10.14.2006

The Cat Who Went To Heaven 1931 Medal Winner ***


The Cat Who Went to Heaven is a story of a cat who goes to live with a Japanese artist who has been commissioned to draw a picture of Buddha. Japenese tradition says that cats are the only animal who have rejected the teachings of Buddha and so he can not draw a picture of a cat among all the animals paying respect to Buddha. Good Fortune, the artist's cat, is not pleased to discover that he is not in the picture.

I'm amazed this book was written so long ago. It is quite abstract in thought and quite deep in analogy. I don't recommend this book for young readers at all, and even then only for mature young adults. It's a very quick read, I read it in the bathtub before the water even got cold. I found it hard to dive into at first, and half way through the book I felt like I was drifting and the story had no point. Up until the last 3 pages I was going to give it one star, but I feel the ending where the cat dies and is discovered in the arms of Buddha made the book worth the read. It's a powerful lesson on forgiveness and not deciding one's fate based on legend, past traditions, or even what you may think a person is or has become.

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