Be prepared to "feel" homeless
346987
Heater is a movie that I believe everyone should watch. It will take you to a place where your comfort level is completely removed. It does a very good job of putting you into the shoes of two different men. These men are both homeless, but are homeless for different reasons. They end up spending the day with each other. It shows what a huge struggle day to day life can be. It made me thankful to be living the life that I am. I would recommend watching it.
1281122
If you feel lost and broken
If you feel unloved and meaningless
Grab this book and be transformed
I guarantee to a! l that you'll feel God's tender hands embracing you
1814009
I think I spent most of this book sad and worried. I'm talking true anxiety; wanting to cry one second, or, throw my iPad the next. I guess that was the point, right? To feel the pressure these athletes feel to perform.

This book is well written, and, I like the characters, but at times it's real bleak. I recommend this one, but be warned..., you have to be ready for this one. They get their HEA, but it takes time and the journey is beyond bumpy, but well worth it.
452410
Somehow feel loose, due to the lack of elasticity of the rubble. It probably will get worse later.
2650096
You can tell the publisher signed this girl up to a book deal before most of the events in the memoir ever took place.

It's almost possible to HEAR the editor's face fall as 'I'm a plucky young woman who's homeless for no fault of her own" and "I had to give up my pony" quickly devolves into "... and then I had a miscarriage in a Scottish hotel and put the fetus in the river!".

It's a shame, because as a homeless advocate i *do* agree that Brianna Karp qualifies as homeless, and I don't begrudge her flights to Scotland or cell phones even though she can't afford rent. However, it's fairly obvious that the writer of this memoir is freshly scarred from the breakup of her engagement, and as such the entire book is devoid of any self-reflection or objectivity. Instead, the reader expecting canny advice from a no-nonsense pulled-up-from-her-bootstraps young woman is treated to an unrealistic account of how in love she and her online fiance were, endless self-justification slash self-pity ('I went in for an IUD because I wanted to be super-safe, and the nurse hurt me on purpose! and then I got pregnant anyway!') and numerous accounts of Brianna's characters turning to her to say, "you're right, you told me so'. Ths isn't a book, it's a cry for help.

It does not seem that this author s prepared to talk honestly and objectively about being homeless, and I wonder at the publisher for exploiting someone who has obviously undergone so much trauma (and who seems to have treated publishing a book as a means to both air and resolve grievances). I suppose it's not their job to edit someone's actual point of view, and if this is how the author actually feels so be it . . . However if you're looking to relate to someone trying to make sense of being dealt a bad hand, please look elsewhere. I don't think the author is really making sense of it herself.
4521220
I felt like I got hoodwinked, reading this.  I was expecting (from the title) to read about a young woman's experience with homelessness.  Instead, I got a memoir of someone who, unfortunately, hadn't yet recognized her dire need for a 12-step group for adult children of abusive parents, and thereby remained faithful to a lying, conniving, manipulative, charismatic creep of a man who slowly brought her to her knees over the course of a book.

To me, this memoir seems more about a personal vendetta, about telling Matt everything without having to actually speak to him - an act of retribution rather than a story of what it's like for a young, white, educated woman to become temporarily jobless and homeless.  There's a place for this kind of writing - and she's a decent writer for being so new to the medium - but if I'd known what I was getting into, I'd have dropped the book like a hot stone.
4524739
Made me feel depressed, desperate, and depersonalized.  No thanks.
688796
You have to be prepared for this one. It will really affect you.
2700563
Archie Bouvier Washington promises to be a big new ... literary talent.  This slender first book gives us a searing closeup on his year of being homeless in San Francisco.  It was 1988-89, when the city was jarred by earthquake and the first explosions of homeless activism.  A 23-year-old black veteran, Washington found himself unemployed and on welfare.  Tempted to commit suicide, he decided to live and take his chances on the street.  With taut prose and dry humor, he chronicles the unending battles to eat, to stay warm and clean and safe, to avoid arrest, to find sex and social services and a gay friend or two. Eventually Washington joined the activists, found a job and worked his way off the street. Today, as our country tailspins into economic chaos, Washington's story is not only an artistic gift but a timely goad.  Compassion and concern for homeless people are shockingly absent in many areas of our society, especially politicians and voters who would rather jail the homeless than deal with root causes of homelessness. "The Rough" should be required reading for any American who wants to look behind the red-white-and-blue curtain of "the American dream."
2129524
This book was not a good fit for me. It was a lot of existentialistic rambling about breaking the chains of whatever you feel bonded to in life. If you feel obligated to live a certain way  pander to children, expectations you place on yourself, generally unhappy about the way you have to give...give...give... this book may be a good read for you. I'm 50 years old, so this was a bit "young-minded" for me, perhaps. FYI...not a whole lot of direct connection to the Bible.
2070734
This story makes you think about how someone could be sucked into homelessness because of circumstances beyond their control. I will be reading more of Catherine Ryan Hyde.
2268929
Jeff Shinabarger tells the story of how he moved to a new home in Atlanta and the neighborhood welcoming committee showed up on his doorstep. It was a homeless guy named Clarence who was eager to let the new neighbor know he was looking for work. Jeff suddenly saw his life through Clarences eyes and realized he had an overabundance of almost everything.

This change in perspective caused Jeff and his wife to engage in a series of social experiments. For instance, after receiving a credit-card bill in January they realized they had overspent at Christmas and didn't have the means to pay the bill. They cut back their spending and decided to see if they could go for an entire month by eating only the food in the house. They lasted seven weeks without going to the grocery store.

The author also recounts the social experiments of his friends who tried things like going without a car when theirs broke down. In all, the book is an easy to read collection of thought-provoking stories. Some readers have criticized the book for not having enough Christian content, but the authors goal was not to be preachy. Rather, he wanted to create a sharable book for people regardless of their spiritual comfort level.

I thought personal experiences shared in the book really created a credible message, even more so than quoting a bunch of Bible verses. Rather, the stories made the struggle of determining how much is enough believable and relatable. We all have the tendency to want more and more stuff. Breaking that habit is uncomfortable, at best. By sharing his own challenges, he made it easier for others to embrace the difficulties of defining for ourselves how much is enough.

He also provided thoughtful examples of ways we can benefit others with our excess. Its not simply about living with less, but about making a difference with the excess we have. Our excess can meet the needs of others if we consider how to make it happen.
3082178
I loved the thoughtfulness of the author. Brenda does an excellent job of capturing actual struggles families experiencing homelessness go through. I love that the family tries to do what they can to maintain normality. Props for the call to action including homeless resources and charities to get involves in.
2018296
It takes only a few seconds to go from the point of feeling low to the point of feeling good.
The first step is to remember that the problem is not about lack of money, lack of love, or lack of sound health; the problem is about feeling good.

And there is a very easy way to feel good, no matter how your bank account looks like or whatever external situation you are living in.

It's a very simple Truth that 99,99% of times people forget about.

Thanks for that Great Reminder!
2769574
Wow.  I received my first issue. Little to no content. Find a charity and donate the cost of this subscription.  You'll feel much better.
2209957
If you're experiencing abandonment, this is the perfect read.  It will help you to realize that you're not alone. You'll learn some dynamic ways to help get through the loneliness, heartache, and anxiety.  You'll be okay, and once again, full of life and hope!  : )
2107113
Our family is going through something very similar.  There's reassurance in the experience unflichingly shared here: the worries about money, the issues of dignity, the fear, the inseparable parents forced to redefine relationships as one mentally slips away.  I read the book in an evening and then slept well, knowing that what we are experiencing is weirdly normal.