Graffiti
November 23, 2012 in Books on Simple Living
Ever wonder about homeless people? I do. What is their story? What do they think of the world? Why are they homeless? What about the mental illness statistics? Is there something that can be done… is there something I can do?
I know there are lots of people hungry, cold, and hurting and I would like to help them.
I also know that it is a decent source of income to sit on the side of the road with a sign… and that lots of non-homeless people play the part.
But
I want to help them and try to help organizations and homeless shelters where I know the money is going to those really in need. But at the same time, I have to admit that I am scared of meeting or interacting with the individual people.
Alene Snodgrass felt a call and burden to work more with these people and she admits that she was scared as well. I had the chance to preview her book ‘Graffiti – scribbles from different sides of the street‘ this past week and loved it. The book is a shared project between her and Rick, a homeless man she met. Rick is a poet and great writer. The book goes back and forth between Alene and Rick as they talk about their life, both different, but in lots of ways very similar.
The books brings out, as much as we would like to draw barriers between different people, so much of what makes us who we are is very similar. We all have Graffiti scribbled on our hearts. It might be different colors, or scribbled on different sides of the track, but we all have graffiti.
I love seeing different perspectives and personalities and this book was an honest heart sharing from both Alene and Rick.
Want to get it for free?
I love letting you in on awesome deals for quality work and it doesn’t get much better than this. Graffiti is free through the end of Sunday!
Grab your free copy!
You can also check out the book website for more info.
I have a bunch of great book deals and giveaways coming up in the next few weeks. Great for winter reading 
Stay tuned.
Dear Lorilee, My son has schizophrenia and has ,at time, been homeless or very close to it. I won’t go into the particulars but the shelters/soup kitchens are lifesavers especially during the winter months. I support the Salvation Army and try to give them a turkey, at Christmas, to help with the meals they serve. I am happy to report that this year my son is living in an “apartment” but unfortunately has just lost his part time job, again. We always hope for the best, support as needed, and help share our concern for the homeless and the mentally ill… Thankyou for your post.
Thanks so much for sharing. Mental illness has got to be one of the worst things to both have personally or deal with in family members. I have friends at church who work with the Salvation Army and I would love to help with their work more in the future. They seem like such a great organization.
This books sounds a lot like a book I just finished called The Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall(art dealer) and Denver Moore(homeless). I loved it so I think I would really enjoy this one. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for allowing yourself to be used as a vessel for change and illumination on a subject that needs a real human heart put on it. I have already “bought” the book and look forward to reading it.
I have a friend who also had her eyes and heart opened to the needs of the homeless and she too did something about it. Here is a quote of introduction from the website of this not for profit organization called A Hat For Harold.
“Help provide micro grants to the homeless
Peer councils prioritize requests for transportation, skills training, certification renewals, and other basic needs that aren’t easily accommodated by traditional service organizations. $10, $25, or $50 can help eliminate an obstacle that would just be a nuisance for most. Help us provide this opportunity for empowerment, community, and accountability.”
http://www.ahatforharold.org/
They can also be found on facebook under the name of “A Hat for Harold”
Thanks so much for sharing. I will check it out
oh, that one sounds good too. I will look it up
I recently attended a play about homelessness called “STAND”. It traveled to different theaters around Middle Tennessee. It was very moving. Here’s the trailer:
somehow the trailer didn’t come through in the comment. If you get a chance to send it to me I would love to see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeJcks1IpSQ&feature=plcp
What about now?
got it this time
Looks really good!
This book sounds really good! Will put this in my book que. Thank you for posting it, I am always looking for good book recommendations.
me too! This one isn’t long but I enjoyed it
[...] 26, 2012 in Books on Simple Living Last week I brought you a pretty sweet deal (Graffiti was free). Free is pretty good, but I have to say that this deal is even [...]
I have a book list started for 2013 and just added this book to it! It looks truly inspiring. I have numerous people that have touched my life that have mental problems and have been homeless at one time or another. We can learn so much from the view from a different perspective. When I find myself judging others, I try to think of these same kind, loving people and remember that I will never know the whole story and my actions are unfair.
MarieG LifeSimplyBalanced.com