The Place I Call Home: Voices and Faces of Homeless Teens

Created by student investigators, this collection of interviews with thirty-one homeless young people detail the horrors and abuse experienced while living on the streets

Grade 9 Up-- Thirty-one homeless young people, ranging in age from 14 to 22, were interviewed and taped by student investigators involved in a special project in 1989; this book is a result of that project. Features include a glossary of current street slang, an annotated bibliography, and a list of agencies that offer help for specific problems. Each of the 31 interviews is preceded by a black-and-white photograph of a young adult, but the introduction states that these photos may be substitutes to protect the teens' identities. The quality of these photos is very poor. Ranging in length from two to three pages, each of the narratives is a horror story of abuse, neglect, and/or desertion. The abuse varies only in type, from sexual to substance to emotional, and back again. The details that become repetitive are the same details that give this collection its poignancy. Some of these abused young people seem to combine a crazy mix of cynicism and hope about their respective situations, while others are beyond hope of any kind. Useful as a source of primary material for high school researchers, the book delivers real emotional impact as it paints vivid images of the horrific lives lived by too many young Americans. --Rosie Peasley, Somerset School, Modesto, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Endorsed by the National Coalition for the Homeless, this unusual item--31 vignettes narrated by homeless teenagers, a list of hotline numbers, an annotated bibliography usefully tailored for teenagers, and a glossary of street slang--presents a moving and browsable portrait of an explosive group. A large black-and-white photograph of the narrator accompanies each vignette and speaks nearly as eloquently as the text, which is uniformly strong. Every teenager featured does not qualify as a victim; a few stories show just how easy it is to slip into a life of crime. Professionals in the field will be all too familiar with the concerns and complaints chronicled, but laypersons will receive a very personal introduction to the lifestyle and the tragedy. Highly recommended for institutional, high school, and public libraries.
- Christy Zlatos, Northeastern Univ. Libs., Boston
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.