Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder

In this world there are people who will make a direct difference in peoples' lives and in the lives of those who only know them through the words of those who write about them. Tracy Kidder has written the most incredible book about Dr. Jim O'Connell and his effort to mitigate the homeless situation in Boston. It is an eye-opening account of O'Commell and his almost saintly devotion to helping those who are in desperate need, physically, mentally, and socially - those who make their homes on street corners, ally ways, and door fronts - Rough Sleepers.

O'Connell has led the Boston Health Care for the Homeless since its inception in 1985. Harvard educated, he had completed his residency and was going to take a position in NYC when he was approached to become associated with the BHCFTH. He deferred his appointment at Sloan Kettering for a year. After that year, he realized where his true calling was. He had gone out 2 nights a week on the program's van and saw the wretched conditions under which so many were living. He and his colleagues treated disease, provided blankets, and gave food to those who were on the streets. 

Kidder also immerses himself into the life of O'Connell as he shadowed him for nearly three years. It is through Kidder's eyes that we are swept into the lives of the homeless and their plight. The reader meets those whom the doctor has helped and whose lives were firmly touched by him, especially Tony Colombo, who, despite being charged with attempted rape and being a drug addict, tries to help others in his same predicament. 

At times this is a very tough book to read. However, it is so uplifting to see what a difference one person can make in the lives of others. There is no one solution that will help alleviate the problem of the unhoused. Aa O'Connell and Kidder say it will require the devoted work of many agencies, especially the educational community. Without a well-compensated teacher's corps, there will be no end to it. Beyond that affordable housing, mental health care, and a shift in political focus all need to converge to help the plight of those Rough Sleepers. 

We were delighted to hear both Kidder and O'Connell speak at the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures 10 Evenings program. Their strong passion as evident from the stage as it is in the book. READ IT.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

The selection for our February book group was the debut novel by Charmaine Wilkerson. It was hard to tell to what the title referred, but at first glance, we anticipated a more culinary offering than what was the actual focus of the novel. 

It is really a story of relationships, self-identity, coincidences, and a bit of mystery. Benny and Byron, sister and brother have been estranged for a number of years. They are brought back together by the death of their mother, Eleanor,  who leaves them a tape that she recorded that shed light on her life and a black cake. It was also a means to illuminate the trouble that begins the book when she was a small girl, Covey grew up on a Caribbean island in the 1950s. Her mother had left her and her father, driven away by his drinking and gambling. Covey and her best friend, Bunny were swimmers and enjoyed the waters together. In order to settle debts, Covey's father, Lin, arranges a marriage between Covey and "Little Man" Henry. From the wedding day on, the book details how Covey escaped and found a new life in London, where she went to meet the real love of her life, Gibbs Grant.  

The first part of the book was rough going for me as I tried to sort out the characters and their relationships to each other. When the tape recording revealed the true identities of the characters, it became much more enjoyable and ended up being a real page-turner. Wilkerson masterfully weaves the characters and their relationships together for the reader. As she does that she also amalgamates the themes of feminism, resilience, racism, homophobia, friendship and family ties. The chapters were short and both time-shifted as well as locality-shifted. Once the characters' true identities were revealed, it was not difficult to follow. The solution to the mystery was revealed slowly, but resolved in the last chapter, as was disposition of the black cake

A good and interesting read.