Breakfast at Sally's: One Homeless Man's Inspirational Journey - Softcover

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. --Danny Westneat

"'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."

"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."

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. --Harry Hurt III (10/13/2008)

Graceful and dignified, humble and un-self-conscious, gentle and cautious. . . an absolutely-can't-miss book everyone should read. --Terri Schlichenmeyer

"This inspiring, eye-opening memoir is timely amid grim and grimmer economic news."

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."

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. --Danny Westneat

"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."

"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."

"The book reads like a novel . . . But it has the ring of truth, and an uplifting message that endures."- The New York Times.