Waiting for Nothing, and Other Writings

Kromer's account of homelessness is so accurate and insightful that the reader is thrown into the despairing life of the narrator with nothing to hold onto. The mysterious and faceless narrator serves as the most useful tool in conveying the hopeless existance of the "hobo." Written using the slang true to his featured characters, Kromer has painted a truly acurate and at times disturbing portrait of life as a railriding begger. Take time to read his biographical information and decide for yourself if this novel is indeed fiction or not. I could say so much more, having studied and re-read the book for years, but space is limited.

Kromer's writing is impressive, in that it fully exposes the atmosphere of a "stiff" struggling to eat, sleep, not get caught and whisked away to jail. The vignettes of Waiting for Nothing are absorbing and keep you feeling cold and waiting for nothing with him. I highly recommend this book as a supplement to the history of the depression. It truly makes it more real.