Neighbors With No Doors: The Truth About Homelessness and How You Can Make a Difference by Josiah Haken

"Up until my mid twenties I judged people living on the streets.  I had the typical stereotypes, thinking that people were lazy or that they simply wanted to be homeless.  Josiah Haken's book is something I wish I'd read back then.  It would have been an eye opener for me."  Bob Dalton, podcaster and founder of Sackcloth & Ashes

As my kids and I pulled out of the driveway of the big old house we had called home for eight years, I had to face the very stark facts:  "we are without a place to live and have no foreseeable income."  My husband had left for Michigan a week prior with great intentions of finding a job.  In 1997 the word "homeless" was not a commonly used word, but in reality that's how I felt....we were heading back "home" to stay with my gracious parents until we could figure out what was next in our lives.  The acute feelings of failure, of despair, and of fear overshadowed the mental positive-outlook checklist I had created; we are capable, we will get jobs, we will find a place to live, we will survive.  Amazingly, those things did happen for us, but with over half a million estimated homeless people in the United States today it is obvious that not everyone gets the happy ending. 

Josiah Haken is the CEO of City Relief, a not for profit organization in New York City, working to help change the lives of the Unhoused community.  This compelling easy to read 150 page book debunks the popular myths that surround this group of people:  They are lazy. They are dangerous.  They are mentally ill.  They are druggies.  With over a decade of experience and wisdom in working on the streets of NYC, Josiah brings a compassionate plan to those of us who are confused with how to help in this seemingly hopeless situation.  He starts with the simple premise that we treat them with respect and dignity, advocating that even if we have nothing of monetary value to offer them, we look each one in the eye and greet them.  His standard introduction is, "Hi, I'm Josiah.  What's your name?"  He elaborates on this in his second section, Becoming a Good Neighbor:  "My ten years of working with homeless folks have taught me that asking for names are important, even if you don't get an answer.  Showing an interest in someone's identity as a human being always goes a long way.  But I've also learned that it's presumptuous to assume that a homeless person should give me their name before I offer my own."

Interspersed throughout his extremely helpful and insightful narrative are engaging anecdotes about the people he serves and how they have been assisted in acquiring jobs, in locating places to live and in discovering social service organizations that are tailored for each individual's needs.  I loved the closing section on "My Neighbors" with full page pictures and stories of ten of the guests who have become Josiah's friends.

After being challenged by Neighbors With No Doors, my plan for the upcoming Holiday season starts at Thanksgiving.  While sharing together the year's ups and downs with our guests at the bountiful table, I'm committed to a discussion on "Who can we bless?"  I want to describe my emotional journey with being briefly "unhoused" so they somewhat comprehend the myriad of feelings that our homeless neighbors experience on a daily basis.  Will you join me in this singular endeavor?  Read this book!  Let's bring our MOXIE and show the Kalamazoo Homeless Community that we care...with our gifts and service.

Fall Reads

Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft

A touching story.  Rose desires a life change with some adventure, as she is uncertain of her relationship with a fiance who seems untrustworthy.  After meeting five year old Walter, a multi-racial child living in London during World War II with his very kind dying aunt, Rose decides to accompany him on an across the world trip to Australia to re-unite him with his family at the aunt's very urgent request.  

Rose's deep, protective love for Walter is the defining foundation of this story; although the many well-developed characters found in the beautiful and vast Australian wilderness give the reader a satisfying sense that all will be well.

A new setting during World War II for me, and interesting to understand how the country from Down Under handled this period of history.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

I am always on the lookout for new novels by this author.  As I have mentioned before, Allen is a pro at magical realism.  There are probably many readers who might have issues with imaginary birds who befriend hurting young girls or with dead folks who hang around as ghosts, protecting their loved ones until they know they are progressing and dealing with their grief....but I'm not one of them.  I pick up these books to be enchanted, to get to know Allen's new characters who have anxieties and fears, and to see how this author weaves a story that always ends with happiness coming to the most broken.

"...Charlotte thought she understood why she loved this place so much...no one here had to be made up of what they used to."

It has been seven years since Allen's last book.  Finding out that she has battled cancer, and lost both her mother and sister endears me to her.  To find hope and bring joy to readers with her whimsical perspective is quite a feat when life brings such turmoil to your life.

The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson

Andrew Peterson has been a singer-songwriter-author for almost 30 years.  "Is He Worthy?" and "Dancing in the Minefields" are two songs that have particularly touched me. This devotional/memoir brought me to tears as he chronicles his ongoing love of trees, specifically and nature, generally.  His upbringing in IL and FL with his ministry parents is gut-wrenchingly honest.  Included are many drawings of the trees he has loved in various places around the world.  He is a planter of trees and flowers, a bee-keeper, a footpath walker.  And in the midst of his...at times anxiety ridden career, he always comes back to center:  the God of Creation draws us, never leaves us, comforts us, and calls us to commune with Him....particularly in His Creation.

 "Of all the places God-in-flesh could have chosen to live, he decided on a little corner of creation where people farmed, kept bees, cultivated grapes, fished, walked footpaths, and lived in close community.  He lived near to the earth, with an intimate awareness of the way things grew in their season, the way humans cultivated and cared for his creation."

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

As another reviewer observed, "The writing is so witty and brilliant.  There's a zing to it that makes it feel zippy and wholly original."  Yes, the writing continually made me smile, and I appreciated strong-willed, unusual Elizabeth Zott, a chemist in the '60's.  She is a problem solver, resilient, and well beyond persevering.  Her strong personality immediately puts her at odds with co-workers and management in the male-dominated culture of business.  But what really got my heart was her dog, Six-Thirty (so named because she found him on the streets at that particular hour!) and her daughter Mad ( Madeline).  Many chapter segments were written from each of their perspectives, and it made me wonder how the author could personalize their thoughts so well, and make a pet sound like a person!  

I had to rate this with a 3 out of 5 because the whole book speaks in science and chemistry language--this character was pretty focused!  At one point she becomes a famous TV cooking personality, using chemistry to explain her never-fail recipes.  This aspect of the book didn't seem to faze other readers, but I think my aversion to science (in particular to a terrible chemistry teacher) gave me a pre-conceived bad attitude.  All in all, it was pretty enjoyable.