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A review by dreamerfreak
The World According to Bob: The Further Adventures of One Man and His Streetwise Cat by James Bowen
4.0
I'm not by nature a cynical person; in fact, I'm often overly romantic, but nature can be overwhelmed by environment, and I've learned, or been taught, to always doubt people's motivations and ethics. Reading The World According to Bob (and A Street Cat Named Bob) both inspired me and at times made me very uncomfortable.
It's easy, as someone who grew up, not wealthy by any means, but at least above the poverty level, to not even try to understand how people end up homeless, "sleeping rough," or otherwise trapped by circumstances. It's not easy to pass someone on the street and look them in the eye without those judgments that we've heard on TV or from other people running through our heads. How they don't "work hard enough" or simply "live off the government." There are undoubtedly some out there who don't try and are willing to subsist on handouts, but it's important to remember that there are plenty of others out there like James Bowen: having made mistakes in the past, but willing to admit them and try again--if someone will give him a chance.
So that's why at times I was uncomfortable reading this book. Because sometimes I saw myself--and not always in the kind people who helped, but instead in the ones who passed obliviously, or worse, sneeringly, on by. James is brutally honest in his admissions of his own problems. While there may have been catalysts in his life that contributed to his drug problem and ending up on the streets, ultimately it was his own choices that lead there, and James is not shy to say it. But he's also willing to point out the faults of others, how society has let down, ignored, and disempowered people who are no longer convenient or "pretty" to have around.
So yes, Bob and James's continued story is inspirational and uplifting, humorous and heartbreaking. But it's also a not-always-subtle finger pointing out things that need correcting, even when it's just a little more human compassion. I sniggered and grinned, but I also cringed and winced at cruel actions of others that are all too easy to imagine, and even understand.
The charm in this book for me, particularly, came out of the line-drawings at the end of each chapter. The stark art is whimsical, yet it shows a perfect picture of what life has been life for these two. At times fun and easy, more often hard work, but always together. Though the writing isn't elaborately literary, it doesn't need to be to get it's message across.
I'll also admit to being fascinated by the final chapters detailing how the unexpected writing of the first book, and the public's reaction to it, started changing James's life. It's only the start of another great adventure for Bob and James, I'm sure.
[I received this book for free through First Reads and was not required to write a positive or any other type of review. All opinions stated herein are solely my own.]
It's easy, as someone who grew up, not wealthy by any means, but at least above the poverty level, to not even try to understand how people end up homeless, "sleeping rough," or otherwise trapped by circumstances. It's not easy to pass someone on the street and look them in the eye without those judgments that we've heard on TV or from other people running through our heads. How they don't "work hard enough" or simply "live off the government." There are undoubtedly some out there who don't try and are willing to subsist on handouts, but it's important to remember that there are plenty of others out there like James Bowen: having made mistakes in the past, but willing to admit them and try again--if someone will give him a chance.
So that's why at times I was uncomfortable reading this book. Because sometimes I saw myself--and not always in the kind people who helped, but instead in the ones who passed obliviously, or worse, sneeringly, on by. James is brutally honest in his admissions of his own problems. While there may have been catalysts in his life that contributed to his drug problem and ending up on the streets, ultimately it was his own choices that lead there, and James is not shy to say it. But he's also willing to point out the faults of others, how society has let down, ignored, and disempowered people who are no longer convenient or "pretty" to have around.
So yes, Bob and James's continued story is inspirational and uplifting, humorous and heartbreaking. But it's also a not-always-subtle finger pointing out things that need correcting, even when it's just a little more human compassion. I sniggered and grinned, but I also cringed and winced at cruel actions of others that are all too easy to imagine, and even understand.
The charm in this book for me, particularly, came out of the line-drawings at the end of each chapter. The stark art is whimsical, yet it shows a perfect picture of what life has been life for these two. At times fun and easy, more often hard work, but always together. Though the writing isn't elaborately literary, it doesn't need to be to get it's message across.
I'll also admit to being fascinated by the final chapters detailing how the unexpected writing of the first book, and the public's reaction to it, started changing James's life. It's only the start of another great adventure for Bob and James, I'm sure.
[I received this book for free through First Reads and was not required to write a positive or any other type of review. All opinions stated herein are solely my own.]