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A review by marilynw
At the Edge of the Haight by Katherine Seligman
3.0
At the Edge of the Haight by Katherine Seligman
At the Edge of the Haight follows twenty year old homeless Maddy Donaldo as she comes across a dying young man, while the murderer is still standing near his body. Homeless life is fraught with perils and being seen by a murderer just adds to Maddy's fears and worries. Yet for as dangerous, unpredictable, and uncomfortable as being homeless in the area of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park must be, life for Maddy, her friends and her acquaintances, almost comes across as truant teenagers/young adults spending too much time loafing around a mall, waiting to be chased off by the security guards who make their rounds each shift.
Maddy and her friends are very intelligent and creative but as this story relates their lives, they have a chance to take advantage of a myriad of resources, safety nets, and handouts that are designed to bring them in off the streets and start on a more independent path to life, and they seem to take advantage of those things when it's convenient or when they make an effort to be in the right place at the right time . These young people seem to see their homelessness as being independent and not allowing others to tell them what to do but don't face that really living in a way that allows you take care of yourself (and maybe take care of a family, in the future) comes with rules and guidelines that are best followed, to achieve true independence from handouts and a life of never knowing where your next meal will come from, where you will sleep/squat for the night.
The writing of this story is very good and I cared about, not only Maddy and her friends, but for those who try to help Maddy and the other homeless people. There are people trying so hard to change Maddy's life for the better but it seems almost impossible when Maddy and those she spends time with, reject the opportunities that are offered, over and over. There is so much more going on with the plight of homelessness but this story makes it seem less dire than the real life situation. It seems that this book is aimed more at young teens/young adults and that could be why it's written in a less gritty manner than reality might dictate, but I think it's a disservice to the real thing when it seems to almost be glamorized.
Publication date: January 19, 2021
Thank you to Algonquin Books/Workman and Edelweiss for this ARC.
At the Edge of the Haight follows twenty year old homeless Maddy Donaldo as she comes across a dying young man, while the murderer is still standing near his body. Homeless life is fraught with perils and being seen by a murderer just adds to Maddy's fears and worries. Yet for as dangerous, unpredictable, and uncomfortable as being homeless in the area of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park must be, life for Maddy, her friends and her acquaintances, almost comes across as truant teenagers/young adults spending too much time loafing around a mall, waiting to be chased off by the security guards who make their rounds each shift.
Maddy and her friends are very intelligent and creative but as this story relates their lives, they have a chance to take advantage of a myriad of resources, safety nets, and handouts that are designed to bring them in off the streets and start on a more independent path to life, and they seem to take advantage of those things when it's convenient or when they make an effort to be in the right place at the right time . These young people seem to see their homelessness as being independent and not allowing others to tell them what to do but don't face that really living in a way that allows you take care of yourself (and maybe take care of a family, in the future) comes with rules and guidelines that are best followed, to achieve true independence from handouts and a life of never knowing where your next meal will come from, where you will sleep/squat for the night.
The writing of this story is very good and I cared about, not only Maddy and her friends, but for those who try to help Maddy and the other homeless people. There are people trying so hard to change Maddy's life for the better but it seems almost impossible when Maddy and those she spends time with, reject the opportunities that are offered, over and over. There is so much more going on with the plight of homelessness but this story makes it seem less dire than the real life situation. It seems that this book is aimed more at young teens/young adults and that could be why it's written in a less gritty manner than reality might dictate, but I think it's a disservice to the real thing when it seems to almost be glamorized.
Publication date: January 19, 2021
Thank you to Algonquin Books/Workman and Edelweiss for this ARC.