I found this book intriguing because I like cats, I'm from Iowa, and I'm a librarian. If I weren't any of these things, I'd probably still find it somewhat interesting to learn about the 80's farm crisis, general rural living, and what a communal pet can do for the collective psyche. [return][return]The author writes about adopting a cat at the library she was a director for. This was during the 80's, when Iowa was hit with an economic downturn that affected the farming community terribly. Having the cat at the library increased how many people came to the library, and the richness of their interactions. The author also weaves in a personal story about her experiences growing up in a rural Iowa town, the experience of being a single mother, having chronic medical problems, getting an advanced degree while working full time, being a library director, and feelings on being a partial-owner of a cat.[return][return]It did drag a bit, but it's one of those stories that is easy to skim to get to the parts that interest you. I think that's the difference between a book I'll happily read (and admit to skimming a bit), and a book that I'll stop reading. I finished this one.