by Joe Miller,
Director of Development
This week’s post comes from Emily Castilleja, librarian for Pocahontas County Library and Visitor Information Centers’ Hillsboro branch. Emily reviews one of the best-selling books of the 20th century.
Last week, while putting away books, I stumbled across a well-loved classic. You’ve seen it everywhere – on coffee tables, in classrooms, and even on T-shirts. It’s one of those books that people of all ages seem to adore. Naturally, I opened it, thinking, it’s been ages since I read this.
This isn’t just a story. It’s a gripping tale of chaos, control and one charismatic wanderer who redefines what it means to upend a rainy day.
The plot begins on a gloomy afternoon, where two siblings are trapped in their home, staring out the window and contemplating boredom. Enter The Visitor, a man of mystery and mischief who strides uninvited into their lives. This isn’t just some aimless drifter; he’s a philosopher of anarchy, armed with a sharp wit, a disregard for social norms, and an alarming ability to juggle things that shouldn’t be juggled.
What follows is equal parts fever dream and cautionary tale. The Visitor’s presence is transformative – he awakens something in the children, challenging their ideas of freedom, rules and just how much destruction one house can endure in a single afternoon.
The supporting characters add even more tension. The family’s one voice of reason – a rigid, rule-loving authority figure – tries in vain to rein in the chaos, only to be consistently ignored. Then there are the accomplices: two unnamed forces of nature whose antics escalate the destruction to almost mythical proportions. You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, and you’ll wonder whether anyone involved will ever emotionally recover.
Beneath its deceptively simple prose lies a deeply layered narrative. Is The Visitor a liberator or a trickster? A mentor or a menace? His methods are unconventional (to put it mildly), but his ultimate philosophy is clear: life is meant to be messy, and you grow when you figure out how to clean up after yourself – preferably with a very large machine.
As the story crescendos, it becomes clear that this is more than a tale of mayhem. It’s a profound meditation on human nature: order versus chaos, rules versus rebellion, and the delicate balance between living freely and taking responsibility.
This book may be shelved in the children’s section, but don’t let that fool you. “The Cat in the Hat” is a surreal, unhinged masterpiece that leaves you questioning everything, from the limits of spontaneity to whether you’d actually answer the door for someone like this.
