Street

This book was amazing! I loved the real life examples and just how truthful it really was. Street Kids shows how hard it is to be a teen on the streets and how it isn't just 'get up and live life on the streets'. Life on the streets is not easy; food is hard to come by, drugs are hard to give up and sex is almost the only to make some kind of income. There's pressure; there's danger there's dismal hope for a future and this book lets people know that. As a reader, I became more aware of just how serious the problem with Canada's runaways is.... well done Marlene Webber!

Definitely one of my favourites. Hunt has created a wonderful protagonist in Willie Smith. Willie is a marvellous character, beautiful, loves make-up, warm, loving and simply irresistible.
His life as a harlot with a silver lining is touching and heart felt. The background of the story, depicting the slums, the wealthy, is richly crafted. Disappointed that the book is out of print but grateful that I have a copy. Because of Sweet Lavendar, Hunt is now one of my must-read authors.

STREET LIVES
"Street Lives" is an invaluable book- it provides windows into the problem everyone wants to ignore: homelessness. Dozens of people tell their story, either homeless, or triumphantly off the street, in their own sometimes halting, but always powerful words.

Surprising information springs their experiences, backed up by data before each chapter. Common myths are shattered, such as homelessness resulting from the emptying of mental institutions in the 70s. (According to Mr. V., most of these displaced patients found other places of care.) Instead, high rates of mental illness among homeless stem from homelessness itself, and its stark and surreal existence.

Another myth is that homeless "just don't want to work." But many do work, but must take dangerous and exploitative jobs because of their hygiene and appearance. Tales of evil work conditions sear the reader, including labor pools that hire teams of homeless and pay less than a dollar an hour for 16 hour days, working over molten metal that splashe. Horrifying are the accounts of labor camps that bus homeless workers to camps in other states, where they are forced to pay premiums bck to the employer, sometimes running up debts. These camps are protecte by burly, violent guards. One man tells us of his escape from one such place.

Other disturbing facts: one quarter of homeless are children, many mentally ill are veterans, and many homeless were normal families who got bad breaks.

Our common perception is of a big divide between homeless vs. us, and that homeless are fundamentally different people, that on some level they deserve it. This book's great service is crossing that divide. What comes through in many stories is how normal they were when starting out. Many families had jobs, cars, homes and kids in school. Than an accident, a lost job and a missed mortgage payment forced them into a shelter. A teen has problems at home, spends time with the wrong crowd, then finds himself caught in a cycle he cannot stop. Etc.

But the book doesn not judge its subjects, whether they hark from so-called normal backgrounds or dysfunctional ones.

After the initial fall, they find that their grueling lifestyle perpetuates itself and makes change difficult. We see people walking for hours to get a meal, then hours more back to a shelter. Falling prey to violence, drugs (often for consolation from a brutal life) and mental illness. Lack of housing and transport make it impossible to get jobs, which makes it impossible to get housing and transport, and on and on.

Relief comes in the last chapter, "Solutions." Halfway houses run and supported by homeless are appearing all over the country and serve as the "break" many need to get back their lives back.

This book is bleak, brutal and honest, not an NPR report or glossy magazine article, no music, no sentimentality. Instead, it invites us into this world, if we dare, and performs an act of spiritual grace: it brings us closer to those suffering among us. It begs the ancient question: "how can a rich man make it to heaven?" The same can be asked of a rich nation. We can only hope that readers try to answer.

I wouldn't call myself a big fan of poetry in general. But this book does for me what Bukowski did years ago: It makes me interested in a medium that I otherwise ignor. What moves me about Swearingen's work is the honesty of his line - same with Buk. But I would say that Street milk surpasses much of what Bukowski did, because in Swearingen's line - there's more weight. Bukowski's line was clean, but Swearingen's is also full. Perhaps he's a bit more honest than old Buk was. Anyway, definately check this book out.

this is a true tale of urban renewal and in 1966 maybe that was a pretty new concept. This childrens story is a wonderful tale of love and respect for where we live and how to make it better. Nice book and a must have if you should happen to live on 94th street.

'Street People,' comprising Paul Perry's award-winning short stories in an arresting collection, is a poignant look at folks whose homes are wherever they are. The stories are not maudlin or oversympathetic, nor are they unnecessarily aesthetic. They are simply presented. And they are teeming with life. People blessed with four walls and a roof, count your blessings. Perry brings to absolute life the stark, matter of fact existences of the homeless, the wanderer, the seeker, the down-and-out. He's a good writer and his subject matter is compelling, but most of all, he's a great storyteller. From the homeless pair whose frustration is laid bare when their dead acquaintance's body lies ignored by the side of the highway for days, to the prostitute who carries her pimp's baby, to the simple act of sheltering in an abandoned automobile on a cold night, these stories touched a deep chord in me. I deeply appreciated that Perry gives these folks, through 'Street People,' credible and legitimate voice. Three cheers for Pocol Press of Virginia, which has begun to anthologize the work of some very talented emerging writers. Support this press and pick up Paul Perry's book -- you'll be pleased on a number of levels that you did.

The book Street People, by Janet Beller, is a bittersweet and respectful look at some of the eccentrics who frequented the streets of New York City in the late 1970s. Here are charming "bag ladies," street musicians, sidewalk panhandlers and preachers--each with a fascinating story. The skillful black and white photographs are accompanied by a brief biography of each subject. I remember most of these characters from my twenties in NYC, and I'm very glad to have this book in my library.

Serena is one those new writers to keep an eye on. Her new, and first, book is great and I look forward to many more.

Build your own custom street rod from start to finish with the aid of advice from master rodder Frank Oddo, who has revised and updated his best-selling The Street Rodder's Handbook to include the latest information on outfitting a street rod. From making the choice between vintage or repro to chassis and engine options and different installation possibilities, The Street Rodder's Handbook covers virtually anything a builder would need to know. Highly recommended.

If you are in sales,and you are not getting the results you want.This book, IF STUDIED... can help you, become a top producer...You will still have to work hard, BUT the rewards will be worth it...The book is very concise,yet extremely comprehensive.It is also a good read so don,t underestimate the value of this 207 page paperback.