If Kurt Vonnegut, Barbara Ehrenreich and George Carlin had a threesome to make a baby, this book would not be it, though it does come close. (Could be that baby's semi-legitimate cousin?) Here is one personal account from a starving artist who goes from living paycheck-to-paycheck (struggling to "make it") to becoming homeless. At once, this book is philosophical, insightful, humorous, personal and political. Yes, the personal is political!
So... What does an English major do when she graduates from a top college with honors, spends some years paying her dues (pretty expensive dues!) then finds herself destitute, owning nothing but the shadow of student loan debt hanging ominously over her homeless head?
Well, she writes about it, of course.
What? A book about poverty and homelessness written by someone who's actually experienced both? In trying to end poverty, shouldn't we look at solutions proposed by famous celebrities and millionaires? After all, doesn't the cream naturally rise to the top in the United States? Aren't the rich inherently superior? Creamy? Milky? Ever so white? Lactose, casein and whey-endowed?
Liar! Liar! American pants on fire! Somebody hose me down! Ouch!
What do you think about homeless people? Are they all addicts? Mentally ill? Lazy people who don't want to work? Inept capitalists who don't know how to save while they're spending?
Here is my indecent proposal: Everything you "know" about homelessness is wrong. We happily support the addictions of wealth-endowed celebrities (buy their films, concerts, books, etc.) while we fret over giving a dollar to a homeless person. Why?
We hear of criminal acts committed by the wealthy all the time—Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Phil Spector, R. Kelly, etc., but we continue to criminalize the poor. Why?
And... How is the American Dream Dystopia (A.D.D.) working out for you? Are you rich yet? Working hard enough yet? Acquired enough debt yet? Are you wealth-endowed?
Sorry, folks. Nothing to see here. Nothing to see. Nothing more to write, so nothing to see. To read more of my thoughts, buy this book. Better yet, feed a starving artist: Buy this book and share it with all of your friends!