James Bowen Books In Order

Publication Order of Bob The Cat Books

James Bowen is a British author best known for ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’. Besides his books, which he writes with author Garry Jenkins, James also works with a lot of charities to support causes like literacy and homelessness.

+Biography

James Bowen was born in Surrey in 1979, though he did not stay there long. The author eventually ended up with his stepfather in Australia after his mother and father divorced; though, that wasn’t the last time the author had to move.

In fact, James’s childhood was characterized by frequent moves. The fact that life at home was so tense did not help matters. Overall, James Bowen would rather forget those early years.

At school, James only found more misery. In order to escape his struggles, he began to sniff glue, which did nothing good for his education. It wasn’t long before the author was diagnosed with all manner of ailments, from ADHD to manic depression.

The author received a bit of a respite in 1997 when he began living with his half-sister in the United Kingdom. But even that little bit of peace did not last. And it wasn’t long before the author found himself on the streets, barely surviving from day to day.

What he presumed would be a short stint turned into ten years during which time James Bowen sought the assistance of charity-run shelters in order to get by. Naturally, life on the streets was difficult.

James only made things worse by turning to heroin in order to numb his pain.

But his misery did not last forever. By the late 2000s, the author had enrolled in a methadone programme. It was while he was living in sheltered accommodation in Tottenham that James found a ginger cat in the hallway.

He chose to ignore it because he assumed it belonged to someone. He was quite surprised when he came back the next day and found it in the same hallway. Concern took over and James looked it over, finding that it had no notable form of ID.

He was especially bothered by the wound it had on its leg. After taking a moment to ensure that the cat did not belong to any of the residents in his flat, James took action, finding a veterinary clinic that could help treat the animal’s infected wound.

Because the cat needed to undergo two weeks of treatment, James took it home with him to ensure that it received the proper medication. He was still determined to find the cat’s owner, though he failed in his efforts to track down any information related to the cat.

At some point, once he was certain that the animal could survive on its own, James Bowen released it back onto the streets. However, the cat was not too keen on abandoning its new life and it took to following James.

It would even hop on the bus after him. Eventually, James grew concerned about its safety and decided to adopt it as his own, calling it Bob. The decision paid off in the long run.

In order to bring the animal with him to work, the author used shoelaces to make a harness that he could use to transport the animal. People took notice and the pair quickly grew popular.

Some people went so far as to upload videos of the James and Bob onto the internet. And it wasn’t long before James and Bob became favorites among tourists, with people coming from all over the world to see the pair at James’ regular spot in Convent Garden.

James admits that he grew to appreciate the attention. And on a personal note, he was eventually able to kick his drug habit. He believes that his success in this area was all down to Bob.

But Bob did so much more to put James Bowen’s life back on track. The pair’s popularity drew the attention of a literary agent who helped them get a book deal. James was paired with author Garry Jenkins, and the two wrote a book that has since been translated into nearly two dozen languages.

James Bowen’s story is an inspirational one, the sort of miraculous twist in life that few people ever enjoy.

The author’s tale was optioned for a movie adaptation back in 2014. The movie, which starred Luke Treadaway, was finally released in 2016 in the United Kingdom. It won a U.K. National Film Award.

+A Street Cat Named Bob

A Street Cat Named Bob tells the story of a man that adopts a ginger cat and the way his friendship with it changes his life forever.

This book, it should be said, isn’t for readers looking for particularly sophisticated literary content. Not only does the book get repetitive but there are quite a few editing issues.

However, the book definitely succeeds in telling a heartwarming tale with a beautiful message.

James introduces himself as a man who was, more or less, invisible. Because people chose to ignore him, he often wondered whether or not he even existed. Then James met Bob. And because he busked with Bob, everyone began to see him.

Without knowing him, they all grew to respect and love him. In that regard, Bob the cat did something amazing. He made James human. The book is likely to appeal to cat lovers, though Bob isn’t the most important aspect of this story.

Even though Bob is represented as the selling point, this book is about James more than anything else. The book emphasizes his plight as a man with problems, who fell to the lowest point of his life and somehow found a way back to the surface.

James Bowen isn’t a writer and this book shows that fact. The book isn’t designed to be great literature. It is simply supposed to tell a great story.

+The World According to Bob

James spent a decade on the street, living life as a drug addict. But then Bob came into his life and James finally got back on the right track. Even though he is finally making progress, James Bowen needs help to remain on track.

Luckily for James, he still has Bob, a cat that has become his protector and guardian angel.

This book continues the story of James Bowen and his cat. The book is just as inspirational as its predecessor. Things are easier for James this time around, but he is not out of the woods. He encounters some struggles on his journey to getting his life together.

2 Responses to “James Bowen”

1. Emma Saunders: 3 years ago

   Is there a new book on Street Cat Named Bob for 2021 in the uk

   Reply
   • Graeme: 3 years ago

     Doesn’t look like it at this time.

     Reply