Four years ago James kindly sent me his book which I read and reviewed below.
Now this International best seller has been made into a movie. Read about the movie here: IMBD
A Street Cat Named Bob
Monday, May 7, 2012
An incredible story
two fold. The characters are a homeless man and a sick and homeless
cat. The story of a cat finding the man and the book they wrote. The
story is true.
To start at the
beginning, James’ has had many ups and downs, twists and turns that have
influenced his life. His mother and father divorced when he was
young. James’ mother, a career woman re-married and the family moved
from England to Australia. As a youngster he attended several schools
as the family moved frequently. As a result James had trouble fitting
in with the other children. He was identified as a ‘problem child’
early in life and was diagnosed with ADHD, schizophrenia and manic
depression. James did not like or get along with his stepfather and
returned to England. He lived with his sister and her husband for a
short time but this did not work out and James became homeless.
James has been
homeless most of his adult life living on the streets, in shelters for
the homeless and sheltered accommodation. Living rough in London,
England for about ten years, James has survived by busking and selling
the Big Issue, a street newspaper sold by the homeless in eight
countries. He spent many years living in hostels and shelters and
succumbed to drugs, Heroin being his drug of choice. Fortunately
James was able to break the cycle of addiction with the help of his
‘some time’ partner, Belle, who was also former heroin addict as well as
charities such as Connections at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
One of the greatest
influences in James life has been Bob the cat who turned up on his
doorstep one day. Bob has given James a reason to live and put his life
back on track. The two were suffering and needed each other. On
Methadone as part of his treatment to get off heroin James was
struggling to survive. Bob was injured, hungry, and homeless. The most
amazing part of this story is that Bob began following James to the
areas where he did his busking and later selling The Big Issue.
Naturally the pair attracted much attention, many pictures taken and
videos on YouTube. Unbeknown to Bob and James, they were becoming quite
famous. A result of all the pictures and videos came when a literary
agent saw them and suggested James write a book, which he did in
collaboration with Garry Jenkins.
A must read for all who love a heartwarming story, love cats and just want a good read.
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