Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America by Mike Yankoski

Oct 11, 2011 Michael rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would probably never have read this book had not some very sweet and well-intentioned people given it to me. Reading it was an unpleasant experience. "Under the Overpass" somehow manages to be condescending, arrogant, misinformed, and hypocritical all at the same time. Here are just a few of the many problems I had with this book:

1. On page 114 he mentions walking past a church on a Friday evening. The church is closed, locked, chained, and padlocked. The two took offense to this and then went...more I would probably never have read this book had not some very sweet and well-intentioned people given it to me. Reading it was an unpleasant experience. "Under the Overpass" somehow manages to be condescending, arrogant, misinformed, and hypocritical all at the same time. Here are just a few of the many problems I had with this book:

1. On page 114 he mentions walking past a church on a Friday evening. The church is closed, locked, chained, and padlocked. The two took offense to this and then went on to compare it to a convenience store which is open and selling cigarettes, beer, and porn. The unspoken conclusion is that the worldly convenience is more welcoming than the spiritual church. Apparently they did not consider that:
a. If a church is going to open its doors, someone needs to be there to help protect it from those who would do it harm?
b. That in order to have someone in the church, someone needs to volunteer or be paid?
c. The convenience store probably had a security system including cameras and an alarm, both of which would deter theft and vandalism. These systems cost money; money that not every church can afford.
I want to know if the churches they attend now leave their doors open 24/7 and allow any and all to come and do what they want, when they want?

2. On page 148 he mentions a church service he attended during which the pastor delivered a sermon on how women will be saved through childbearing. He then remarks on how it was Berkeley and 2003. What do the two have to do with each other? Is not all Scripture God-breathed and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness? Why then should a pastor in Berkeley in 2003, let alone 2010, not teach on that passage?

3. In the "Cowbell Door Chime" section beginning on page 76, he tells the story of walking into a sandwich shop and beginning a friendly game of one-upping each other on how bad they smell. Five other people come in, notice them, and then sit far away. It turns out that they are Christians. It is obvious that they can smell the two as much as they smell each other and they wind up avoiding them. There is an implied criticism of them for doing so. Is this fair? I may see two ratty-looking, smelly young men with guitars in a sandwich shop, but my first thought is not necessarily going to be that they are homeless and in need of help.

4. On page 141, they are engaged in a conversation with George, the Christian-pizza-guy. During that conversation he states " But you know what? I've never once come down here and preached. At least not in the typical fashion - you know; with yelling and Bible thumping." I have been going to church since I was born, attending services in Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican/Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Nazarene, and even Roman Catholic services, depending on the circumstances in which I found myself. In over 40 years and dozens of churches I have, apparently, never seen one of George's "typical" sermons with "yelling and Bible thumping". Is his critique valid? If not, why does Mr. Yankoski give it his tacit support?

From the beginning there was something that bothered me about the entire project. Theirs was an intentional and almost belligerent homeless. They flaunt their willing homelessness in the face of the Church, asking the Christians they met for a handout, with no intention of giving up their homeless lifestyle, and then criticize them when they choose not to help them live the life they chose. They put them to the test, daring them to fail, castigating them for failing, but the test itself is unfair as the preconditions are disingenuous. Does a Christian have an obligation to aid and abet someone in their self-destruction? He, himself, gives the answer to that question in the book, and the answer is an unqualified no.

I say this having worked with the homeless through a good portion of my college career. I learned that there were different types of homeless people. Nearly all were on the streets due to a series of crushing circumstances that destroyed their livelihoods. Some were mentally ill and caught between a cycle of living on meds, losing their ability to buy medication, thus losing touch with reality, and then losing their homes, only to regain them once they could obtain medication again. Some hated life on the streets and were working hard to get back into a productive life. Others were caught in the grip of terrible addictions and could not yet find the will to leave the streets. As another reviewer points out, Yankoski barely touches on these distinctions, preferring to gripe about how much he stank, or how uncomfortable he was.

All in all, "Under the Overpass" is a self-indulgent voyage of spiritual self-discovery. I gained almost nothing from it, and would not encourage anyone to read it. Your time would be much better spent reading Mother Teresa's "A Simple Path". She not only lived with the homeless, she spent her life caring for them, easing their pain, comforting them in the time of their death. That is a story worth reading.
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Sep 24, 2012 Sunflower rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-book-reviews, waterbrook-multnomah

Reading,"Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America", is one of those books that will haunt me in a good way.

The lyrics to "Give Me the Eyes to See" by Brandon Jacobs, played in the back of my mind as I read the experiences of Mike Yankoski and his friend and companion on his journey, Sam, through the streets of Denver, Washington, D.C., Portland, San Franciso, Phoenix and San Diego and wept at the triumphs, the heartaches and the gritty and captivating reality that they e...more Reading,"Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America", is one of those books that will haunt me in a good way.

The lyrics to "Give Me the Eyes to See" by Brandon Jacobs, played in the back of my mind as I read the experiences of Mike Yankoski and his friend and companion on his journey, Sam, through the streets of Denver, Washington, D.C., Portland, San Franciso, Phoenix and San Diego and wept at the triumphs, the heartaches and the gritty and captivating reality that they experienced on the streets and with the everyday people they met, both the homeless and those with homes.

This book will change your heart.

This book will change what you think you know of the homeless.

This book will challenge and will change what you think being a Christian means.

I couldn't read,"Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America", with skepticism but instead, with the thought, "What do I do"? as I walked or drive by the people we try to pretend isn't there but God sees over our averted eyes.

What, "Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America", does is challenges the reader to re-look at His world and ask ourselves, do we play it safe as Christians or are we truly there when our brothers and sisters need us the most.

Offering a downloadable discussion guide and an action plan of what we can do for our brothers and sisters who are without a home, "Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America", isn't for making us feel guilty and to act to help us feel better, but just to gently, with its realistic looks of what we tend to be very insulated from, what those who are on the streets live each day, beneath our office and home windows, but we, in our hurry with our busy lives, don't take the time to see.

This book reminded me so much of the story of the Good Samaritan and more than anything it is asking all of us a real hard question that we at some point of our lives must have asked ourselves, but put in the back of our minds when our cellphone rings or we hurry off to Facebook to post a status or engage in the latest argument online over trivial matters, "What would I do during my day or in my life for God if I wasn't concerned with what I wear, what I eat, where I sleep, what I own, what people think of me, or what discomforts I face?" and asks us to think that hard question.

Would we?

Just even reading the response that the author and his traveling companion received from other Christians who didn't know what they were doing or why they were on the streets, had me hanging my head down and wondering, "How does my walk reflect to others and what type of Christian am I".

This is a humbling book.

It makes no pretenses of being anything other and there is a wonderful foreword by Francis Chan in the beginning that has in it a warning to the reader, "`Don't read Mike's book if you're not willing to change your attitude and actions toward the homeless."

Francis Chan is right and I say the same to you. "Don't read this book if you're not willing or ready to have a open and teachable heart to read and be changed in our thoughts and heart and actions about what we thought we knew about the homeless".

You can't read this book and put it down after wards and think out of sight, out of mind. This stays with you in your heart, in your mind and in your prayers and having one dare to pray, "Lord humble me and change my heart and remove what veils there are before my eyes".

As 1 John 3:16-18 NKJV goes, "6 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."

"Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America" is a powerful book. As A.W. Tozer shared in "Of God and Men" and re-shared in, "Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America","We hear a Christan assure someone that he will "pray over" his problem, knowing full well that he intends to use prayer as a substitute for service. It is much easier to pray that a poor friend's needs maybe supplied than to supply them".

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Dec 08, 2011 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, social-issues

I think the most interesting parts of the book were when Mike would write about the experiences they had with Christians- especially when they would show up for a church service on Sunday mornings. Sometimes it was encouraging, but more often than not, the reactions of 'Christians' they encountered left me with a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat.

Under the Overpass has led me to start asking myself some tough questions. How do I *honestly* react when I see those in need around me? How...more

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Mar 20, 2013 DiAnna Moreno rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is amazing! My mother talked me into reading this book hoping to make feel more gratitude for god. This book is religious but in a way that its not so much. I mean if your starving on the streets with no home wouldn't you start praying to god? This story is about a man named Mike who decides to live like a homeless person for five months. He pretends his home, family, money, food, everything he owns except his backpack and a guitar. Mike is a big believer in god and trust that he will...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Elliot Ratzman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before “homelessness” was recognizable as an issue, Jack London and George Orwell experimented with poverty in their classic books “People of the Abyss” and “Down and Out in Paris and London.” What makes this immersion book unique is that the experimenter, Yankoski, is an apolitical middle class evangelical. This tall, white teetotaler is shocked to find that drug users also call themselves Christian and that mega-churches are wary-to-indifferent of the homeless. He avoids any analysis of the pl...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another life-altering book. The homeless are no longer just one-dimensional beings; and it was eye-opening for me to realize that that was how I viewed them. Some are homeless by choice, some by necessity, some because of poor choices and some due to circumstances totally out of their control, but all need to be acknowledged as fellow human beings. The day after I finished this book I pulled into a McDonald's parking lot to answer my cell phone and came face to face with a homeless woman holding...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Harold Cameron rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Under the Overpass details the amazing and sometimes harrowing saga of 2 young Christian college men from the middle-class of society; Mike Yanoski and Sam Purvis, who purposely chose to live out their lives on the streets of six cities in the US as homeless men. However, Mike and Sam chose to live out their faith in a way that few of us will ever have the opportunity to do…living just as Jesus did…walking and living among the broken, the homeless, the mentally ill, the poor, the rejected and ma...more Under the Overpass details the amazing and sometimes harrowing saga of 2 young Christian college men from the middle-class of society; Mike Yanoski and Sam Purvis, who purposely chose to live out their lives on the streets of six cities in the US as homeless men. However, Mike and Sam chose to live out their faith in a way that few of us will ever have the opportunity to do…living just as Jesus did…walking and living among the broken, the homeless, the mentally ill, the poor, the rejected and marginalized people of our society and experiencing what they do on a daily basis in cities across our nation.

Their faith journey and experience of homelessness began in Denver Colorado and ended in San Diego California – in a period of time of a little over 6 months. The cities they lived in were Denver Colorado, and then Washington, DC. Although I was not homeless in DC, I did spend one night sleeping in my vehicle in DC during my brain tumor charity walk in cities across the Eastern seaboard of the US and just that one night alone sleeping in my vehicle was an unforgettable experience for me as I saw the homeless sleeping on the streets. To me it was a very disturbing and unsettling sight to see people in our nation, and in our nation’s capital no less, living as the homeless; panhandling and sleeping on the streets at night.

After DC they then stayed in Portland Oregon, San Francisco California, Phoenix Arizona and San Diego California. After they lived in San Diego they returned to their college campus in Santa Barbara California, “Back to Normal” as they refer to the experience in their book. Having endured the unpleasant experience of sleeping in a homeless shelter personally, (and it was demeaning and unpleasant because of how I was treated as a person – not because of the experience itself); as well as having seen the devastating effects of what happens to people when they become homeless living their days and nights out on the streets of the towns and cities in our country, being visible but not seen, present but forgotten; I could in a very tiny way relate to what Mike and Sam went through during their 6 months of living as 2 homeless men in America.

Their book touched me deeply at the very core of my being and first has made me grateful for what I do have but it has also prompted me to want to be more like Christ and not only see the homeless people who are walking along and sleeping on our streets but also to minister to them as the Lord provides the opportunity.

In the last chapter of their book they address the hard question of, “Now What” with us as the reader. They want us to do more than just read their book and say to ourselves, “well, that’s sad,” or “it’s such an overwhelming problem and I am only one person, what difference can I make.” No, fortunately they get quite practical with some suggestions as to things we can do to truly help the homeless in our country…and to be quite candid with you, it is not a lot.

If every person in America who said they were a “Christian” or “Born Again” would do just one of the things they suggest once a week or even once a month what a huge and incredible difference we would make in the lives of the homeless people in our towns and cities.

So read the book! Allow the Holy Spirit to humble you and give you a spirit of brokenness as well as the realization that but for the Grace of God, and then pray and ask God how you can help the homeless. Praying alone is not enough and will not suffice.

As author Yanoski has shared in the book more than prayer is needed now. No, real, practical and Biblical, (a book of James), kind of action is needed on our parts as real, devoted “evangelical,” “fundamentalist” (don’t you just love all the words and titles we use to describe ourselves…); followers of Christ or “Christians” is needed and is desperately needed now to make a difference in the lives of the homeless. May God greatly use this book to open both our eyes and our hearts to the needs of the homeless as well as all people who are around us in our circle of life or influence.

To learn more about the book visit the website of Multnomah Publishers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Multnomah Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Overall I found this book to be a big disappointment. yes it gives you a glimpse of what it must be like to be homeless but the substance of what's provided isn't very substantial and doesn't really go beyond the surface you might get in any news account of someone who lives homeless for a day or two. Yes it does a reasonable job of saying that people in churches often don't live up to the beliefs they claim to have in those churches. Thanks for stating the obvious.

But for me the big disappointm...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Cole Leesnitzer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Would you take your best friend with you and travel across America living homeless? Mike Yankoski and his best friend Sam would and did give up everything to live on the streets for six months. The reasoning behind this madness; to put their faith to the test, live off of their necessities, and interact with the homeless. First struck with this idea, Mike was sitting in church listening to a sermon about “Being the Christian you say you are,” when he realized that he wasn’t quite doing this hims...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Emily Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This book is astonishing.

Yankoski professes a need to place his life in the hands of his savior, and believes in the strength provided by Him as having redemptive powers. But he also addressed a universal need, an essential component of being human that is transcendent of religious faith: the need to love one another, and to help those in need.

Bravo also for raising the issues that many do not- specifically the hypocrisy, greed and selfishness evident in many who consider themselves religious,...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, nonfiction-adult, nonfiction, reviewed-for-slj, young-adult-nonfiction

From July 2005 School Library Journal:
Mike Yankoski led a fairly typical upper-middle-class kind of life. A college student in Santa Barbara, he was comfortable with his family, his school, and his friends. However, listening to a Sunday sermon one morning in 2002, he was shaken out of his complacency and began to wonder whether his faith would remain as strong if his privileged upbringing and typical college life were taken away.
So begins Mike’s decision to put his faith to the test. After di...more From July 2005 School Library Journal:
Mike Yankoski led a fairly typical upper-middle-class kind of life. A college student in Santa Barbara, he was comfortable with his family, his school, and his friends. However, listening to a Sunday sermon one morning in 2002, he was shaken out of his complacency and began to wonder whether his faith would remain as strong if his privileged upbringing and typical college life were taken away.
So begins Mike’s decision to put his faith to the test. After discussing his plans with his family and various advisors, he and his friend Sam take a leave of absence from their studies and their “middle class” lives to enter the world of the homeless. The two young men spend five months—May 27 through November 2, 2003—on the streets of Denver, Washington DC, Portland, Phoenix, San Francisco, and San Diego. Playing their guitars and panhandling, they must rely entirely on the charity of others.
This is not “homelessness lite.” The harshness, the hunger, and the dangers are all reported in detail from the journals that they kept. Mike and Sam become entrenched in the daily indignities of scrounging through garbage to find food, of being told to move along when they are sleeping on a sidewalk, and of being gazed through as if they are part of the scenery. They form friendships with the other homeless men and women they meet in their journeys, and watch many of these friends struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction.
Yankoski’s recounting of his life on the streets reflects poignancy and insight. He steers clear of preachy or patronizing tones, and his dry sense of humor makes the book thoroughly readable. High school students will appreciate the frankness with which he approaches the day to day challenges and his own personal struggles. Yankoski does not offer up any solutions for homelessness or attempt to “fix” his newfound friends, but he does inspire us to perhaps go out on faith a little more in our own struggles and in our interactions with one another.

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Mar 03, 2011 Shawn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The author chose to spend a few months living homeless on the streets of various cities after feeling called by God to embark on the experience. He wrote about the experience in this book, which is filled with anecdotes that highlight Christian principles. I found it very interesting, particularly the portion where he wrote about the time he spent in downtown Portland since it is so near to where I live and since I find myself passing through the downtown areas. He described looking in the mirro...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nice guy Mike Yankoski shares his experiences from choosing to live homeless for 5 months in Denver, DC, Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix, and San Diego, a personal mission he felt called to fulfill. One of his goals was to get an insider's view of being homeless and especially to see how Christian churches treated homeless people. Another was to support others in living their Christian faith. His third goal was to test his own faith.

Mike encounters what you might expect in terms of people and...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Cori rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are people in this world who do completely ridiculous things, but you have to give them props — they probably learn more than any of the rest of us could learn in a hundred normal lifetimes. I think Mike Yankoski is one of these people. He gave up his comfortable life to see what it was like on the streets with America’s homeless population. He and his friend spent five months without a home on the streets of five US cities. Each was different and they learned different things. Their stori...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Digna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Read Under the Overpass and you will look differently at the homeless problem in America and your heart and soul will forever be changed.
Mike Yankoski did more than just wonder. By his own choice, Mike’s life went from upper-middle class plush to scum-of-the-earth repulsive overnight. With only a backpack, a sleeping bag and a guitar, Mike and his traveling companion, Sam, set out to experience life on the streets in six different cities—from Washington D.C. to San Diego— and they put themselves...more
Read Under the Overpass and you will look differently at the homeless problem in America and your heart and soul will forever be changed.
Mike Yankoski did more than just wonder. By his own choice, Mike’s life went from upper-middle class plush to scum-of-the-earth repulsive overnight. With only a backpack, a sleeping bag and a guitar, Mike and his traveling companion, Sam, set out to experience life on the streets in six different cities—from Washington D.C. to San Diego— and they put themselves to the test.

Mike and Sam’s story is gritty, challenging, and utterly captivating. What you encounter in these pages will radically alter how you see your world—and may even change your life.
Find out more about Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski and download a sample chapter of the 5th Anniversary Edition at WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing.

Join Mike, Sam and I in an Over the Underpass Christmas action plan.

I was lucky enough to review a copy of this book and jumped at the chance. I have always had interest in the homeless. I have many questions that just hang over my head that I wanted answers too. How do people become homeless? Why and how could they live on the street year after year? Why does the church that teaches up to be good Christians and treat others with only love and compassion not help these people? Reading this book has filled this need plus so much more and it has truly been a life changing book for me. After reading Under the Overpass I have now learned what the homeless really needs most and it is not food and shelter. Read the book and find out.

Mike gave up everything he had going at the moment in his life when God called him. Even though his family did not approve he knew this was his calling and something he needed to do. Mike gave up every comfort he knew and found Sam who did the same and they placed themselves in danger and never knew when their next meal would be. They lived among those who walk our streets every day for six months. How many of us would do this? Would you give up your comfortable lifestyle to do this? You might say well I have worked for what I have. Homeless people don't work or care to work. There are so many excuses you could use to not help those who need it most. One of the poorest excuses is I pray for the homeless or I will pray for them. Be still and listen is God calling you to do something for the homeless.

I found Over the Underpass to be moving, informative and an eye opening experience and a book for the young and old alike. Since reading Over the Underpass I have chosen to give my time and myself to make a homeless persons life a little brighter. I have joined Mike and Sam in the Under the Overpass Christmas Action Plan. I will be posting a link here as soon as I get it my plan up and I hope other can join me.

I have been provided the book Over the Underpass for this review and have not been compensated in any other way. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.
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Dec 10, 2010 Phill Coxon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this by accident...

My brother was over in the USA for a seminar (we're based in New Zealand) and I asked him to pick up a one of the new wireless Kobo ereaders.

To give the Kobo a whirl he purchased Under the Overpass from KoboBooks.com

As a result I had it given back to me with the Kobo on his return and it turned out to be a great book.

To give up everything that we take for granted and live on the streets is an act of extreme sacrifice and bravery and I truly respect what Mike and Sam...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Cafelilybookreviews rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the guys stopped chewing halfway through his burrito and looked straight at me.

“Mike, do you realize you’ve changed my whole week?”

I stared at him in complete disbelief.
Was the burrito that good? “What do you mean?”

I’ll never forget his response: “You’re the first person who has talked to me all week. Thank you.”

Under The Overpass, P. 231

Under The Overpass is the documented five-month journey of Mike Yankoski and his traveling companion Sam, who lived amongst the homeless community. T...more

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Sep 10, 2009 Brody rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THIS BOOK WAS AWFUL.
Aside from being full of unverified (read; made up, fake, lies, ect) "facts" (if you go below south Mission, the latinos will kill you for being white. If you go any further below the soup kitchen on market, the blacks will kill you for being white. but don't worry-- if you hang out in the bloody TENDERLOIN all the time, you'll be just fine), this book is the most hypocritical peice of crap.
EXAMPLE: lots of time is spent in this book complaining that people ignore them beca...more

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May 19, 2013 Lily rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-reading-2013, nonfiction

I have mixed feelings on this book. The author certainly has good intentions, and I applaud that. But there is only so much credibility in two young men who choose to go "homeless" for a few months while knowing that they aren't actually homeless. They have a safety net, including a way out of their homeless state if an emergency occurs. Real homeless people do not have the safety nets that these two individuals have and are certainly living in a very different frame of mind. If an emergency sit...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Tracy Fleming-Swehla rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christian, non-fiction

This was an interesting read. Mike and Sam, two young well off Christians set out to live on the streets as homeless men for about 6 months to learn how their faith will withstand the trials, to learn how the church treats the homeless and to evangelize. I thought I'd read about Mike and Sam preaching and trying to lead people to God, but instead they existed among the homeless and witnessed by just being there, singing and without "Bible thumping". I liked that. There were times in the story wh...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Sherri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book features the true story of a college-age guy who decided to put his faith in Jesus and see if he could really be the Christian he professed to be without all of his comforts of home. So he sets out with another buddy to live in the streets for 5 months alongside the homeless and only eating when food was given away or earned by panhandling while playing guitar and singing Christian songs. His story was not without danger (or stench) but provided valuable insight into his own faith and...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Kelly Hager rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mike has been thinking a lot about faith lately and, after a sermon where the general gist is that it's more important to do things than to say them, he realizes that he's sort of been coasting along. It's a lot easier to say that you depend on God when you don't REALLY have to depend on God. Like you can say, "Thy will be done" but it's easier to mean that when you know where your next meal is coming from. So, to break out of his complacency, he decides to live on the streets.

For the next five...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed the book very much. Not because it was pleasant to read. There were many segments where I felt quite uncomfortable. I enjoyed the book because it was challenging me to look at how my love for Christ was flowing into the lives of the people around me. I am ashamed at how poorly I have shown love to those that are poor and needy; the destitute I often avoid as I cross the street and look the other way. Not that everyone needs to become homeless to understand how to show God's love. I on...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An eye-opener. We are such a spoiled lot, we Americans. We've got houses with more rooms than we need; we've got food in such abundance it makes us sick (ironically enough!) and we feel entitled, deserving, and arrogant. What if it all got taken away. . . by our own hand or by circumstances beyond our control? How do we look at those less fortunate than we are regardless if they have contributed to their devastation or not. This is an account of a young man and his friend, both college educated,...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Denisele rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good. Challenges being comfortable with comfort. It felt very genuine and not contrived. The amount of Biblical references was appropriate and not overbearing. At first I was surprised that they chose to leave out the vulgarity in street speech because I was afraid it would not portray a realistic picture, but it really wasn't necessary. I was surprised that they did not spend much time discussing shelters they were able to sleep in even though they alluded to the group showers and big rooms at...more

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May 16, 2011 Mikejencostanzo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

God has been dropping several resources in my path dealing with the issue of homelessness lately. I'm trying to be open to what God wants to teach me through it all, and quite frankly, it's exciting. Homelessness is an issue that, try as I might, I simply cannot be neutral on. Living near a big city like Baltimore, Orlando, or even Tokyo, I've found that I either need to ignore the homeless, or address them in some way. For me, my journey of addressing the issue of homelessness starts with getti...more God has been dropping several resources in my path dealing with the issue of homelessness lately. I'm trying to be open to what God wants to teach me through it all, and quite frankly, it's exciting. Homelessness is an issue that, try as I might, I simply cannot be neutral on. Living near a big city like Baltimore, Orlando, or even Tokyo, I've found that I either need to ignore the homeless, or address them in some way. For me, my journey of addressing the issue of homelessness starts with getting educated.

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski opened my eyes to several key issues. Written by a man who felt called to live a homeless lifestyle by choice for 5 months, the book is a memoir of his experience. Here are several things I took away from Under the Overpass:

* Substance/alcohol abuse are huge among the homeless. Although Yankoski was unable to quote statistics, I came away with the impression that a large number (majority???) of homeless struggle with this.
* Helping a homeless person is often a split second opportunity that we can take advantage of or totally miss. Contact with a homeless person can catch us off guard, and how we respond in that moment may make a deep impact (positive or negative). Planning ahead takes a lot of the anxiety out of responding to an unexpected opportunity.
* Small gestures are totally okay. Sometimes the concept of helping a homeless person can seem overwhelming because 1.) We can't help everyone and 2.) We can't fully "fix" even one person. But something seemingly small like buying someone dinner or stopping to talk is actually significant in the big picture.
* Author Yankoski sacrificed 5-months of his life specifically because he wanted to grow in his relationship with God. When was the last time that I planned a lifestyle change with the intent purpose of investing in my relationship with God?
* And lastly, trite but good -- I came away with a renewed conviction to not waste food. Some people live on so little -- I don't want to take for granted what I have.

I want to close by addressing a question that haunted me throughout the first half of the book. Was Yankoski right in choosing the method he did to grow closer to God and increase awareness of homelessness? Early on, I found myself critical of someone who would "pretend" to be homeless and in a sense, mooch off of the unknowing kindness of people who thought he was legitimately homeless.

However, I've come to appreciate the validity of Yankoski's method. The thing that has cinched it for me is comparing his journey to the incarnational presence of Jesus Christ on earth for 33 years. Here was a deity who didn't want for anything, living as a human -- accepting gestures of kindness from his followers, when really, he could have "snapped his fingers" and provided all he lacked at any moment. He could have conjured up 5 loaves, 2 fish, an expensive bottle of nard, and any number of meals that Mary & Martha went to great lengths to prepare for him. Was Jesus merely "taking advantage" of the kindness of his followers?

I believe that God coming to earth in a human body impacted those around him in a way that a deity who never lacked for anything could not have done. And in the case of Yankoski, his ability to touch the homeless around him, the personal growth that he gained, and the impact that he has had through sharing about his experience with a broader audience make me think that the expense was a valid one.

--Jen(less)

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Mar 31, 2009 Joel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christian, social

Yankoski does a pretty decent job at trying to live and subsequently relay the real lives of America's homeless. His motives are right, he wants to know what it's really like to be an outcast and a nobody, he would have no idea of knowing that since he was an upper-middle-class college kid from a solid and cohesive family. He also was a Christian. He set out on a planned period of time to be homeless, with a friend, and experience longing and rejection first hand. His discoveries are in line wit...more

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Jan 18, 2009 Meghan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Meghan by: Josiah

Considering the young age of the author, I was impressed by how grippingly well-written this book was. Even not considering his age: it's quite good.

Yankoski's accounts of his time spent on the streets of America are compelling and ultimately, deeply challenge the reader to examine his or her faith and what it means to live a Christian lifestyle and to love our neighbor.

I'm tempted to criticize Under the Overpass for its being written specifically for a Christian audience; the arguments that Yan...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Angel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’m starving and my feet hurt, that guy back there knows it , but hey! He’s praying for me.”
Mike Yankoski decided he needed to put into the action the Christian he said he was. After prayer and counsel he and his friend and kindred spirit, Sam Purvis struck on a five month journey that would change their lives forever. they threw away the trappings of the world, and with a tee-shirt, jeans and their guitars enter the would of the homeless. For five months they lived literally homeless. No fail s...more I’m starving and my feet hurt, that guy back there knows it , but hey! He’s praying for me.”
Mike Yankoski decided he needed to put into the action the Christian he said he was. After prayer and counsel he and his friend and kindred spirit, Sam Purvis struck on a five month journey that would change their lives forever. they threw away the trappings of the world, and with a tee-shirt, jeans and their guitars enter the would of the homeless. For five months they lived literally homeless. No fail safe, nothing to fall back on. They encountered situations they dealt with them as anyone else homeless would, therefore feeling the full impact.
The great thing about this book is what it is not. It is not a book of feeling sorry for the people they encourtered, they treated them as equals. They took out the bad words, as a courtesy but that may have been a mistake. Making the people real was what it was all about.
Mike and Sam’s simple faith impressed me. They were in a church every Sunday, and quietly showed their faith to others. Their father was Radically altered at the end of the book, but they made a conscious decision to make sure they never forgot the experience.
The interactions with people, both the homeless or others personified their faith. It didn’t take long for them to take on the characteristics we associate with the homeless. Dirty,smelly dressed in cast off clothing. It became second nature for them to plan in the morning where to sleep that night, where to set up to play. Knowing what is put in your guitar case is it for you for the day has to be sobering. Often they didn’t make bus fare much less enough to eat. Their diet consisted of Macdonald’s .99 cent burgers.

I recommended the book strongly to others. It is a fast read but intense. I was shocked by the response from churches and fellow Christians. We sit in church on Sundays and pray for us to be what God wants us to be, We ask him to use us in any way He chooses, but when He answers, do we respond? When Mike and Sam entered many churches they felt an unwelcoming atmosphere. A pastor told them when they asked for food; that because the job of the church was to “worship” giving them food would cloud the issues. Hence the words at the start of this review. If you truly want to do what God ask of you , He just sent you two homeless me, giving them bread would be nice. Think before you pray. Will you really do it?
this is the best book I have read in a long while. It changed my perspective and let me have a bird’s eye view into the life of people I only see from a distance. it makes me think about my commitment to others . A must Read
(less)

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Jan 06, 2011 Anastacia Knits rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, christian

I was very excited to have the opportunity to read & review this book. Being a knitter & crocheter, I often make blankets for charity - usually for people in nursing homes, or pets in animal shelters. Last fall I made about 30 hats & a few scarves for a group collecting woolies for homeless vets. Ever since then, I've been thinking about doing more for the homeless. Sure, I have made hats in the past for them, but certainly not like I do the lapghans. I wasn't really sure what to exp...more

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