In this Book
- Shelter
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: University of Arizona Press
summary
Bobby Burns arrived in Tucson, Arizona, with a few dollars in his pocket and no place to live. Without family, without a job, he had nowhere to go but a homeless shelter. How did a college graduate find himself so close to life on the streets? In a voice that is startling for its simplicity and utter honesty, Burns tells the story of how he slipped into homelessness, how he learned what it means to live in a place where nobody will notice if you disappear, and how he emerged to tell his story. Bobby's diary of 41 days without a home brings readers into the world of a homeless shelter.
Shelter is filled with the sights and sounds of homelessness. Shelter life is patterned by meals provided by church volunteers, lines for soap and clean towels, the repeated meticulous washing of hands by an obsessive-compulsive resident, the rare pleasure of a fried chicken dinner, the illicit smell of marijuana within the shelter. Burns witnesses the residents' struggles with drugs, alcohol, and disability, and he wonders daily whether he will have the courage to emerge from this life. Bobby's diary expresses the full range of emotions of a homeless person: anger, self-pity, pride, humility, shame, depression, and optimism. These are not contradictions; taken together they represent the real feelings provoked by homelessness.
But with rare inner courage, Bobby stokes the fires of hope within himself, marking the days in his journal to keep himself from sliding deeper into a spiral of despair. Bobby confronts his own stereotypes about the homeless and learns firsthand what it means to struggle daily for survival and for dignity. He learns greater courage and he learns greater kindness. He is given food and a bed for 41 days, but he finds shelter on his own, deep within himself.
Shelter is filled with the sights and sounds of homelessness. Shelter life is patterned by meals provided by church volunteers, lines for soap and clean towels, the repeated meticulous washing of hands by an obsessive-compulsive resident, the rare pleasure of a fried chicken dinner, the illicit smell of marijuana within the shelter. Burns witnesses the residents' struggles with drugs, alcohol, and disability, and he wonders daily whether he will have the courage to emerge from this life. Bobby's diary expresses the full range of emotions of a homeless person: anger, self-pity, pride, humility, shame, depression, and optimism. These are not contradictions; taken together they represent the real feelings provoked by homelessness.
But with rare inner courage, Bobby stokes the fires of hope within himself, marking the days in his journal to keep himself from sliding deeper into a spiral of despair. Bobby confronts his own stereotypes about the homeless and learns firsthand what it means to struggle daily for survival and for dignity. He learns greater courage and he learns greater kindness. He is given food and a bed for 41 days, but he finds shelter on his own, deep within himself.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- acknowledgements
- pp. 11-12
- shelter diary
- thursday, day 1
- pp. 15-18
- friday, day 2
- pp. 19-22
- saturday, day 3
- pp. 23-24
- sunday, day 4
- pp. 25-31
- tuesday, day 6
- pp. 32-35
- wednesday, day 7
- pp. 36-40
- thursday, day 8
- pp. 41-44
- friday, day 9
- pp. 45-47
- saturday, day 10
- pp. 48-49
- sunday, day 11
- pp. 50-51
- monday, day 12
- pp. 52-53
- tuesday, day 13
- pp. 54-55
- wednesday, day 14
- pp. 56-58
- thursday, day 15
- pp. 59-61
- friday, day 16
- pp. 62-65
- saturday, day 17
- pp. 66-68
- sunday, day 18
- pp. 69-72
- monday, day 19
- pp. 73-74
- tuesday, day 20
- pp. 75-78
- wednesday, day 21
- pp. 79-81
- thursday, day 22
- pp. 82-83
- friday, day 23
- pp. 84-85
- saturday, day 24
- pp. 86-88
- sunday, day 25
- p. 89
- monday, day 26
- pp. 90-91
- tuesday, day 27
- pp. 92-94
- wednesday, day 28
- pp. 95-96
- thursday, day 29
- pp. 97-98
- friday, day 30
- pp. 99-100
- saturday, day 31
- pp. 101-102
- sunday, day 32
- pp. 103-104
- monday, day 33
- pp. 105-107
- tuesday, day 34
- pp. 108-109
- wednesday, day 35
- pp. 110-112
- thursday, day 36
- pp. 113-114
- friday, day 37
- pp. 115-117
- saturday, day 38
- pp. 118-119
- sunday, day 39
- pp. 120-121
- monday, day 40
- pp. 122-123
- tuesday, day 41
- pp. 124-126
- wednesday, day 42, last day
- pp. 127-130
- About the Author
- p. 139
Additional Information
ISBN
9780816536474
Related ISBN(s)
9780816518616, 9780816518623
MARC Record
OCLC
1016795206
Pages
139
Launched on MUSE
2018-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
1998