Don't Let the Bench Bugs Bite Portraits of Homeless New York eBook Alan Emmins
Download As PDF : Don't Let the Bench Bugs Bite Portraits of Homeless New York eBook Alan Emmins 
When writing a feature about murals painted under the pavements of Manhattan by homeless artists, Alan Emmins was challenged by a homeless dancer to try homelessness himself to better understand what he was writing about. He took up the challenge. Don't Let the BENCH Bugs Bite is a humorous, tender and tragic portrait of an invisible New York City, and a society full of surprises.
"An absolutely fascinating book!" Robert Elms - the BBC
"Digging beneath the depressing statistics and grinding poverty, Emmins' is a more than human portrait" Dazed & Confused
"Cutting edge reportage - Alan Emmins sees the world with such a fresh eye!" William Shaw - Author of Westsiders
Don't Let the Bench Bugs Bite Portraits of Homeless New York eBook Alan Emmins
... don't read this book if you think you know how to solve the homeless problem -- spend more money, or a lot more money, or get them a job, or make them get a job, or better education, or throw em in jail until they dry out, or...Reading Emmins' stories of the various characters he met during his month in NYC it is apparent that there is no easy solution, and no one solution.
A disappointment is that Emmins didn't cover any of the stories one often reads about in the papers, like a family of 4 living in a car with both parents working 2 jobs, etc etc etc. In fact, I can't think of any examples of people in the book with jobs but on the street.
I read this book while rereading Orwell's _Down and Out in Paris and London_. Interesting differences.
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Don't Let the Bench Bugs Bite Portraits of Homeless New York eBook Alan Emmins Reviews
It is always hard to judge a book by the cover, and this one is no exception.
Not really knowing what to expect about the writer's approach to homelessness, New York or poverty in general I was genuinely surprised to find the many stories in the book both compelling and interesting.
The writer really made me feel so close to the homeless that I could almost feel the bench bugs bite in my own behind at the end of the book.
Job well done, and a lot of material for afterthought.
****AMAZON.CO.UK CUSTOMER****
'Don't let the Bench Bugs Bite' is a raw yet entertaining account of homelessness in New York written through the eyes of the author (Alan Emmins) who spent 31 days living rough on the streets of Manhattan.
In many ways this first person narration is what makes 'Bench Bugs' such a reliable account of inner-city homelessness and it does so in a way that other books often fail to achieve.
Alan's approach is not half-hearted nor ill thought out and it certainly wasn't a walk in the park. Setting out with just $10 in his pocket, most of which is spent on coffee in the first day whilst doubting whether the whole thing is a good idea or not, he enters the world of the homeless. This total immersion really affords the reader to get close to the subject and experience the difficulties and dangers of sleeping rough on the streets first hand; albeit through a shared personal experience.
It works.
All too often we hear about 'the homeless problem' but such phrases only serve to discredit the very 'human' element involved in homelessness. Over the course of several weeks the reader is introduced to a variety of characters living in the Big Apple and their stories are candid, sometimes, shockingly so, highlighting the fact that these are real people with real emotions living real lives. The homeless 'problem' is really a consequence of modern living standards and the authors' arrival on the streets coincides with the new Mayor's plans for solving this problem; by moving them out of sight and ignoring their input to the debate altogether while the fat cats iron out the details over fine dining.
The other noteworthy title in this genre that comes to mind is George Orwell's 'Down and out in Paris & London'. Maybe it would be wrong to compare the two side by side, for there is over eighty years between them, but the core issues surrounding homelessness in the 20th century remain constant in the 21st. People are people.
Not everyone is homeless through circumstance though. Some choose it as a way to truly 'live' in the city they love as we discover through the eyes of Jerome. He works to be off the streets during the cold winter but come Spring he is back again, living with a sense of freedom even a minimalist would struggle to experience.
“Don't leg the Bench Bugs Bite” brings to light a kaleidoscope of issues surrounding homelessness that aren't specific to New York but can be witnessed in any city around the world be it London, Paris or Tokyo. If one cares enough to look.
And perhaps therein lies the 'real' problem of homelessness - the one where those of us who live in homes and sleep comfortably in beds look away from the tramp sleeping on a park bench or burying themselves under cardboard boxes in a shop doorway. Think about it, people try very hard to ignore the homeless they encounter o the streets; usually through fear. But ask yourself this, is it a rational fear of the 'person' on the street or of 'becoming' the person on the street?
Over the course of a few weeks we meet a variety of characters who inhabit different parts of the city each with their own trials and tribulations. It's not all doom and gloom, far from it, Bench Bugs is washed through with plenty of humour and amusing anecdotes to make it an enjoyable read and leads to the realisation that not everyone sleeping rough is a crazed, junkie alcoholic begging for their next 'hit'. There are bankers, families, Veterans, CEO's, teenagers and police all now homeless and panhandling their way through life by recycling bottles and cans, selling artwork, ticket touting, drug dealing and prostitution just to make ends meet.
Alan struggles from the outset wandering aimlessly through the streets of Manhattan with no real direction in mind. He encounters mentors, forms genuine friendships and experiences pain, fear, laughter and shame in equal doses.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is a page turner, and I recommend it to anyone who has come so far as to be reading a review about it. Well written and easy to read Alan is in a way the 'Englishman in New York' and though not naive to the hardships of life and the darker side of human nature his 'British' charm comes through in his writing adding an extra dimension to the book.
Order a copy, you won't be disappointed.
... don't read this book if you think you know how to solve the homeless problem -- spend more money, or a lot more money, or get them a job, or make them get a job, or better education, or throw em in jail until they dry out, or...
Reading Emmins' stories of the various characters he met during his month in NYC it is apparent that there is no easy solution, and no one solution.
A disappointment is that Emmins didn't cover any of the stories one often reads about in the papers, like a family of 4 living in a car with both parents working 2 jobs, etc etc etc. In fact, I can't think of any examples of people in the book with jobs but on the street.
I read this book while rereading Orwell's _Down and Out in Paris and London_. Interesting differences.
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