The Proud and the Immortal - Softcover

Oswald Rivera

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1882190742 ISBN 13: 9781882190744

Publisher: Polar Bear & Company, 2003

Synopsis

This classic novel takes us into the world of a homeless community living in disused Amtrak train tunnels under the city of New York. Oswald Rivera'ss realism depicts the plight of the homeless and how they are caught in a battle they never intended to have to fight. The novel shows how they are misconceived by the public and by themselves, and just how much they are the same as you or I. With warmth and humor his story shares important insights into a problem that is all of ours that needs to be solved. A society is judged in history by the level of humanity it exhibits, his book questions how civilized we are.

About this title

From the Publisher

A realistic novel about a community living under the streets of New York City — a story told with warmth and humor.

Foreword by Dylan Fuller & Zoey Foster

As university students taking part in various community service programs, we have observed the inner workings of this shared catastrophe and spent significant time working hands-on with individuals afflicted by hunger, poverty and homelessness. We have been fortunate to be a part of many comprehensive experiences in shelters and soup kitchens and have enjoyed engaging in encounters with the many remarkable people who live in poverty in New York City. Our study in service is a process that combines knowledge of the facts profiling the homeless dilemma with a larger depth of understanding gained through exposure to the fundamental humanity we all share as citizens of a nation. Ultimately, this service need not be a matter of what "we" (the privileged) can offer "them" (the underprivileged) but a matter of relating to people as people and using our collective ideas, choices and perspectives to educate ourselves and those around us on a multifaceted problem which correlates strongly with our multifaceted society. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that this is indeed a society that belongs to all of us. It is our problem; our education will bring understanding, our understanding will facilitate a solution.

In developing this process we must call for resources. We will require educational tools by which every person, despite class, race or gender, will come to an equitable and informed understanding of the systems in which we are a part. Oswald Rivera's book is indispensable as one of these resources. Simply put, Mr. Rivera sheds humanistic light on the homeless condition. The Proud and the Immortal is a stepping stone on a path towards the education of our country on the crisis of homelessness. His book is the voice for a culture of real people in real need. Rivera has written an informative and honest novel that depicts the fundamental realities of the vulnerability to the outer world, strength from the inner world, and the constant courage that encompasses the lives of the downtrodden and homeless.

For those of us in comparatively privileged economic—albeit middleclass—situations, it is easy to focus on the financial struggles presented to us as standard expectations of America's working population (i.e. college, career, children, property, cars, etc.) It is in turn just as easy to feel that we should not be held accountable for the mistakes and misfortunes of others and it is therefore not our duty to cope with the suffering we live amidst.

The crisis of homelessness in our nation is a growing issue of which many of us are often misinformed and unaware. Homelessness and its role in the United States is not getting as much attention and examination as its severity warrants. Its trend is undeniably widespread. We are accustomed to the presence of a homeless faction and have become desensitized to the sights of homeless and hungry people. What we may not realize, however, is the seriousness of this rising social calamity and the extent to which it exists. It is a crisis of sociological, as well as political, concern. The lack of resources available to those living in destitution is enabled by a society that, in its structure, is ill-equipped to facilitate change. For the homeless individual the challenge of rising out of poverty and homelessness is a lengthy, complex and arduous process. In our research of statistics we have found that in no state does a full-time minimum-wage job cover the costs of a one-bedroom unit at Fair Market Rent. In addition to this, it is also known that families make up 78 percent of New York City's homeless shelter population. More than one in four children in the city currently lives in poverty, a typical homeless child being under the age of five. It is easy to see that in many cases, and especially for children or other unemployable persons, even the imminent solutions offered by state and traditional social service programs are temporary and inadequate. Other proposed solutions for long-term prevention of homelessness and hunger often do not manifest due to lack of funding and support. Though over 38,000 homeless individuals in New York City use the city's shelter system each day, and thousands more hungry people receive their daily meals from soup kitchens and food pantries, every day these establishments collectively turn away over 2,500 people.

In a country built and based on doctrines of prosperity, freedom and equality, the realities of homelessness may be a bitter pill to swallow for the politically powerful. However, the hard truth remains that homeless people are, by majority, unable to enjoy or even experience the fundamental American freedoms of speech, religion, freedom from fear, and freedom from want.

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All statistics from: The National Coalition for the Homeless, updated May 2003; New York Times, 2002; Hunger Action Network of New York State, 1999; New York City Coalition Against Hunger, 1998.

About the Author

Oswald Rivera's professional experience, decorated military service, including the Purple Heart, and wide-ranging knowledge of the human condition can be found in his two novels, The Proud and the Immortal and Fire and Rain: A Novel of Vietnam. In addition to his novels, pursuing a lifelong culinary passion, Rivera has written two cookbooks: Puerto Rican Cuisine in America: Nuyorican and Bodega Recipes and The Pharaoh's Feast, a history of cuisine. He lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: Polar Bear & Company
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1882190742
• ISBN 13: 9781882190744
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368