The Emptiness Of Our Hands A Lent Lived On The Streets - by Phyllis Cole-Dai and James Murray

I'm not certain what possessed the author and her friend, James, to spend Lent as homeless people, on the streets of Ohio, but her book about her experience personalizes a very real problem here in the United States - homelessness. Forty days on the streets, with no money, no place to stay, and only the multiple layers of clothes on their back transforms these two suburbanites from academics, with a desire to learn more about the homeless plight, to people who have lived an existence that few others can even imagine.

There are no answers in this book. No solutions to the homelessness crises given. In fact, more questions are presented than when I first opened the book. What can truly be done to help a segment of society that have found themselves in such dire straits? More complexing, what can be done when these individuals really don't want help? I gained a new understanding of the depth of the homeless problem, here in America, and I found with that understanding came frustration from not knowing what should be done. However, there is one saving grace in this book, beyond the poignant account itself, it's a lesson in compassion that is nearly as valuable as solutions. In the end, this is a humbling book written by a brave woman who is far stronger than I.