Surviving on the Street: How to Go Down Without Going Out

Even if you've never been homeless, and have little chance of ever becoming homeless, you will still enjoy this book. Beyond it's "how-to guide" format, it's a great read on so many levels. First, it will make you think about your modern American existence in a whole new way. Secondly, it will give you an interesting counterpoint to whatever your current view is of the "homeless situation." Plus, Ace knows how to tell a story. Many of his anecdotes will have you laughing out loud...especially if you've ever spent any time in Berkeley. His likable personality shines through in his writing style, which is intelligent, sardonic, somewhat bitter, and witty. Those who are using this review space to trash homeless people have obviously not read this book. Ace Backwords does not promote "free-loading," "trashing public property," or "scamming people." He writes about using your wits to survive, in an interesting and intelligent way. Even if you don't agree with everything he has to say, you will still enjoy the book and want to talk about it with your friends. Read it, pass it on, and have an interesting conversation.

Ace Backwards is a great writer, very funny and in his own way, a very brave, honest, patriotic American. I came across his Zine Twisted Image and corresponded with him in the early 1990s. He wrote about controversial issues like Holocaust Revisionism, the LA race riots after Rodney King, the first Gulf War against Iraq and Ace was very honest about writing who was behind that one leading up to this next one. Does anyone know if Ace Backwards is alive? Well?

Truly inspiring account of life on the streets. Ace tells it like it us and doesn't sugarcoat or fabricate details to get better ratings. Although I have a permanent place to call home, I found his book very informational and helpful to all walks of life. A "dumpster diver" myself, I can't get enough of diving stories! People should be ashamed of themselves for all the waste they create! I take that back, bless the wasteful, selfish people of the world for giving my life a purpose! To all those found at the bottom of a can, I commend you for doing what you do! Keep up the good work Ace! You are my new hero! :)

I've been an Ace Backwords fan since the days of his legendary "Twisted Image" comics. In this volume Ace tells us what it's REALLY like to be homeless in the Bay Area from personal experience. This is autobiography, not journalism or "participant observation," as the anthropologists call it. Ace pulls no punches, describing both the horrors and the joys (yes, there are many) of living on the streets. His stories can be both touching and hillarious, and he offers lots of practical advice to people caught down on their luck. Some is very Politically Incorrect, but when you have to survive by your gut instincts, rhetoric ceases to be important. If you're looking for a portrayal of homelessness to reimforce your own thoughts on the problem, be they flaming liberal or neo-fascist, you WON'T find it here! While Ace is strong on story-telling and practical advice, he's not so good at sociological analysis or epidemiology. Ace should research such matters a little more carefully before making blanket statements about cause and effect with social problems. One of the firs things on learns in Research 101 is "correlation does not necessarily indicate causation." These problems aside, this is a great, quick read.

Surviving On The Street: How To Go Down Without Going Out by "street smart" author Ace Backwords is a straightforward, no-nonsense, "user friendly" guide to the rough realities of surviving without a home. From finding places to sleep, to coping with bad weather, to procuring food, to getting oneself off the street, Surviving on the Street is extremely practical. It is also an effective, informed and informative warning to the reader of the dangers to avoid, as well as offering the safe-at-home-yet-curious soul of what it really is like to be out there on the streets. With the rising numbers of homeless and "street people" in our cities and towns, Surviving On The Street is a strongly recommended addition to community library and community center reference collections.