Voices from the Street: Truths about Homelessness from Sisters of the Road

I was expecting a book with interviews of homeless people. This book is more complex than that. It contains short excerpts of interviews which are grouped under subjects pertaining to homelessness, plus interviewer notes, narrator observations, illustrations, and other extras. No single voice dominates the book or even a portion of the book. Look for Genny Nelson's powerful introduction and chapter introductions. I thought I had some answers to the question of why people are homeless. I've got fewer answers now, and a lot more compassion for the folks that I see every day. This is a good book recommendation for the person who begins a sentence with "All homeless people..."

This book is extremely unique with a compilation of hundreds of different quotes from the homeless. This is the most frank, non-sugar coated perspective of this issue I've ever read. This completely changed my own views, especially the chapter about the reasons people were out there on the street. After reading this I'm a lot more sensitive to why this problem persists. Great read!

This book can be hard to read but it is full of beautiful stories, sad and touching. I had the honor of reading snippets before it went to press and was struck by many of the passages.

I helped out with the later results of Sisters' research, the Photovoice Project, where photographers (some of them participants in the research) were given cameras to document their lives on the streets. You can see some of the photos in this book. Buying this book, you will read and see incredible things. Sisters is dedicated to telling the truth in a non-violent and gently personal manner. You will not regret reading about the lives of the men and women of Portland's streets...

I was touched by the voices in this book. Some of the narrators seem reliable; some do not. All of them echo the same sentiment: they feel invisible to us, to our society. It reshaped the way I react to those I pass who stand on street corners or occasionally speak to you as you walk through downtown Portland.