December 18, 1961

The Women's Prize for Fiction is a British literary award that has changed names several times and now is called the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. In 2012 the award went to the American novelist A. M. Homes (December 18, 1961). Her book titled May We Be Forgiven: A Novel, involves an historian who specializes in the study of Richard Nixon. ".. a man he considers “the bridge between our prewar Depression-era culture and the postwar prosperous-American-dream America.” .....Our quote is actually from a review of the novel.

In addition to a family, the characters includes a dog named Tessie and a cat named Muffin. In one scene the character in need of redemption, interviews a prospective parent for his cat's kittens,and finds out the person already has a reptile as a pet, but that person argues:

....“but I don't think it contradicts a cat. The dragon lives in a large heated tank.
Very sensitive, dragons.” “I didn't know there was such a thing as a domesticated
dragon,” I say. “Oh, sure there is,” Brad says. “So what do you say?” “They're
yours I say, giving him the kittens, the cardboard box...
"I'll spoil them silly," Brad says.
Doing my due diligence, I collect his full names, address and phone, and tell him that I 'll check in next week and I expect to see a photo....

The same review says--

Homes is a social satirist, not a moralist. Even with her sometimes painful bite, she demonstrates real compassion for her characters, and it’s that depth of feeling that keeps us engrossed in their story. Because the truth is that for all its unsentimental, at times cynical, view of the current American psyche, at the end of this wild ride Homes’ take on our current predicament is a fundamentally optimistic one....
So if you want to learn about the American psyche, check out the book, or maybe even the review first. I am glad that due diligence in finding homes for kittens has made into that psyche.