The Girl's Guide to Homelessness
Page 29
Acknowledgments
Extra special thanks to Chris Schelling, who walked me through this entire daunting process—and taught me how to write a book. I wish I could come up with a more fitting synonym than “thanks” to express my gratitude for your awesomeness. You, sir, are a rock star. Additional special thanks to Deb Brody, Shara Alexander, Alex Colon and everybody at Harlequin for all the work you’ve put into helping me improve and polish the manuscript. Phenomenal amounts of thanks to E. Jean Carroll for doing a complete stranger such a kindness, mentoring her and always telling it like it is…blunt and straight, but with gobs of compassion.
They say it takes a village to raise a child; I suppose for particularly difficult children like me it occasionally takes a little extra push from additional continents. Vicki Day, you are the best adopted British mother a girl could ever hope for. I am eternally in your debt. Alice Smith and Biggie Fudgecakes, thank you for your complete grace and class during the time I was occupying your bedroom. Jon Glackin, if Vicki is my adopted mom, you’re at least my adopted uncle (I’d say dad, but you might get upset because you’re too young at heart). Maryse-Noelle Sage, you are like my crazy fantabulous hippie aunt and I adore you. Thank you so much for all you’ve done, and for being “the family I chose.”
All the love in the world to Brandon Quan, Sonia Jahan and Ben Choy for being my best friends and having my back for so many years. Shoutout to David Roth, Josh Bogy and the rest of our high school circle for picking me up and taking me in more than once when I was a kid, and for tolerating my utterly age-inappropriate crushes and general social ineptitude with your typical sardonic humor. I’ve learned more from you than I care to admit!
Much appreciation for the constant and unwavering support of Cynthia Eastman and the former Homeless Tales/Street Voices crew, Jul Gorman, Michael Ian, Michael Malloy, Keith and Christine Best, the Huntly Police Station and its kind officers, Adam Warner, Rande Levine and Barbara DeSantis of Karma Rescue, Lindsay Johnston, Amy Norris, Kyria Abrahams, Aubrey Gonzaga, Robbie Myers at ELLE magazine, every SoCal Starbucks barista who ever let me leech internet on a daily basis, my Facebook friends, Twitter followers, blog readers and especially all my fellow homeless/street people/vehicle dwellers/activists for your letters of solidarity. I shudder to think of how much poorer my coping skills would be without you.
To my half sisters and their mom, my most heartfelt thanks for your warmth and generosity from the day we met, despite the unfortunate circumstances that brought us in touch. You are such brilliant, talented and resilient women and you are going places! I admire you deeply.
I would like to extend my appreciation to my family and former religion, for providing me with an eventful and interesting childhood, and for imbuing me (albeit perhaps unwittingly) with such handy qualities as determination and adaptability in the face of less than desirable circumstances.
And lastly, hugs and pets to Fezzik, for being such a kickass monster goober of a dog, loving me no matter what and always being happy to see me. As long as I’m carrying a bowl of large breed kibble.
A Reader’s Guide to
The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness
Discussion Questions for
The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness
What ideas did you have about homelessness/homeless people before you read The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness? Have your ideas changed after reading about Brianna’s experiences? How so?
Brianna had an enormous number of odds stacked against her throughout her life. To say that her childhood was difficult would be an understatement. How do you think she was able to overcome her past and survive? What qualities in Brianna have allowed her to be particularly resilient?
How did religion play a role in shaping Brianna’s relationship with her family? She says that Jehovah’s Witnesses is a cult. Do you think her life would be different if she had stayed on and tried to be a member of the community as her sister did? Would it be better or worse?
Regarding her religious education, Brianna writes: “Even as a child, I recognized hypocrisy and prejudice at play, but I was at my most impressionable and, inevitably, whether I liked it or not, I retained bits of it.” How has Brianna attempted to deprogram herself from religious indoctrination? If she was raised to embrace certain prejudices, do you think she can ever be truly free of them?
Brianna says that she has tried to forgive her family, including her mother, for the wrongs they have done her. If you were in her position, would you be able to forgive? Why or why not?
Brianna has a vehicle, a trailer, a mobile phone, a laptop and a dog. Does she still “count” as being homeless? Are there different levels of homelessness? Do you think she’s made good use of the “comforts” available to her?
Throughout her experience being homeless, Brianna is adamant that she will not accept charity—that there are people worse off who need help more than she does. If you were in her shoes, would you feel the same? Is Brianna wrong to forego such assistance?
Having fun is still a priority for Brianna, even though she’s homeless. Should homeless people be singly focused on altering their circumstances? Is there anything else she could or should do? Is having fun a luxury, or a basic need?
When daily survival was Brianna’s number one goal, she met and got involved with Matt. What do you think initially attracted her to Matt? Do you think her relationship with him shifted her priorities in a negative way?
At first, Brianna presents Matt as a kind of savior, a true kindred spirit who gives her support and guidance. Did you detect any warning signs that Matt might not be the upstanding, selfless person that Brianna wanted him to be?
The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness was written while Brianna was going through the events she describes in the book. How might her memoir have been different if it had been written at a later date, looking back on past experiences?
The title The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness brings a sense of humor and a bit of irony to a serious subject. How does its tongue-in-cheek title affect your impression of Brianna and of the book?
On one of the final pages of the book, Brianna says, “People in general are not so bad after all.” Were you surprised that she would say this, after all the hardships and betrayals she faced? Do you agree with her?
Now that you’ve read about Brianna’s struggles, what do you think we can do about the homelessness epidemic? How can the average reader help?
Resources
If you need help, or would like to help others in need, or if you’d simply like to hear more stories from people like Brianna, please visit the websites below.
Brianna’s Blog
http://girlsguidetohomelessness.com
Change.org
http://uspoverty.change.org/blog/category/homelessness
Homeless.us—United States Department of Social
Services; Emergency Shelter http://homeless.us
211 National Human Services Information & Referral
Hotline http://211.org; http://211us.org or dial 2-1-1
toll-free from any U.S. phone to be connected with an
operator
National Coalition for the Homeless
http://nationalhomeless.org
Homeless Blogs Project
http://homelessblogs.org
The International Homeless Forum
http://homelessforums.org
World Homeless Day
http://worldhomelessday.org
I Hate My Life
http://www.ihatemylife.us/index2.html
SLO Homeless
http://slohomeless.wordpress.com
The Homeless Guy
http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com
The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0167-5
© 2011 by Brianna Karp
All rights reserved. The reproduction, transmission or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invente
d, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. For permission please contact Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9.
The names and identifying details of some characters in this book have been changed.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Karp, Brianna, 1985-
The girl’s guide to homelessness / Brianna Karp.
p. cm.
1. Homelessness-United States. 2. Karp, Brianna, 1985-3. Homeless persons-United States-Biography. I. Title.
HV4505.K37 2011
362.5092-dc22
[B]
2010044201
® and TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and/or other countries.
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