If you’ve judged the homeless, the addicted, and the LGBTQ+ community, read this book

A review of Everybody But Us by Ben Rose

When I first saw the title of this novel, I wondered what it meant and ventured to find out by reading the book. But then, I saw the synopsis on its Amazon info page and that killed it for me. Gauging from the point of view of the characters in the book, I surmised that, from a sociological perspective, only the poverty-stricken and the downtrodden are the ones saying this phrase. Specifically:
Who gets a warm home to live in?
Everybody but us.
Who gets loving parents to nurture them?
Everybody but us.
Who gets all the breaks in life?
Everybody but us.

On the flip side, however, even the über-wealthy 1% of the world’s populace also say it:
Who gets to bear the consequences of our factories’ and conglomerates’ pollution of the atmosphere?
Everybody but us.
Who will suffer from global warming?
Everybody but us.
Who toils by the sweat of their brow but gets cr*p in return?
Everybody but us.
Whose children/descendants will suffer from the repercussions of our fiscal irresponsibility, exploitation of our employees, and blatant disregard for our fellow humans?
Everybody’s but ours.

The story in this book is told from the darker side of that fence. It’s an important one because not everyone is aware of what it really means to be mired in poverty and be out on the streets. I was part of an outreach ministry in British Columbia that works with street folk, the addicted, the homeless, and sex trade workers. One of the initiatives was for our parishioners to sleep with the homeless overnight, so we can know firsthand how it feels to live their lives.

However, even if you join organizations like ours, one night will not give you a 360-degree view of what it’s really like. Hopefully, you will not have to experience it. And if you are in this situation, I hope you will come out of it and be able to generate sustainable income that enables you to live a life of comfort but with purpose and service to others.

Every morning, no matter where we are in the world and whatever our time zone, our prayer rings worldwide pray for the homeless, the hopeless, the helpless, and those who suffer from mental disorders and all forms of addiction. I hope you will join us, regardless of your faith belief. Even if you are an atheist, I hope you will also put positive thoughts out into the universe for our less fortunate global siblings.

This book dispels some of the myths about the poor and homeless but also confirms popular beliefs. Here are just two examples of the former:

Myth: The homeless are all drug addicts and/or mentally ill. Some are criminals and murderers, so they do not deserve to be helped.
Truth: Everyone has a different story. Destiny Wilbury, the protagonist, was kicked out of her home by her religiously fundamentalist parents and excommunicated by church leaders for being bisexual. Her friend, Mackenzie Guevara, ran away from home because her mother’s numerous boyfriends abused her. Their mutual pal and economic savior, Vinnie Il-Cazzo, was forced to go solo when his con artist parents had to disappear when the consequences of their criminal activities caught up with them.

Many law-abiding, morally upright, illegal-substance-free middle class people—whether in developing nations or wealthy countries (except Scandinavian ones)—are only one missed paycheck away from homelessness. Job loss clinches it.

Myth: All prostitutes are “bad” women.
Truth: Commercial sex workers are of different genders, including people from the LGBTQ+ community. They are not all from dysfunctional families. They were not all abused/molested as children. Not all of them are drug addicts, alcoholics, and/or have mental disorders. Not all of them are into the trade by choice. Most of them are forced into it through desperation due to abysmal life circumstances.

This book also tackles LGBTQ+ issues through the characters’ conversations. Both sides (those sympathetic and otherwise) will benefit from these discussions.

Another value of this book is that it gives tips and tricks on how to survive living on the streets. They are not all commendable, but I agree with the positive and legal ones.

Despite the book’s benefits I’ve outlined above, I’ve docked half a star from my rating because the experiences of the characters, however dire, played out like they were having fun; that homelessness was like a big adventure. They were having parties, raking in hundreds of dollars from busking, staying in hotels (albeit both seedy and swanky), and buying luxury goods. These activities are not indicative of the truly impoverished. They did, however, have kind people enter their lives who helped them. Also, they are perhaps a few of the fortunate ones. I have to remind myself that this is a work of fiction. However, I know, as a writer myself, that most stories in books—at least the notable, genuine ones—are based on real people and events that really happened.

For a peek into a more realistic view of poverty and homelessness, I recommend the movie, Shelter, starring Jennifer Connelly, who won an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind. (Filmography tidbit: Connelly purposely lost 25 pounds for her role as Hannah, a surgeon's widow who left her child with her father after she became a cocaine addict because she couldn’t deal with her husband’s death. To be convincing, she researched the lives of people her character portrayed, even learning how to use needles and illegal substance paraphernalia.)

It’s true what the author said about how hospitals treat indigent patients, especially those who OD due to substance addictions. However, it’s not the staff’s fault whenever injustice prevails. They are merely cogs in an invisible profit-making machine who have to follow rules. Most of the time, they are just saving their behinds because they have families to feed and are in danger of being homeless themselves if they lose their jobs. I know this for a fact, because I have relatives and friends who are medical practitioners serving hospitals in New York, Michigan, Texas, and California. Whenever possible, they go out of their way to help the cash-strapped, even forking out of their own pockets, kitchens, and wardrobes to assist. A couple have even taken in some street folk into their homes and paid for their rehab. And yet, the people they helped had the gall to steal from them.

I discussed this aspect recently with a friend whose family members in the Philippines work in public hospitals as surgeons and doctors with different specialties. They do the same as my American relatives in private medical centers. A few also got slapped in the face (figuratively) by the very people they helped. This is why I don’t judge folks who won’t (or can’t) assist. Most are really wary of circumstances like these or don’t want to be involved, blamed, or sued.

If you feel your life is wretched, read this book. Unless you’re on the streets yourself, you’ll find out how blessed you are. You’ll realize that the problems you think are insurmountable are actually quite petty. And if you are dismissive and judgmental about the homeless (like my friends and I once were), I hope it will inspire you to open your minds, hearts, and wallets… or at least be more sympathetic to them.

Rating: 4.5 stars