Homelessness Book is Choice for Reading Project
James R. Sanders - Philadelphia Inquirer
Oct 15, 2008
A novel that sheds light on the problem of homelessness is the 2009 selection for One Book, One Philadelphia.
Mayor Nutter yesterday designated The Soloist by former Inquirer writer Steve Lopez as the selection for the community reading project, which will run from Jan. 14 through March.
"This book is rich in content, and will no doubt draw conversation and new programs," Nutter told reporters. "The issue of homelessness will be the serious topic of discussion here in Philadelphia."
Soon to be a motion picture starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, The Soloist is based on a series of Lopez's columns published in the Los Angeles Times in 2005. Lopez tells of meeting an African American man playing classical music on a violin with two strings. He learns that the man, Nathaniel Ayers, had been a double-bass student at the Juilliard School in New York. After being diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, the charismatic instrumentalist wound up playing the two-stringed violin on L.A.'s Skid Row.
"He has done at least as much for me as I have done for him," said Lopez, who was an Inquirer columnist from 1986 to 1997.
Through encounters and events they shared, the men gained an understanding and became friends. "He didn't have a house, but I don't think of him as homeless. I did at the time, but there is much more to the story," Lopez said yesterday.
Nutter described The Soloist as a "timely and moving story that every Philadelphian should read."
It allows readers to examine a critical local problem. The most recent quarterly census performed by Project HOME showed 475 people sleeping on city streets or in parks, down from 621 people a year ago. About 85 percent of homeless people in Philadelphia suffer from some kind of mental illness, according to the count.
"I definitely think that the book portrays an accurate look at homelessness, though L.A. has a much bigger homeless population. It is a national problem," said Sister Mary Scullion, head of Project HOME, who is mentioned in the book.
Sister Mary said she believed that the hard economic times ahead would increase homelessness.
"If you lose your job, you may find yourself on the streets," she cautioned.
One Book, sponsored by the Free Library of Philadelphia, promotes literacy through the widespread reading and discussion of a single book. "I am hoping that it puts a human face on homelessness for people," said Marie Field, the program's chairwoman.
More than 10,000 people annually have participated in One Book events since the program began six years ago. Past selections include The Price of a Child, The Color of Water, and The Things They Carried.
"It's hard to believe that we are here for the seventh year," said Joe Frick, chief executive officer of Independence Blue Cross, corporate sponsor of the program. "I've seen it grow from 50 community partners to over 500."
The library will offer book-related events at its branches.
"Philadelphians love to talk. In my experience, there is a great civic engagement -- this book is about engagement, and taking a look at the city, wherever that city may be, and finding a common ground," Lopez said. "We've got to see it in our hearts that this could have been us."
----
Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion
Copyright 2008 by Philadelphia Inquirer
