Nietzke enters into a dialogue with her characters, the inhabitants of the edge of America. Leaning into the waves, propelled from across the country she collects and transmits the stories of the people of the foreground and background of the mural that is Venice, California. She describes those in her adopted community with an unusual degree of insight and compassion. As they are timeless so are her stories of them and, one presumes, of herself among them - a woman who has taken up the great challenge of writing her own life.

I was touched by this book. If there were more Ann Nietzkes in the world, the world would definately be a better place. It is always so easy to look the other way, Ann didn't. To the author, thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Ann Nietzke provides a portrait of homeless life on the street through her direct experience with a woman named Natalie. Nietzke creates a relationship with Natalie, who has a mental illness, most likely schizophrena. Through Nietzke's daily journal accounts, readers see the stark realities of homelessness: the struggle for food, clothing, retaining possessions, and the struggle for personl safety. In Natalie's case and many others like her's, the life struggle includes her gender, her age, and the distortion of delusions and hallucinations from her untreated mental illness.

This book is disturbing at times, which is where its value lies. Homelessness is ugly. This book lets us who always have had a place to live inside, sheltered,know what is involved in the struggle for the homeless individual. After reading this book, it is clear that the answer is not simple, particularly when mental illness is part of the picture.