A Gift from Bob: How a Street Cat Helped One Man Learn the Meaning of Christmas

by James Bowen

Overview

In this poignant new story, A Gift from Bob, James Bowen recalls the last Christmas he was to spend on the streets, busking and selling the Big Issue with his cat Bob.

In 2010, the weather was as bleak as his prospects. Christmas had always been the time he dreaded. Now at least he had Bob by his side, but his health was poor, and he had no money for food or warmth. There was no choice but to venture out onto the frozen streets to earn enough to pay for his electricity and—with luck—to afford some small treats for Christmas as well.

What James learned through this toughest of times was to give his new life with Bob—and Christmas—a meaning it had never had before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250104960
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

James Bowen is a University Teacher of Fine Art at Loughborough University, UK and a member of the Drawing Research Group at the university. In 2024, James will be Guest Editor of an edition of the drawing research journal TRACEY titled 'Drawing and Sound'.

Editorial Reviews

Bowen, a London street musician turned bestselling author and YouTube sensation, shares how his life has changed since he took in an alley cat named Bob.” —People

“A rich, moving story—perfect for cat lovers.” —Kirkus

“Bowen's sequel to the international bestseller A Street Cat Named Bob is every bit as good as the first book...At it's core The World According to Bob is an age-old and simple lesson in the ways people and the animals who love them can work everyday miracles.” —Best Friends Magazine

“This smartly balanced blend of humor, pathos, and humility makes Bowen such an engaging narrator, and it's no wonder the unlikely duo have inspired so many followers on Facebook as well as in real life. Bowen has crafted a terrific sequel to an amazing and inspiring story that's just beginning.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The World According to Bob

“The author's Street Cat Named Bob climbed onto the New York Times best-seller list as it touched the hearts of cat lovers...Now comes a sequel to that beguiling book, and this human-feline team has not lost any of its extraordinariness.” —Booklist (starred review) on The World According to Bob

“A simple, heartwarming story of continued companionship and mutual trust and respect…sure to be another best-seller.” —Kirkus Reviews on The World According to Bob

From the Publisher

Bowen, a London street musician turned bestselling author and YouTube sensation, shares how his life has changed since he took in an alley cat named Bob.

People

05/01/2015
Rescuing a ginger tomcat he subsequently named Bob in 2007 completely changed the life of down-on-his-luck street musician Bowen, first for the emotional meaning Bob gave Bowen's life and then because Bowen's A Street Cat Named Bob became an international best seller loved by millions around the world. Here's how Bob changed Christmas for Bowen, who used to dread the holiday as a time of anything but goodwill. But as he says in the book trailer, because of Bob "for the first time in my life Christmas meant something else to me. It meant a time of happiness and of coming together."

Library Journal