MWSA Review

The author of I Am Jack and I Am Awesome is a cat, and the subtitle—The World As Seen Through My Eyes—offers the reader fair warning that this is no ordinary book. Jack's human assistant, Dennis A. Jones, may have helped a bit with the typing, but the message is all cat. And while we human readers may classify the book's contents as meant for older children and young adults, cat owners of all ages will fall in love with Jack the Cat. From his days as a nameless stray, fighting for survival in the household of an old woman with more cats than she can handle, to becoming the cherished member of his chosen forever family, Jack provides daily glimpses into the secret life of the family pet.

The descriptions are not always pretty, and some of Jack’s language may be too explicit for younger readers. Jack picks mouse hair from between his teeth, suffers embarrassing digestive disorders caused by a catch-as-catch-can diet in the wild, endures a scary visit to the vet and his long needle, and agonizes over what’s meant by "getting fixed." But not all his days are unpleasant. He finds a new mom and dad, makes friends with a huge black dog, and discovers a real talent for using his paws and nose to control the TV set in his new home. His ingenuity even allows him to build a hidden set of cat “condos” in the undersides of the furniture.

As a grown-up cat, he discovers new details about the foibles of his humans. He experiences grief with the loss of his best friend and slowly learns to welcome the addition of a new member of the family. But unlike many books for younger readers, Jack's tale never tries to teach a lesson at the expense of his story. With unwavering honesty, Jack is always the cat—self-confident, cocky, impossible to embarrass, convinced of his own immortality, and always awesome.

Have fun with this one! 

Review by Carolyn Schriber (January 2020)

Author's Synopsis

This exciting memoir is written by a new and up and coming young author, named Jack. Jack is actually a very smart feline that learned how to use the computer while watching his human companion surf the internet. Once he mastered the keyboard, he knew that he must tell his story. Jack's treatise is a fast paced adventure through the many exciting things that have happened in his life. He also introduces the reader to the various personalities that he has met along the path of his life, and provides his observation of what he considers human weirdness. The reader will experience the ups and downs, the speed bumps, opportunities and the challenges that Jack has faced and overcome. While in the end, all of Jack's very positive dreams materialize, and he ends up living the life of the rich and famous. He is Jack and he is awesome.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-945834-09-7
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Young Adult (fiction or non-fiction)
Number of Pages: 174