Review: Timely, Essential, and Thought-Provoking
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 20, 2014
I wasn't sure what to expect, but the originality of this wonderful book was stunning. I have spent the past 6 years traveling extensively in dozens of countries, and have made an effort to meet and speak with "street people" as often as possible. I know that there are thousands of stories and hundreds of explanations and issues when it comes to the homeless populations of major cities, but I admire an author that is willing to delve into their lives, not as an observer, but as a participant in certain ways. This was a heartfelt piece of gonzo writing, an honest and uncompromising appraisal of the other side of life. It's this type of writing that can change people's opinions, open their eyes, and generally make the world a more tolerant and accepting place. Cardiff's honest way of writing about these individuals wasn't done in an attempt to garner sympathy, and it wasn't an overly sentimentalized way of tackling this issue. He simply wrote what he saw and explicated the beliefs that he had developed. I was blown away by this book, and it reminded me that I'm not alone in thinking about the lives of those that so many people ignore. This might be one of the best books I've read all year. A must-read for anyone who wants to broaden their view on life as we know it.