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by Christopher MacDonald (Author), Dan Kassis (With)
How does an educated, upper-middle-class internet executive with a family and a bright future react when plunged into a seven-year vortex of homelessness from which he can find no escape? In eleven cities across all three West Coast states, this former journalist had the sense to document his terrifying, hilarious, transformative experiences over those years, culminating in running a homeless tent city in one of West Oakland's most dangerous locations.
Christopher MacDonald takes us on a firsthand riches-to-rags journey that explores our fears and assumptions about homelessness, the systems and machinations that prevent real solutions, and the people on the streets whose lives hang in the balance. MacDonald's story is one of being reeducated through experience, changed from an insulated fearful man into one able to use confrontational nonviolence to save lives.
Every moment is true, and every lesson learned helps answer real questions about homelessness from the inside out, avoiding overly simplistic assumptions to get at the heart of addiction and mental illness. MacDonald's life shows us that there can be hope for the Homeless person but not without direct involvement from a caring community willing to look past the stigma and into the eyes of a human being made in God's image.
