Gina B. (the-book-diva) reviewed The Girl's Guide to Homelessness: A Memoir on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
With the economy in a shambles I'm sure we'll be seeing a new face of homeless people and this story puts a name on that face. It is well-told and eye-opening to say the least. It really raises an awareness of the hopeless feeling that these newly displaced people must feel. We really need to find a way take care of those in our own backyard, help them get back on their feet and feel like they really do matter.
Helpful Score: 1
Such an incredible book! I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Brianna Karp is funny and honest and an amazing woman. I highly recommend this book to everyone!
Karen H. (warbler43) -
I went into this book thinking it would discuss a very real social problem in today's world, but I was very disappointed. It read more like fiction instead of a memoir and really didn't get into depth about homelessness. For a woman in her mid-twenties to have had this much stuff happen to her just amazes me. I'm still shaking my head. There are so many contradictions that it makes it hard to believe. She is obviously a person with a very dark attitude and paranoia beyond belief. She uses herself as a whipping board (and she allows others to do the same) since she feels everyone blames her for everything that goes wrong in her life, and theirs.
People would say that she is not really homeless since she lives in an old RV. A lot of people in this country live in RV's, living very comfortably and don't consider themselves homeless. The thing is, she parks the RV in WalMart parking lot so she has no utility hookup. This might have worked best for her in the beginning, but she does have resources and some money. And for all the money she spends on airfare, one would think she would have enough money to rent a space in an RV park.
While the story is a curiosity and people would want to read it to satisfy that curiosity, I would not really recommend it to my friends.
People would say that she is not really homeless since she lives in an old RV. A lot of people in this country live in RV's, living very comfortably and don't consider themselves homeless. The thing is, she parks the RV in WalMart parking lot so she has no utility hookup. This might have worked best for her in the beginning, but she does have resources and some money. And for all the money she spends on airfare, one would think she would have enough money to rent a space in an RV park.
While the story is a curiosity and people would want to read it to satisfy that curiosity, I would not really recommend it to my friends.
Jeannie H. (ilovebooksanddogs) -
I loved this book and this author! She writes straight from her heart and I could feel that and it pulled me right in. Very honest book and yet I believe she has much more to tell and say. I hope she does cause her style of writing was so easy to read that I am aching for more from her.
She's very passionate about the plight of the homeless and the myths and bullshit that people believe about them. I myself have been guilty of this, seeing her put that into words in the pages of her book made me quite ashamed of myself so I think this book serves a very useful purpose in de-bunking that type of thinking. We all know the saying: "There But For the Grace of God Go I" and does she ever ram that home for the reader. I found her to be very likable and believeable.
My heart ached for the way she was raised and I see a whole another book on just that topic! I want more!!
I at first fell for her relationship with Matt but had misgivings and a fear in my heart that it wasn't quite what she was thinking it was and way towards the end of the book we do find out that he was full of bullshit. I don't think she deserved what he done to her in any way or form and honestly folks he just makes me more distrustful of the male species. What a piece of shit he was and is. So Matt is you read this, you are a dirty scumbag for what you put her through. A-hole!!
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a new writer with something to say and a bright future ahead of her!! Thanks Bri and I am looking forward to more from you!!
She's very passionate about the plight of the homeless and the myths and bullshit that people believe about them. I myself have been guilty of this, seeing her put that into words in the pages of her book made me quite ashamed of myself so I think this book serves a very useful purpose in de-bunking that type of thinking. We all know the saying: "There But For the Grace of God Go I" and does she ever ram that home for the reader. I found her to be very likable and believeable.
My heart ached for the way she was raised and I see a whole another book on just that topic! I want more!!
I at first fell for her relationship with Matt but had misgivings and a fear in my heart that it wasn't quite what she was thinking it was and way towards the end of the book we do find out that he was full of bullshit. I don't think she deserved what he done to her in any way or form and honestly folks he just makes me more distrustful of the male species. What a piece of shit he was and is. So Matt is you read this, you are a dirty scumbag for what you put her through. A-hole!!
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a new writer with something to say and a bright future ahead of her!! Thanks Bri and I am looking forward to more from you!!
Marianne S. (sfc95) -
The foreshadowing in this book is overkill. It is a good story but the abiklity to see what is coming a million miles away takes away from what could have been a great book. ZCertainly an eye opener and will push a stereotyping reader to review their own thoughts.
This was a very enjoyable book and very well written. It was a quick read and a great story. I enjoy books that real people write about real life- and this was it!
Didn't fininsh.
Brianna Karp is on a mission. She has a purpose. She did not choose it, but she chose to take what life dealt her and to use it for good.
Brianna has had a difficult life. From the early age of ten she was forced to work to support her mother and sister. Violence and abuse was a way of life for her. Through perseverance and determination, she fought her way out of it.
Finally, barely into her twenties, Brianna thought she had paid her dues. She had a good job and a place of her own. When the Recession hit, a series of events caused Brianna to lose it all. She found herself homeless.
Inheriting her fathers travel trailer and having nowhere to go, she parked it in a Wal-Mart parking lot. It is then that she begins to blog about being jobless and homeless.
Surprised at the responses she received and the similar stories she read, Brianna finds the courage to become an advocate for the homeless.
Young, smart, and resourceful Brianna Karp has given help and hope to countless people. She has also educated many more. Her book includes a discussion guide and a list of resources. She is a special young woman with an important book.
Brianna has had a difficult life. From the early age of ten she was forced to work to support her mother and sister. Violence and abuse was a way of life for her. Through perseverance and determination, she fought her way out of it.
Finally, barely into her twenties, Brianna thought she had paid her dues. She had a good job and a place of her own. When the Recession hit, a series of events caused Brianna to lose it all. She found herself homeless.
Inheriting her fathers travel trailer and having nowhere to go, she parked it in a Wal-Mart parking lot. It is then that she begins to blog about being jobless and homeless.
Surprised at the responses she received and the similar stories she read, Brianna finds the courage to become an advocate for the homeless.
Young, smart, and resourceful Brianna Karp has given help and hope to countless people. She has also educated many more. Her book includes a discussion guide and a list of resources. She is a special young woman with an important book.
Debbie B. (orchid7) -
This book was a DNF for me. I got about 75 pages into it, and then I just didn't want to go any further. I thought the book had sounded really good, and maybe it picks up later on in the story, but the beginning is so bogged down in the author's horrible past experiences and negativity that I just needed to put it down. I didn't care for the author's voice or her writing style.
