A Christmas gift from Bob

Three things I really love: cats, reading and London.

I found all of them in one book, well, a series of books. When I first ‘bumped into’ A street cat named Bob by James Bowen in Waterloo Bridge book market (my favourite book spot in London ♡) – little did I know how much the story was going to affect my life. Bob has totally stolen my heart but also taught me an invaluable lesson on homelessness and drug addiction – problems we encounter on the streets of London every day, yet we know so little about.

A story of cat’s commitment to a human

A true story of James Bowen and his little companion Bob – a ginger tomcat started in London, where James was trying to start his life over, leaving his past as an unaccomplished musician and former drug addict behind. My heart grew fonder with every chapter and I soon fell in love with Bob’s selfless care and commitment that he was constantly showing James. I was also moved by James’ story and how he strived to be a better man, despite the obstacles. It made me realise how easy it is to end up on the streets and become the invisible man who everyone pretends not to see when walking down the street. Yet at the same time, it is incredibly difficult to escape homelessness and drug addiction without proper help received from the society. A streetcat named Bob is not just a simple story of a cat who found his forever owner, but a complex portrayal of social problems we are facing in the 21st century.

The books that followed

James Bowen and Bob’s story has become so popular worldwide that he wrote a series of other books, including:

• three books for adults: A streetcat named Bob, The World according to Bob, and A Gift From Bob;
• two special adaptations of the adult books for younger audience: Bob: No Ordinary Cat and For the Love of Bob;
• two picture books for little children: My name is Bob and Bob to the Rescue;
• a picture book Where in the world is Bob?;
• a collection of pieces of Bob’s wisdom The Little Book of Bob.

Film adaptations

The story of Bob and James also made to the big screen. The first film ‘A streetcat named Bob’ is an adaptation of the first two books and became a worldwide hit at the time. It takes us on a tour around the streets of London, Covent Garden in particular, and depicts the life of not just one but many street performers that James represents who face adversity on a daily basis. The social problems that are depicted in the film, i.e. drug addiction, homelessness, busking – are often disregarded by people who live in the comforts of their own housing sheltered from the hostility of the cold big city. ‘A streetcat named Bob’ shows the different faces of London and sensitises viewers not to ignore the problems, but think about them.

The second film in the sequel, ‘A Christmas Gift from Bob’ is based on the last two books of James Bowen, ‘A Gift from Bob’ and ‘The Little Book of Bob’ and has just been released. It makes a great Christmas story and continues the adventures of Bob and James. This time we find out how difficult Christmas time can be for social outcasts trying to return to the society and what kind of problems buskers and The Big Issue vendors encounter on the streets.

Watch both of them on Amazon Prime.

The Big Issue

Ever since I read the books, I have started to notice The Big Issue vendors on the streets of every UK city I went to. They might have been that guy in front of Sainsbury’s who you went past without acknowledging. They might have asked you to buy a paper on Oxford Street and you shrugged them off. You might have thought that they were trying to palm off a free magazine onto you. They are actually trying to earn a living and return to the society in the best way they know.

Pre-pandemic, I spoke to one of them in Cambridge and was astounded at how much determination he showed even though selling on the streets can be a very challenging job. Their income comes from selling the magazine. For every magazine you buy for £2.50, they make £1.25. Nope, they do not get those magazines from The Big Issue for free, they need to buy it upfront, learning how to manage their finances in that way.

I’ve recently finished reading the last book in the series A Gift from Bob and it made me think about The Big Issue vendors in these difficult times of coronavirus and social distancing. Can they sell on the streets safely? Will they be able to make a living in that way during national lockdown?

If you want to find out more about The Big Issue, please visit their website where you can also subscribe to help the vendors: https://www.bigissue.com/support-the-big-issue/

P.S. Bob was undoubtedly a special cat. Every time I was in Covent Garden, I used to secretly look for him and James and wanting to give him a high five (Yes! He learnt that trick whilst working on the streets with James!). Much to my regret, he passed away unexpectedly in July this year, to the sadness of his soulmate James, myself and many of his fans.