Lee Stringer's writing so impressed me that I began sharing it with students in my writing courses to illustrate a variety of points--the power of emotion in honest writing, the plight of the homeless in a rich country, the power of writing to pull a soul from the mire. If my introduction doesn't tempt you to read this book, Kurt Vonnegut's will.

In this short book, Stringer tells his street stories which have the power to make a grown man swear and choke back tears at the same time; I've witnessed this myself more than once. This book is written with a mix of grit and fragmented paragraphs to produce an amazingly unique style that illustrates the dark and haunted caverns in the writer's mind. Stringer found his way off of drugs and mean streets by writing about his experiences and sharing them in the homeless publication Street News which he later went on to edit. His stories are raw and loud.

This country cares too little for its disenfranchised, and too easily looks away from the homeless and downtrodden (Stringer says,"They see only a phenomenon to which they have already adjusted"). Stringer's words will thread readers' hearts with the compassion they require to truly live an examined life in the USA. And besides, the guy is so quotable: "It's the guilt, fear, and stones in your own heart that take you down;" or "Heroism, as I see it, requires a deliberate decision to assume avoidable risks specifically--not incidentally--for the sake of another." Stringer's is an important voice. Do not miss this book.

Lee Stringer doesn't coddle the reader with sentimental babble about what it is like to be homeless. Other books and authors have done that job. He tells his story without apology or sociological mumbo jumbo. He tells it staight.And sometimes when the truth hits you it is hard to take.

Grand Central Winter is Stringer's story of his life and those of selected aquaintances on the streets of New York. A love affair with crack cocaine resulted in him becoming jobless and homeless thus joining a culture reviled and rendered invisible by the mainstream. From Lee's report we see those who are homeless from a wider perspective. Some are addicts to drugs and alcohol, others are former residents of mental institutions that have been closed and still others are trying to make it out of their situation but find themselves in a Catch 22 merry-go-round. The "homeless" are a diverse and wide group.

You will find yourself laughing at some of the escapades that Lee encounters. You will get angry at the government bureaucracy and "charity" agencies that are more concerned in keeping the homeless invisible rather than attacking the problems of homelessness.

Stringer doesn't make himself into a hero nor does he do the same with the people he meets. You see all of their faults but you begin to respect those who keep trying and revile the ones who attempt to exploit the homeless for political or social engineering reasons.

By reading this book you will get a much clearer picture of the complexity of homelessness. Lee doesn't claim to have the answer nor does he make himself the poster boy for the homeless. He forces you to wake up in his sharp and unardoned prose. Look at these people that you pass every day. They are subjects of concern not objects to be trashed. Read this challenging book and awaken yourself to action.

My view of the homeless people I encounter will change as a result of reading Stringer's tale, and I suppose shattering the ignorant, apathetic, uninformed myths I believed is reason enough to read it. Stringer forces the reader to view the homeless as real people, with pasts and stories to tell and reasons for being in their predicament. He is sharp and creative in his attempts to stay fed, clothed and sheltered. He must be. He shows hope, which I once believed many homeless men and women to be without. He describes the homeless as people desperately trying to be alone, which is one of those nuggets that makes you put the book down and really think it through. Bravo to Stringer for not only showing the world what he has been through and overcome, but for doing it eloquently and firmly. My only real criticism of the book is its length (or lack thereof). For twenty bucks, I'm expecting smaller type, smaller leading and, in general, more.

Every English major has one writer who is responsible for their journey into the field. I have two: Muriel Spark and Kurt Vonnegut. I am not the kind of guy who walks around pretending to be a writer; I am no writer. I do, however, love to read about what makes writers tick, what inspires them to write. This is one of the reasons I picked up this tiny book--I hoped it would give me some insight. I didn't. The conversations, at times, are interesting. But it wasn't worth the cash I shelled out for the 79 pages. If this had of appeared in a magazine, I would have read it and not whined. If this had appeared in a magazine, I wouldn't have wasted over 10 bucks.

Anything by Kurt Vonnegut is good! Well almost anything. I was attracted to this gem featuring two authors of different generations conversing about the meaning of writing in their lives. I expected an enlightening tome that would set my mind to thinking and provide me with new insight.

Neither happened. Vonnegut and Stringer are good writers but these interviews just didn't come off well in print. A question is raised as to what the two writers had in common. Stringer gave some good points but Vonnegut rambled on into the wild blue yonder. Of the two, Stringer appeared to stay focused on the questions and provided the reader with insight as to how writing impacted on his life and freed him from his own internal demons.

As a collector's item in your Vonnegut library, yes, do indeed purchase it. If you want something more in depth with Vonnegut and Stringer read their works. This text just doesn't get to the heart of their writing world.

In this slight volume (only 46 actual pages of transcribed talk), Vonnegut, the novelist, and Stringer, who wrote a book of memoir essays, carry on an enthusiastic conversation about why and how they write. This seems one of those brief dips into the psyche of very good authors that can be so motivating to all of us at various stages of our careers, no matter what we write or aspire to write. Vonnegut and Stringer are both passsionate about their work. The latter tells of how he realized he could write by describing his first extended flow experience, when he decided to use his pencil, which he otherwise normally used as a drug implement (to push screens into his pipe) to write. After five hours of nonstop focus, he realized this was something, besides seeking drug highs, that he could really do well. They both talk about the primary importance of answering the big questions for themselves in their writing, and how publishing the results is almost an afterthought. Reminding us that even nonfiction authors write to find out where we're going, Stringer says, "I had a lot of fun trying to figure out how I was going to fill up these pages, and then, convinced that I'm not going to figure it out, bingo! something happens. It's like shaking hands with God." There may not be a lot to read here, but it's on target and REAL.

Susan K. Perry, author of the bestselling WRITING IN FLOW