As a reminder, I am reviewing one book each day until Christmas, in no particular order.
Each choice is special in its own way. All would make great gifts for your cat addicted book lovers. Or your book addicted cat lovers.
Why cat books? Several reasons, really. I adore cats. Cats appear in most of my fiction. And I enjoy promoting cat books for the holidays, because I frequently give or get them as gifts myself. And finally, so many people have a cat, that cat themed gifts are an industry. You can’t go wrong.
Today I am reviewing “A New Cattitude,” by iAmMoshow.
Sometimes, celebrating other cat lovers is as important as celebrating the cats themselves. This cat book is more in that vein. But I chose it because the author’s brand is so seamlessly tied to his cats. iAmMoshow is a rapper who dearly loves cats. He has multiple that are regularly seen in his videos and make an appearance in this book in animated form.
On his website, iAmMoshow says, “I’m just a regular guy that raps with his cats, that’s spreading peace, love and positivity and telling people to follow their dreams. That’s it.” I love his message, I love that he loves cats, and in his videos, I also love to see his cats. His cats include Sushi, DJ Ravioli, Black $avage, Lil Parmesan, and Mega Mam. Tali has recently passed away. They are sometimes dressed in the fun, colorful, funky style the rapper also adopts, and they often climb all over him and perch on his shoulders or head.
The book, “A New Cattitude,” is subtitled “An illustrated guide to getting through tough times.” It shares the lessons he’s learned in the difficult circumstances he’s experienced in his past. He’s had to come a long way and has combined music and cats in his path to success.
This short book is as vibrant as the author and his cats and can easily be enjoyed in one sitting. But you’ll come back to it again because of the wisdom. It is illustrated in a comic book art style. In a way, this book reminded me a little of Nala’s book, reviewed several days ago. It has lots of upbeat positivity, urging the reader to “Stay true to your heart,” “Be present with yourself,” and “Understand you are unique,” among other great messages.
I think what sets this book apart from Nala’s, however, is that it also offers short pieces for each of these lessons that give us more context. They include the “how” to get in that mindset when you’re coming from a place of pain. iAmMoshow gives you his heart in this book when he expands on his story. He’s been down, and he offers the advice that worked for him to get back up.
He also includes a page of his favorite inspiring quotes, and several pages of resources for readers for when the going gets tough. I think this part is a gem. People may find the book inspiring, but need to take that next step themselves. If they have a link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-TALK) or The National Alliance on Mental Illness (800-950-NAMI) people may actually use it. If they don’t use it then, they may remember later that it was in the book. It’s the support that may make a real difference.
I also love that iAmMoshow includes his own story of losing his cat, Tali, to heart failure. I lost a cat from this myself, and it speaks to how hard this can be for people. We can’t minimize animal loss. They are a part of your family and iAmMoshow shows he knows this. And because it’s on his heart, he also gives us pet loss resources, including Pet Loss Support Hotlines (there are several – I’ll just list the ASPCA Grief Counseling Line – 877-474-3310).
iAmMoshow is fun to follow and a role model for self acceptance and positive attitude. He has an engaging personality and his cats are adorable. He posts tons of videos of his music and his cats on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. He’s also a strong advocate for cat shelters and cat adoption and against declawing.
This book is a great choice for someone (especially a young person) who loves cats, loves the idea of a rapper rapping about cats, and maybe also needs to celebrate their uniqueness and/or get an optimistic lift in life – that “new cattitude.”
