James Bowen Popular Books
James Bowen Biography & Facts
James Anthony Bowen (born 15 March 1979) is an English author based in London. His memoirs A Street Cat Named Bob, The World According to Bob and A Gift from Bob, written with Garry Jenkins, were international best-sellers. A film based on the first two books was released in 2016 and a sequel was released in 2020. Bowen now dedicates his time to helping numerous charities that involve homelessness, literacy and animal welfare. Early life Bowen was born in Surrey on 15 March 1979 to John and Penelope Bowen (née Hartford-Davis). Following his parents' divorce, three years later he moved to Australia with his mother. As they moved frequently, Bowen seldom made friends and was often bullied at school. He later dropped out of education in his second year of high school, becoming a self-confessed "tearaway kid". In 1997, aged 17, he moved back to the United Kingdom to seek his fortune, desperately trying to make something of himself while he stayed with his half-sister and her husband in London. Tensions arose and the arrangement did not last. His pursuit of his singing career quickly faded as the band members drifted apart. In time, he began sleeping on the streets. For the next few years, Bowen either slept in the streets or stayed in shelters, most of the time terrified of his surroundings. He began begging and using heroin to deal with the pain from being homeless. Life with Bob Meeting Bob One evening he returned home to find a ginger cat in the hallway of his building. Assuming it belonged to another resident, he simply returned to his flat. When the cat was still there the following day and the day after that, Bowen became concerned and discovered the cat was wearing no collar or ID tag, was too thin, had a very unhealthy coat, scratches on its face and an infected wound on his leg. Bowen checked with other residents to see if the stray belonged to any of them and when none of them claimed ownership of the animal Bowen decided to help the cat. According to the account in the book A Street Cat Named Bob, Bowen took the cat to the nearby Blue Cross pop up veterinary check up vans, which provided antibiotics to treat the infected wound. To pay for the antibiotics he used his last twenty pounds, which he had been saving for food. To make sure the cat received the full two-week course of medication, Bowen took him in for a time, while he continued to look for the stray's owner. When he realised he wasn't going to find the owner, he released the cat back on to the street, hoping he'd find his own way home. Instead, the cat began to follow Bowen around, even following him onto the bus when he left to go busking. Concerned that the cat had nowhere else to go, Bowen took him in permanently, naming him Bob after the character Killer BOB from the television drama Twin Peaks. In spring 2007, Bowen realised he wanted to better himself for the sake of Bob and he decided to quit the heroin he was on and go onto a methadone programme. He continued busking in Covent Garden and living in a supported housing programme in Tottenham, London. Working with Bob As Bob constantly followed Bowen when he was going to work, Bowen bought Bob a harness for safety and allowed him to come along to his regular spots in Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus, travelling in the window seat of the number 73 bus. The public reaction was positive and the pair became locally well known, their visibility increasing still further when Bowen began selling The Big Issue. The public began uploading videos of Bowen and Bob to YouTube and tourists would visit Covent Garden to see them. During this time, Bowen decided to conclude his methadone treatment. He credits this development to Bob, saying "I believe it came down to this little man. He came and asked me for help and he needed me more than I needed to abuse my own body. He is what I wake up for every day now. He’s definitely given me the right direction to live my life". Bob's later life and death Bob was kept as an indoor cat in his later life, occasionally being walked in his harness in a local park by Bowen. A purpose-built catio was commissioned by Bowen to allow Bob secure access to their garden. On 13 June 2020, Bob was fed in the kitchen of their home in Surrey and last seen at approximately 11:00 p.m., before Bowen noticed he was missing half an hour later. On Monday 15 June 2020, two days after going missing, Bob was found dead at the side of a road around half a mile from his home and taken to a nearby vet's practice. Bowen was informed by the vet over the phone. The cause of death was determined to be haematoma from a head-on collision with a car, the driver of which remains unknown. Bob had escaped through a skylight that had mistakenly been left ajar. He was thought to be aged between 14 and 16 years old. Following the announcement of Bob's death, The Big Issue magazine was inundated with tributes, messages and memories of Bob from all over the world. Books and films A number of books have been published about Bowen and Bob, two of which have been made into films. A Street Cat Named Bob Bowen and Bob's public appearances attracted the attention of the Islington Tribune, which first published his story in September 2010. This was read by Mary Pachnos, the literary agent responsible for the UK rights to John Grogan's Marley and Me, who introduced Bowen to the writer Garry Jenkins. The pair produced an outline for a book which Pachnos used to secure a book deal with the publishers Hodder & Stoughton. Since its publication the book has sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone, has been translated into 30 languages and spent over 76 weeks at the top of The Sunday Times' bestseller list in both its hardback and paperback editions. A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life was published in the US on 30 July 2013 and entered The New York Times' best-seller list at No 7. A film was optioned by London-based Shooting Script Films and its producer Adam Rolston, in March 2014. In August 2015, Variety announced that Luke Treadaway was to star in the film and that Roger Spottiswoode was to direct, with shooting in London to begin in October. During production, it was revealed that Bob played himself in the vast majority of the film's scenes. The film was released in the UK in November 2016. The World According to Bob The World According to Bob continues the story of Bowen and Bob's lives on the street, including the period leading up to their meeting with his agent Mary Pachnos. It was released on 4 July 2013 and was also a number one book on The Sunday Times' bestseller list. Bob: No Ordinary Cat Bob: No Ordinary Cat is a version of the book A Street Cat Named Bob re-written specifically for children. It was released on Valentine's Day 2013. Where in the World Is Bob? Where in The World Is Bob? is a picture book in which readers have to spot Bob, James and assorted other items in scenes around the world. It mirrors Bob's travels .... Discover the James Bowen popular books. Find the top 100 most popular James Bowen books.
Best Seller James Bowen Books of 2024
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Felix the Railway Cat
Kate MooreTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AS SEEN ON THE ONE SHOWIt will make you laugh and it will make you cry: Felix The Railway Cat is the extraordinary tale of a closeknit community and it...
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The Real Pet Detective
Tom Watkins"'Okay listen up everyone,' I said, zipping up my high visibility jacket. 'It will be most effective to comb the local area by taking a village each.' I told my team as I traced my...
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Aretha Franklin
Mark BegoA frank examination of Aretha Franklin, Mark Bego’s definitive biography traces her career accomplishments from her beginnings as a twelveyearold member of a church choir in the ea...
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Bob und wie er die Welt sieht
James Bowen & Ursula MensahWie geht die Geschichte von Bob, dem Streuner weiter? Seit Bob da ist, hat sich mein Leben sehr verändert. Ich war ein obdachloser Straßenmusiker ohne Perspektive und ohne eine Ide...
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Kater Brown und die Klostermorde
Ralph SanderIn der idyllischen Eifel ist die Hölle los und das ausgerechnet dort, wo man es am wenigsten erwartet hätte: im Klosterhotel "Zur inneren Einkehr". Hier stößt der Klosterkater Kat...
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The Lost Christmas Puppy
Linda SteliouLittle Linda was three years old when she told Father Christmas a secret. 'What I want more than anything is to have a puppy of my own to love'. But with every Christmas that went ...
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Finding Hildasay
Christian LewisThe Sunday Times Bestseller and featured on Ben Fogle's New Lives in the Wild.Join Christian Lewis as he walks the entire coastline of the UK – his dog Jet in tow – and rebuilds hi...
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Grace Bowen v. James H. Bowen
Second District Court of Appeal of FloridaThe Florida Restaurant Association [the Association] sued Hillsborough County, a chartered County [the County], seeking declaratory and injunctive relief after the County enacted a...
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A Rusty Gun
Noel "Razor" SmithAs a gunwielding bank robber, Noel 'Razor' Smith was top of the criminal tree, enjoying the excitement and benefits of a dangerous and adrenalinfilled career. But he'd also spent t...
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Mein bester Freund Bob
James BowenWas ich an Bob von Anfang an so besonders fand, ist die selbst für eine Katze ungewöhnliche Weisheit, die er ausstrahlt. Und in den zehn Jahren, die wir uns nun schon kennen, ist e...
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HellFire
Mia GallagherOn a midsummer’s evening a young Dublin woman, Lucy Dolan, prepares for a showdown that will help make sense of a heartbreaking and brutal atrocity that happened thirteen years ear...
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Everybody Died, So I Got a Dog
Emily DeanAs featured on BBC2's Between the Covers'Glamorous. Heartbreaking. Hilarious. Feminist. Lifechanging'Katherine Ryan'I loved this book so much. It's hard to overpraise. So funny and...
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Big Vape
Jamie DucharmeFor readers of Bad Blood and The Smartest Guys in the Room, an eyeopening work of narrative nonfiction chronicling the rise of Juul and the deadly cost of the search for a “safe ci...
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A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams
Jeff PearceThe poor boy who made his fortune . . . not just once but twice.Little Jeff Pearce grew up in a postwar Liverpool slum. His father lived the life of an affluent gentleman whilst hi...
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Bob, der Streuner - Bob und wie er die Welt sieht
James BowenBob, der Streuner. Als James Bowen den verwahrlosten Kater vor seiner Wohnungstür fand, hätte man kaum sagen können, wem von beiden es schlechter ging. James schlug sich als Straß...
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100 Ways to Be More Like Your Cat
Celia HaddonFrom the bestselling author of One Hundred Ways For a Cat To Train Its Human comes a new guide on how to improve your own life by learning from your cat.Content, living in the mome...
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Every Good Girl
Judy AstleyLet bestselling author Judy Astley sweep you away with this uplifting, laughoutloud comedy which shows EXACTLY what little boys are made of. Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Mill...
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Danny Dynamite
Jean UreWhen Billy the Skid and his nasty gang of mountain bikers ride into Bodley Street and ride menacingly up and down, Danny and friends are determined to fight back. They know bullie...
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Friedrich Schiller - Sein Leben und Schaffen
Otto HarnackDieses eBook: "Friedrich Schiller Sein Leben und Schaffen" ist mit einem detaillierten und dynamischen Inhaltsverzeichnis versehen und wurde sorgfältig korrekturgelesen. A...
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A Rogue of Her Own
Grace BurrowesIn this instant USA Today bestseller, a marriage of convenience between a duke's niece and a reformed rogue leads to a delightful battle of wills. For Miss Charlotte Windham, the b...
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Irish Cosmopolitanism
Nels PearsonDonald J. Murphy Prize for a Distinguished First Book "Pearson is convincing in arguing that Irish writers often straddle the space between national identity and a sense of ...
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Full Steam Ahead, Felix
Kate MooreTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'FULL OF FUNNY AND HEARTWARMING STORIES' Sunday ExpressThe charming sequel to Felix the Railway Cat, with more exciting adventures from his life on and ...
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Dangerous Deception at Honeychurch Hall
Hannah Dennison'Just the thing to chase the blues away' M. C. BeatonAll's fair in love . . . and antiques wars!Things are going well for Kat Stanford; not only is her antiques business thriving, ...
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Bob, der Streuner
James BowenDie komische und manchmal abenteuerliche Geschichte einer ungewöhnlichen Freundschaft Millionenfach hat sich der Roman "Bob der Streuner" von James Bowen bereits verkauft. Ein mode...
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Klappohrkatze sucht Herz
Peter Gethers & Katharina KrampDie wahre Geschichte eines außergewöhnlichen Katers und seines Herrchens Eigentlich hasst Peter Katzen. Schon immer. Als ihm seine Freundin dann aber eines Tages ein kleines und üb...
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Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life
Yiyun LiIn her first memoir, awardwinning novelist Yiyun Li offers a journey of recovery through literature: a letter from a writer to likeminded readers. “A meditation on the fact that li...
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Die Kater-Brown-Krimis
Ralph SanderDrei Kriminalfälle für den schlauen Kater in einem Band!"Kater Brown und die tote Weinkönigin":Mitten in ihrer Rede bricht Weinkönigin Monika I. bei einem Weinfest im badischen Irt...
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Kater Brown und der Magische Mister Miracle
Ralph SanderAlexandra und Kater Brown besuchen den idyllischen Freizeitpark "Fantastica" mitten im verschneiten Schwarzwald. Dort wollen sie gemeinsam mit Alexandras bester Freundin ein entspa...
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Aretha Franklin
Mark BegoA frank examination of Aretha Franklin, Mark Bego's definitive biography traces her career accomplishments from her beginnings as a twelveyearold member of a church choir in the ea...
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Kater Brown und die Jagd auf Hawkwind Castle
Ralph SanderAlexandra fährt zusammen mit Kater Brown und ihrem Arbeitgeber, Scheich al Faruq, ins Nachbardorf Dunston. Dort besuchen sie den FantasyFanshop von al Faruqs Freund Darryl. Doch de...
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Klappohrkatze geht auf Reisen
Peter Gethers & Petra TrinkausWenn ein Kater eine Reise tut ... Norton und sein Herrchen Peter stehen vor ihrem bislang größten Abenteuer: Sie lassen ihr Leben in den USA hinter sich und ziehen für ein Jahr nac...
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The Penguin Lessons
Tom MichellThe unique, moving and heartwarming true story of an unlikely friendship which captured imaginations around the world . . . 'I can't remember the last time I read a book that made ...
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Small Gods
Terry PratchettFans of Sir Terry Pratchett will love this stunning graphic novel adaptation of his bestselling standalone Discworld novel Small Gods. Beautifully brought to life by illustrator Ra...