Down & Out, on the Road: The Homeless in American History

Rating:
Summary: Impressive scholarly work on homelessness
Review: Dr. Kenneth L. Kusmer teaches history at Temple University, and his scholarly background is very evident in this carefully researched work on the history of homelessness in the U.S. Though there have been examples of 19th- and 20th-century tramps romantically eschewing the world of work (Sherwood Anderson, James Michener, Louis L'Amour, et al.), over the past almost 150 years since the Civil War, most of the homeless did not voluntarily seek out their condition. There have been many waves of economic recession and depression, layoffs and industrial accidents which have predictably swelled the ranks of the homeless across many generations. Dr. Kusmer's book does an outstanding job of describing the different constituencies of the homeless in the U.S. over the years, up to and including the present day, where about a third are now women, half are people of color and many are children.

This book is well-documented enough to please the most exacting scholar, but so clearly written as to be very accessible to interested lay persons. There is not a huge body of literature on hoboes, and this book will greatly enhance what is currently out there. It helps to explain how our country which, though it doesn't (presumably) put a ceiling on potential economic and social growth of any given individual, consistently fails to put a floor beneath all its citizens.

Rating:
Summary: Down and out from Tucson to Wenatchee
Review: Is the open society no more than a brief era of open spaces? West of the Mississipi a man without a society can and always has survived handily in the interstices of the system,freely availing himself of the services of major railroads, there to wander the open spaces of a civil arrangement in which he was never included. One of the strange subworlds of the Great American Economy has been the realm of that curious gremlin of the reserve army of the unemployed, the hobo and rider of the rails. If you pass by a freight yard, and wait long enough, you will see the phenomenon, briefly, as departure and arrival is not announced, and the passengers will appear from out of the bushes. Much of this is tacitly condoned due to the need for cheap labor in the agricultural circuit, from Arizona to Washington, and the lines are almost the official transportation for the labor force at some times of the year.
This work is a charming, and well documented, account of the whole history, not only of the hobo, but of the homeless in American history, and also gives an interesting chronicle of the skidrow world as it flourished and then passed away after the second world war. If you are ever unemployed, don't panic. Get west of the Mississipi, find a railroad yard,and wait. People will appear who can explain the ropes. May or may not be an open society. But there are still a lot of open spaces.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read
Review: This book really opened my eyes to some common misconceptions about tramps and vagrants in American history. I found it to be erudite yet accessible. It is that rare example of a highly scholarly historical study that is as compelling as the latest mass market page turner.

I would suggest that Down & Out, On the Road is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand a fascinating, yet overlooked, piece of American social history.

I congratulate Dr. Kenneth Kusmer on this fine work. Add it to your library as soon as possible.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive account of homelessness...
Review: This is by far the best and most definitive (and perhaps the only) account of homelessness from a sociological/historical perspective. No drama here, no political agenda, no sensationalism. It is a very matter of fact documentation of the rise of homelessness in this country.

It begins simply enough with defining homelessness. Originally those we call homeless today were seen as social outcasts, called vagrants, beggars, bums, vagrants or tramps. Dr. Kusmer traces the origins of these words, something we often take for granted. The use of the word 'homeless' in the public vocabulary did not reach general use until the 1980s.

The overarching theme is that these are people and as such deserve respect no matter what they're situation. Even though it is a historical account there are many personal accounts noted and one gets a good feel for the humanity presented in this book.

As folks living in this situation, for whatever the reason and whatever the definition given, waxed and waned over time, so too did the perception of the public toward them. Factors such as wars affected this population, so too factors such as economic downturns and the rise of the train. Stereotypes are dispelled and this complex and diverse topic is laid out in a well-written style not overloaded with technical jargon.

The documentation on this book is a feast. I have literally spent hours following up on many of his footnotes, especially the accounts in the New York Times from the late 1800s. Fascinating stuff grounded in history. He has a grasp of his material and gives such a broad, though thorough, sweep of the issue that it will become the seminal resource for footnotes in years to come.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive account of homelessness...
Review: This is by far the best and most definitive (and perhaps the only) account of homelessness from a sociological/historical perspective. No drama here, no political agenda, no sensationalism. It is a very matter of fact documentation of the rise of homelessness in this country.

It begins simply enough with defining homelessness. Originally those we call homeless today were seen as social outcasts, called vagrants, beggars, bums, vagrants or tramps. Dr. Kusmer traces the origins of these words, something we often take for granted. The use of the word 'homeless' in the public vocabulary did not reach general use until the 1980s.

The overarching theme is that these are people and as such deserve respect no matter what they're situation. Even though it is a historical account there are many personal accounts noted and one gets a good feel for the humanity presented in this book.

As folks living in this situation, for whatever the reason and whatever the definition given, waxed and waned over time, so too did the perception of the public toward them. Factors such as wars affected this population, so too factors such as economic downturns and the rise of the train. Stereotypes are dispelled and this complex and diverse topic is laid out in a well-written style not overloaded with technical jargon.

The documentation on this book is a feast. I have literally spent hours following up on many of his footnotes, especially the accounts in the New York Times from the late 1800s. Fascinating stuff grounded in history. He has a grasp of his material and gives such a broad, though thorough, sweep of the issue that it will become the seminal resource for footnotes in years to come.