Richard LeMieux’s book, “Breakfast at Sally’s,” is indeed an inspirational read, it isn’t just a story about a homeless man and his dog, Willow, instead it is filled with uplifting stories about the friends he makes while homeless in Bremerton, Washington. First and foremost, there’s “C” (LeMieux never learns his real name, but that is incidental to his story), an eccentric music-loving homeless man who helps LeMieux come to grips with his situation and see the ‘beauty,’ in his vagabond existence, and Mrs. Peebles (serving food to the homeless at The Lord’s Diner, she has passed away and her son Michael has taken over and feeds the hungry on Saturday’s and Sundays), and Pastor Earl (of the First United Methodist Church in Bremerton, he let Willow and LeMeiux stay at the church for as long as they needed and even gave them security jobs, Willow became the official ‘Church Guard Dog’), and a host of other unforgettable characters the author meets in his moving journey.
Richard LeMieux went from being a successful businessman with a wife, children, beachfront home, boats and luxury cars, to finding himself divorced, ostracized from his children, downsized from his job and living a hardscrabble existence before he realized what had happened. LeMieux grappled with depression and hit rock bottom when he considered jumping off of a bridge:
I stepped out onto the slippery grate of the bridge and started that last
walk. I shook as the cars roared past, but somehow I felt relief knowing
the end was in sight. The driving gusts of wind and rain pushed against
me, but as I found a place to jump, I realized that ending my life was
going to be easier than I thought. … I had to go back. I turned and ran toward
the van … Willow was still barking and clawing at the window when the
van came into sight.
At that instant, LeMieux chose to live life on his own terms, rather than being a ‘feel-good’ memoir, this book exposes the reader to the underbelly of a homeless existence. However, just as LeMieux demonstrated moxy in becoming a successful businessman, he used the same skills to make the best of bleak circumstances in finding food, shelter, and compassion for both himself and Willow, the ‘Wonder Dog!’
Willow and LeMieux still reside in Bremerton, Washington where LeMieux is working on a second title (about a woman he met on his journey) and Willow enjoys chasing balls and rolling in the grass.Breakfast at Sally’s (Sally is the slang term used for the Salvation Army) is an excellent read and is particularly timely given the economic uncertainty that many Americans are facing today.
The above review was contributed by: Shelley Bueche: Shelley is a nonfiction book reviewer for Book Pleasures and a number of other media-related outlets. She enjoys reading memoirs, books about Texas and books with canine-related themes. Shelley is a freelance reporter and writes children’s book for the educational market. For more information, visit her website. Click Here to read Shelley's reviews.
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