We the Homeless: Portraits of America's Displaced People

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The homeless are to be found everywhere, huddled in doorways in exclusive neighborhoods, taking shelter in public buidings and swelling the populations of ``shabbytowns.'' Hollyman traveled throughout the U.S., compiling the visual record that makes up this powerful book. The faces in her photographsbewildered, saddened, bearing the stamp of chronic povertyare poignant symbols of the new breed of homeless. Hollyman show us families encamped in Los Angeles's Depression-style ``Dustbowl Hilton''; a Vietnam veteran bedding down for the night beside the Lincoln Memorial; an elderly couple in the belonging-crammed car they call home. The informative text leads inescapably to the conclusion that homelessness is woven into the fabric of contemporary U.S. life. We're told that Vietnam veterans comprise 25% of this population, another 30% are families with small children; many have jobs but can't afford the high cost of housing; 50% are high-school graduates. This book succeeds as a compelling portrayal of the strength of the homeless depicted, their suffering and hopes. (September)