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Fifth Life of the Catwoman
Kathleen Dexter Book Review

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Plot Summary of Fifth Life of the Catwoman
"

Berkley, Nov 2002, 13.00
ISBN: 0425186180

Half cat, Kat the Catwoman lives her fifth life amidst fifty felines. She avoids human contact as she has long memories of prejudice, poverty, and death at the hands of her so called superior side. Instead, Kat lives in a self-made haven secure from the feral mentality of humanity.

However, her Eden ends when a half cat male Angelo accidentally blunders into her mirage. Headmaster of a nearby communal high school, Angelo persuades Kat to return to reality by teaching the true history as she knows it, not that heroic rah-rah bunk found in textbooks. As she adapts to being welcomed and even popular, an incident shatters her mirage bringing back the true perspective of mankind when a child is stoned to death by his peers.

THE FIFTH LIFE OF THE CATWOMAN is a powerful allegory that looks at the dark side of humanity as prejudice and hatred defeats love in everybody's life. The message cleverly implies that nine lives may not be enough to overcome the ferocious animosity that serves as man's basic reaction to anyone outside the “norm”. Kathleen Dexter provides a potent indictment of intolerance and the need to emphasize the positive virtues of difference so that consensus leads to harmony.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Fifth Life of the Catwoman
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




Tone of book - depressing/sad
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy story on current Earth
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - search for identity/new understanding - change of heart
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - feelings as an alien growing up among humans

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - teacher
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Earth setting: - near future (later in 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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