see how they all interrelate. Nevertheless, when the underlying reason for Christy’s quiet tension becomes unraveled, the story becomes an unstoppable page turner that will not be satisfied until the very last page.
The Poet Slave of Cuba: The Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano is a story told in verse, because the author, Margarita Engle, felt this was the best way to convey the spirit and accomplishment of this particular person and the time in which he lived. As a child, Juan saw the power and wonder of words, and had a gift of expressing his thoughts in poetry form. As a slave, his life was unimaginably unendurable, yet he still managed to see beauty in the world around him. The author describes the conditions of Juan’s captivity, and the people responsible for the cruelty inflicted upon him. The story gives the reader a historical perspective of slavery on a sugar plantation in Cuba during the early 1800s.
The Stranger by Albert Camus is a psychological novel, translated from the French by Matthew Ward. The story begins with a funeral and ends with the protagonist awaiting his execution. It is a short (123 pages), but troubling story that attempts to examine the psyche of a murderer. Overall, it was a dull and bleak .... not exactly my cup of Christmas tea.
