Jennifer James

A real and facinating character's life documented by Alexander Masters

I can't count the number of times I've seen a homeless person on the streets and wondered how he ended up there, what could be done to help him and how he spends his days. But I've never broached the subject. In this book, Alexander Masters does it for me. He befriends a 'chaotic' homeless person called Stuart and gives readers a real insight into life on the streets, the reasons why people become homeless and why it might not really be possible to help some of them. The book's account of Stuart's dealings with the justice system is eye-opening and shocking - from the differences in how people are treated depending on the kind of day a Judge is having, to how very serious crimes can get thrown out for trivial reasons and how innocent people can be made into scapegoats on a whim. Stuart's account of life in prison is equally shocking - somehow all the more so because Stuart doesn't relate his stories in an emotional way - he just tells it as it is and doesn't look for sympat...I can't count the number of times I've seen a homeless person on the streets and wondered how he ended up there, what could be done to help him and how he spends his days. But I've never broached the subject. In this book, Alexander Masters does it for me. He befriends a 'chaotic' homeless person called Stuart and gives readers a real insight into life on the streets, the reasons why people become homeless and why it might not really be possible to help some of them. The book's account of Stuart's dealings with the justice system is eye-opening and shocking - from the differences in how people are treated depending on the kind of day a Judge is having, to how very serious crimes can get thrown out for trivial reasons and how innocent people can be made into scapegoats on a whim. Stuart's account of life in prison is equally shocking - somehow all the more so because Stuart doesn't relate his stories in an emotional way - he just tells it as it is and doesn't look for sympathy or understanding. In fact, he doesn't want to be understood at all as he is very averse to being labelled or categorised. Masters' style is very compelling in its openness and honesty. He chronicles all the times he's felt like killing Stuart or wishing he were dead - he is clearly fond of Stuart, but equally finds him irritating and infuriating at times. Masters does not try to make himself out to be a saintly figure for the homeless, he just portrays himself as a struggling author trying to get a book finished - in fact all the characters in the book are written in a way that makes us feel like we know them - they are the most "human" characters I think I've ever come across in a book. I can't imagine that anyone would come away from reading this book unchanged. (more)