Breakfast at Sally's: One Homeless Man's Inspirational Journey (Signed!) [B0401]

2009 Signed PB in excellent condition. "The book reads like a novel . . . But it has the ring of truth, and an uplifting message that endures."- The New York Times. Once a happily married businessman, avid golfer, and the proud owner of several luxury cars and three boats, conservative-minded Richard LeMieux saw his fortune change almost overnight. In this astonishingly heartfelt memoir, he describes his descent into homelessness and his struggle to survive personal and economic disaster. Evicted from his home in 2002 and living with his dog, Willow, in a beat-up old van, LeMieux finds himself penniless and estranged from his family and friends. He dines at the Salvation Army (aka Sally's), attempts suicide, and is treated at a mental hospital where he is diagnosed with depression. Writing on a secondhand manual typewriter, first at a picnic table in a public park, and then wherever he can, LeMieux describes his odyssey and the quirky, diverse, and endearing cast of characters found among the homeless people of Bremerton, Washington, and, by extension, every-where else. Breakfast at Sally 's is a rare inside-look at how the other America lives, and how one man, beaten down and alone, was able to reconnect, find good people, and ultimately, with their help, to persevere.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Wonderful memoir of a homeless man and what he did to survive. Love all the colorful people who he meets and interacts with. The book does have a few typos and one or two editing problems. It's heartbreaking all the people who do not choose to help him or other homeless people, and heartwarming those people who do choose to help. A great read and located in Bremerton, WA which is local for me."; "Everyone should read this book. An emotional journey for all who read it, this book pulls back the veil on a reality most of us know nothing about. The crises of people living unhoused in this country is serious and won't go away without real change. Those living without safe housing have diverse stories. We think we know but we don't. Yes they need big miracles, like we all do sometimes. But as this book shows, they need small miracles too. Miracles we are all capable of providing when we give what we can in the moment we see a need. Not just money, but also compassion, respect, acceptance, and kindness are miracles the giver is often blessed in giving. Not just the receiver."; "Makes you think twice about people who are homeless."