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Down and Out, on the Road

The Homeless in American History

Kenneth L Kusmer author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:22nd May '03

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Down and Out, on the Road cover

Covering the entire period from the colonial era to the late twentieth century, this book is the first scholarly history of the homeless in America. Drawing on sources that include records of charitable organizations, sociological studies, and numerous memoirs of formerly homeless persons, Kusmer demonstrates that the homeless have been a significant presence on the American scene for over two hundred years. He probes the history of homelessness from a variety of angles, showing why people become homeless; how charities and public authorities dealt with this social problem; and the diverse ways in which different class, ethnic, and racial groups perceived and responded to homelessness. Kusmer demonstrates that, despite the common perception of the homeless as a deviant group, they have always had much in common with the average American. Focusing on the millions who suffered downward mobility, Down and Out, On the Road provides a unique view of the evolution of American society and raises disturbing questions about the repeated failure to face and solve the problem of homelessness.

"It is a pleasure to announce that the homeless, who have so little else, have at least gained in Kenneth L. Kusmer's excellent Down and out, on the Road, a history of their own."--Barbara Ehrenreich, The New York Times Book Review
"one of the most fascinating books I've ever read"--Martin F. Nolan, The San Francisco Examiner
Anyone who thinks homelessness only hit record levels over the past two decades needs to read this book. History does repeat itself when it comes to homelessness and how society responds to it. Today's "war on homelessness and welfare recipients" has historical parallels.--Michael Stoops, National Coalition for the Homeless
"Homelessness is not only a contemporary phenomenon in the U.S. according to this well-researched and engrossing history.... Kusmer is at his best when describing the specifics of people's lives...drawing upon sociological studies, reports from charitable institutions, the novels of William Dean Howells and Stephen Crane, and the music of blues writer and singer Ida Cox, Kusmer has produced a book that is highly engaging, emotionally absorbing, and historically consequential."--Publishers Weekly

ISBN: 9780195160963

Dimensions: 163mm x 230mm x 23mm

Weight: 494g

360 pages