Those Who Wander: America?s Lost Street Kids Kindle Edition

To be honest, I haven't finished this book yet and I'm not sure if I will. I am really interested in the subject and really wanted to like the book, but I really couldn't get into reading this. I was expecting more of a Truman Capote In Cold Blood style dissection of the crimes and the lives of the killers. The first several chapters repetitively chanted rhetoric about the importance of treating street kids like people who deserved to be saved - I don' t disagree there. But I didn't pick this book up to be convinced that homeless kids are an issue. I wanted to delve into the minds and lives of three young people that the world abused and abandoned. If I manage to keep pushing and find that it gets better, I'll write an update. But for now, all I can say is that I hate this journalists emotionally vacant story about her experience writing about the case and passionless statements about the country's homeless youth.

This was a great concept, but sadly the book reads like outlining notes. Lacking in depth and truly genuine contacts, the authors brief encounters with various street kids read like blurbs, not the true, in-depth meaningful insights into their reality that the book aimed for. The entire book seems like an introduction. It kept me reading in hopes of the stories fleshing out and actually giving intimate glimpses into life on the streets. But it just never happened.

This is a long journalistic story. I don't remember if it was considered a nonfiction book or not, but it is not. There are notes, but limited and primarily newspaper articles. NO parallel events, details, time, or much to make the story real. Two impressions that I read over and over again.1) It's the fault of the parents/guardians and drugs. Definitely not the kids; save them! 2) We as a society must help them.Ms. Ho never learned after all her effort and risk-taking that only the "lost street kids" can help themselves change when they are ready.

Although the book relates the stories of Lila Scott Alligood, Morrison Haze Lampley, and Sean Michael Angold, author Vivian Ho uses their experiences as a jumping-off point to offer a look at a serious problem: homelessness, and primarily for those who are not yet considered adults. Alligood, Lampley, and Angold are all serving time for the murders of Audrey Carey and Steve Carter. Ms. Ho doesn’t excuse their crimes. Rather, she delves into the myriad causes, how all the smaller instances can lead up to actions most people find difficult to comprehend. During the journey, the author ventures into a different world, that of the homeless children (sometimes referred to as “dirty kids”). She presents the material as facts, never writing to pull at the reader’s heartstrings; instead, the author presents her findings and allows us to determine our own final thoughts.Ms. Ho’s writing is descriptive and to the point. At times the book reads like a novel, as the author offers a range of details to help us understand. For instance, we learn about “Haze” Lampley’s childhood from both his mother and mother-in-law (Lampley lived with his father from age 7 to 12). The stories conflict, both blaming the other for Lampley’s behavior and at times it is difficult for the parties to agree even on the simplest of events. To her credit, Ms. Ho presents each side and ultimately allows the reader to filter through the stories and come up with their own conclusions.The author was not content to fill up her book with background details from newspapers, magazines, and other books. To her credit, she “got her hands dirty” by meeting face-to-face with homeless youths and those who work with them, conducting these visits in the subjects’ own environments. This allowed a realistic picture to be drawn from Ms. Ho’s own experiences, injecting the book with a subtle power that resonates throughout the chapters. She allows herself to be a conduit for the people who have experienced homelessness, both those who have found their way to a safer place and for those who still call the streets their home. An enlightening, sobering read. Recommended. Five stars.

I just really can’t put into words, how deeply I was touched by this book.I come from an abusive childhood and a drug addicted twenties.Wanted to live in the streets when I was 14 to run away from an adopted home. Got caught by police. Never imagine what life has in store at that age, you just want to leave. I’m so grateful I did. There is hope and there are people who care for awhile at least, at least back then. Now after 13 years sober and finally with open eyes I’m grateful for all I went through because as Momo says No one else could have, it would have destroyed most women and men. Thank you for this. I often wonder what would have happened if I would’ve never gotten away from my dad at age 11. Then the adopted home at 14. Would I have been in your book or dead? Thank God for second and third chances and rock bottom.

Sehr bewegendes Buch! Zu empfehlen!