Synopses & Reviews
Once a happily married businessman, an 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 now classic memoir that has touched thousands of readers across the globe, LeMieux 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 (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, everywhere 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, to find good people, and, ultimately, with their help, to persevere. Updated with an all-new chapter, interviews with the author, a book club guide, and an obituary for Willow.
Review
""LeMieux shatters the stereotypes any of us might have about the homeless . . .This simply-told memoir is easily a three-hanky read, but after you wipe away your tears, you'll be moved to do something — anything — to reach out to those in need."" Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Review
"“It’s easy to look from afar onto the world LeMieux writes about. People panhandling on corners. Living in cars. Most of us probably figure they’ve always been down. But how far did they fall? Maybe farther than we think.”" Booklist, starred review
Review
""Poignant . . . stirring. Never overbearing or self-absorbed, LeMieux is eternally grateful to everyone he came in contact with after having been "crushed by the rigors of life." His feel-good chronicle will have readers counting their blessings as well. Readable and thoroughly life-affirming."" Danny Westneat Seattle Times
Review
"The book reads like a novel. . . but it has the ring of truth, and an uplifting message that endures. Mr. LeMieux's account of his homelessness is convincing . . . an authoritative advocate for the millions of Americans who are homeless or living in poverty." The Olympian
Review
"Graceful and dignified, humble and un-self-conscious, gentle and cautious. . . an absolutely-can't-miss book everyone should read." Harry Hurt III New York Times
Review
""'Sally's' is what the homeless call the Salvation Army's soup kitchen. LeMieux is a first-time author whose memoir chronicles his descent as a conservative publisher who loses his company, his home, his wife and kids, and all sense of hope, until he is called back from a potential suicide by the insistent barking of his beloved dog, Willow. Together, they embark on what is truly the "inspirational journey" of this book's title, living in an old van and moving from town to town. Using a beatup typewriter, LeMieux captures not only what day-to-day life is like for those whose lives have been broken by economic hardship ("from the millions of teenagers on the street to the millions of old heroes stored away in nursing homes across the country"), but also the rich inner life and the wellsprings of hope that he finds in the many people he skillfully and sensitively describes--"people are as real as you can find anywhere." And his own experiences with constant depression, the mental health system that exists for the homeless, and his discovery of life and a sense of hope in his new home of Bremerton, Wash., combine into a moving tale that cuts through the stereotypes of homeless living."" Booklist, starred review
Review
""Not so very long ago, LeMieux was a successful businessman. He ran his own publishing company, lived in a house on the beach, drove a cool car, had a loving family. Then, suddenly, it was all gone: his business collapsed, his family left him, he was evicted from his home. He was nearly 60 years old, and he was homeless. This surprisingly uplifting and upbeat book chronicles his life as a man who lived on the streets. In fact, he began writing the book while he was homeless, banging out the manuscript on a salvaged typewriter, writing about his thoughts and emotions and the people he encountered (including the streetwise “C,” who exists in the book as LeMieux’s spiritual guide and sidekick). This really is a remarkable book, powerfully written, inspiring, heartbreakingly honest, and, somehow, frequently quite funny. It belongs side by side with Chris Gardner’s The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Steve Lopez’s The Soloist (2008), and Alexander Masters’ Stuart: A Life Backwards (2006) as a must-read story of homelessness, determination, and redemption. "" David Pitt
Review
"“For those who yearn to believe in the basic decency of most human beings, this book provides abundant evidence . . . None of us can ever fathom the struggles of others. Nor can we begin to know how much the smallest of kind gestures might ease another's pain. But LeMieux's story does remind us how essential it is to try."" Danny Westneat Seattle Times
Review
""This inspiring, eye-opening memoir is timely amid grim and grimmer economic news."" Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
“The book reads like a novel . . . But it has the ring of truth, and an uplifting message that endures.”—The New York Times
Synopsis
Once a happily married businessman, an 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 now classic memoir that has touched thousands o
About the Author
Richard LeMieux is a writer and ex-businessman and has been homeless to varying degrees for years. He is now a public speaker and travels to various events throughout America, talking about Breakfast at Sally's and his experiences as a homeless person. He and Willow lived together in Bremerton, Washington, until Willow's passing on November 21st, 2009.