One of my favorite books I've read. I heard about it on "My Cat From Hell" where Gwen guest starred for an episode. I never heard of the book but, being an avid cat lover, I figured I wouldn't be disappointed. I was right. The only time I put this book down (reluctantly) was for work. Gwen knows how to pull your heart strings. Being an owner of a beautiful baby abandoned as a kitten who patiently waited two years in the shelter for me to take her home, I cried so many tears of fear and joy that I started using a tissue for my bookmark. After finishing it I sent copies to all my fellow cat/pet owners, friends that are down on their luck and need something to believe in, and everyone that I know with a passionate soul. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you want a book that can lift your spirit up in a way you didn't think possible (through a pint size blind black cat superhero) this is exactly want you need.

I am a massive cat lover having (currently) five cats of my own as well as tending a colony of community cats who now live in my yard, so I was prepared to like a book about a cat. I knew about Homer from his online fame, but had never been told his history. Homer’s Odyssey is certainly a book about Homer and his remarkable life, but it also a book about how Homer’s approach to life gave the author the courage and fortitude to make changes in her own life to better fulfill her then inchoate dreams. The book only covers Homer’s first eleven years and I cannot wait to read about his later life and about Gwen Cooper’s other cats and cat experiences. I heartily recommend this book to cat lovers, pet lovers, and anyone who enjoys reading about remarkable lives.

This is a wonderful story of how a cat can influence one's life. It is well-written and true to life. The author has a wonderful sense of humor and often waxes philosophical about life and its tribulations. A very good read, especially if you love felines and their quirks.

From the forward by the Vet who linked the author with Homer, you will be hooked. Gwen's description of the immediate bond she formed with a totally blind kitten is amazingly powerful - all cat lovers will relate I know. This is a truly a wonderful read both for the story line (Gwen's and Homer's) and how beautifully written the narrative is. For anyone who has ever lived with a cat(s), Gwen's descriptions of Homer, Scarlett and Vashti will make you smile and go "Oh Yes - I know that behavior". For anyone who has taken their cat on a plane, you will smile and laugh as Gwen describes her flight to NYC from Miami, three cats in tow. For those who always worry when our beloved felines are alone, you will cry for Gwen as, in desperation, she attempts to get to her cats who were alone in her apartment near Ground Zero the first days after 9/11. And you will be impressed by her determination to get to her pets by-hook-or-by-crook and how, by God, she does it! To quote the review from People magazine: "This memoir about adopting a special-needs kitten teaches that sometimes in life, you have to take a blind leap." For those of you who read "Dewey" or "A Cat Named Squeeky", this book is their equal. The memoir will move you in ways you can't imagine about the bond between we humans and our cats. "Homer's Odyssey" rates 5 out of 5 stars. I have recommended it to many friends who have enjoyed it just as much as I did. Do get and read this - you will be so glad that you did. Enjoy.

What a great book! Wow! I bought the Kindle edition and devoured it in a few days. The last day I read the 9/11 rescue story and the illness story, along with the wedding, and I have tell you I was crying non-stop. Many pet epics (like "Dewey") end with the decline and death of the pet. This one ends with Homer's decline and old age but not death. The 9/11 story was gripping! I was just on the edge of my chair as I hit the next page button on my Kindle over and over, my eyes gobbling up the words like kittens can gobble up food pellets. I have to admit that I am a real lover of animal books, having had cats for over 20 years. My last cat died 2 years ago and I'm still waiting for that "special someone" to come back into my life. I was just so struck by how Ms. Cooper made the reader feel like they were on the inside of her special relationship with Homer. Thank you, Gwen. Ms. Cooper also made her other 2 cats, Vashti and Scarlett, come to life, too, so I applaud her for that. The story of how Vashti came around to her husband Laurence was touching, and even Scarlett got a special friend near the end of the book. No cat left behind! This is a great book, a fast read but not light and fluffy. Rather it has the kind of thoughtfulness "this is what is going on inside my head" that I love and respect. I'm buying copies for my family and friends.

I originally purchased Homer's Odyssey on my Kindle, and I am now getting a hard copy because I loved it so much. Not only does Mrs. Cooper tell the tale with obvious love and enthusiasm, but she provides several insights that I think are right on the money. I love that she thinks of her cats as family and accepts them as they are. She committed to her first two cats sight-unseen and she understands that they will have whatever personality they have. I felt a kinship with her when she spoke of her somewhat anti-social (and secretly loving) Scarlett as having a bad PR problem. My older cat (I have two) is just the same. I related Homer with my sometimes wild and always curious younger cat. I am also not ashamed to admit that I do just as Mrs. Cooper does and interpret my cat's looks and moods, along with occasional smart-alec comments. Although some readers apparently thought her preoccupation with her cats in the wake of 9/11 was ridiculous or insensitive to the suffering, I disagree. She felt an obligation to protect them and to save them from where they were trapped. They were at her mercy, unable to help themselves. She never once belittled or questioned the greater suffering and loss going on all around New York. She was responsible for those cats, and she did what she had to do to take care of them. Bottom Line: Outstanding book. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and definitely held my cats a little closer after reading it.

This is a story of triumph in the face of adversity, both for Homer and Gwen. It takes a special person to decide to adopt an abandoned, blind kitten when you know there is going to require special attention and care. Gwen didn't shrink from this challenge. She accepted it with the love only a true pet lover knows. I have, among other pets, three rescue cats, who bring me love and challenges to my life but I wouldn't trade them for the world. I wish I could write a long, beautiful review about the joy that this book brought to me, but if you just read the Editorial Review for this book. It says it all, and if I may, I'd like to quote one part from it. "But it was Homer’s unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that inspired Gwen daily and transformed her life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized Homer had taught her the most important lesson of all: Love isn’t something you see with your eyes." Read this book about this wonder cat and also follow Homer's odyssey on Gwen's Facebook page dedicated to Homer - Homer Blind WonderCat.

If you love cats you will love Homer and this book! What a wonderful real-life story of a woman, who despite owning two cats and living in an apartment, adopts a blind kitten. But he's not just blind, he has no eyes, as his eyes were removed when he was just a very young kitten. But the story of the travails and triumphs of cute little Homer will melt your heart! You'll read how he managed to map out his home in three dimensions using his senses of hearing, touch, smell, and perhaps a sixth sense of knowing all. His sixth sense allow him to run around and jump up on various furnishings without bumping into walls or otherwise hurting himself. You'll also read how Homer and his two cat friends were trapped in their apartment for days because their building was in the danger zone after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. (Without giving away the story, they came through without a scratch due to the derring-do of Homer's human mom.) If you love cats and the people who love them you will really enjoy reading Homer's story.

Gwen is very descriptive in her writing allowing the reader to visualize the story she is telling. A heartfelt book that any animal lover would enjoy! God Bless Gwen Cooper Lerman!

I adore this and have given as a gift to a friend who just adopted a cat who's faced some challenges. It's a testament to the remarkable to flat out incredible skills and gifts cats have been given whether Darwin process or God, or _____. Whatever it is, cats are bestowed with amazing physicality and intelligence like in this story, plus will to live and thrive many creatures possess. Very inspiring and well written.

I first found this book by accident in a hotel book exchange in Mexico when I had forgotten to pack my Kindle charger cable. Usually the book choices are pretty slim and I seldom find anything I really want to read. I am a cat lover and first fell in love with Homer's picture on the cover before I even realized what the story was about. From the first pages written by the doctor who saved Homer and found him a home, to the very last words, I was hooked. I fell so hard for the courage and spirit of this little cat and so admired the woman who took him to her heart and wouldn't let him go. This is definitely not a sad and sappy story about an animal overcoming a handicap, but instead a glorious story of an animal who doesn't even recognize a handicap. An incredible cat who seemingly has no limitations and has a heart much larger than he is. He is smart, funny, brave, loyal and loving and so what's NOT to love. The writer, Homer's mom, did a beautiful job of telling Homer's story with wit and warmth. She also revealed how much she learned and how much her life changed by knowing him. For anyone who loves a hero story, a love story, a cat story or a triumph story, read this book. You too will fall in love! After finding this treasure, I have since bought many copies as gifts for my friends and they all love it too. Judyth Raven

Anyone who says they own a cat or cats is deluding themselves. You can never keep a cat inside if they sincerely want to get out. They will return when they choose to. This book covers a very special animal that returned the love and affection in special ways. The defense of his person and his space is heartwarming. We occasionally hear of a mother cat braving fire to save her kittens. I have seen reports of a cat leading the children of their owner out of a house fire. I know of at least one more incident in the US Midwest where a blind cat attacked a burglar and ran him out of her house. It takes a very special person to be a companion to a cat like Homer. He survived being blinded by an illness, being trapped in a NY apartment adjacent to ground zero in 9/11,and later in life a serious illness. All of this would not have occurred without an exceptional degree of love and care being given and shared. The world is a better place for Homer and his person,Gwen, being in it. You will enjoy reading this book. High literature it isn't. Reading is meant to be fun. I rather loudly laughed in the middle of a restaurant while reading and eating. Read it with your kids or grand kids or a friends kids. You will greatly enjoy the experience.

I loved this story, so well told. I'm not a cat person but I heard about Homer on NPR and ordered the book. I was so happy I did. It will open your eyes to the the way cats behave and how unique an animal they are. I have new respect, even affection now for cats. I have given several copies of this book as gifts and every recipient also loved the book and told me it was the perfect read during this miserable pandemic. In previous years I told the story many times to my students, from 2nd grade to 5th and they loved Homer and his owner. I gave it to a retiree who I sensed was lonely and she couldn't thank me enough. It's just a great, surprising story.

This book tells the story of Homer and his mom, and their loving and adventurous life together. Homer's courage, joy, and love will win your heart. The story of the family's 9/11 separation is by itself worth getting the book for - the suspense is sharp and you can feel every emotion the author relates of her intense fear and dedication to the welfare of Homer and his two feline sisters. I advise reading this book to your cat(s) - I read it to mine, 20 year old Dixie, who we rescued on a cold day from the streets of a small town in Utah, who was badly injured and needed emergency surgery, who has never lost her love and devotion through a lifetime of serious medical challenges, but, like Homer, still contentedly seeks the sun and a nuzzle with mom. Dixie listened to every word.

If you like cats, buy this book immediately!!