Amazon Category:  Sociology Publisher: Anthony Publishing ISBN-10:  0967529808 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 196 Copyright: Oct 10 1999 This book is an exploration of the psychology of homelessness and a journey of self-awareness as the author discovers a homeless man's strategies for survival on the street. This personal account is the author's experience with J.C., a homeless man in New York City. The author shares her fears and her compassion as she weaves together the story of J.C.'s life. This carefully researched document is a sensitive account of the problem of homelessness and an inspiration to all those who want to make a difference. Excerpt "The story I did get from J.C., although incomplete, was more than just words. It was about the resiliency of the human spirit and mind when faced with difficulties. It was about human weakness and pain and the importance of forgiving ourselves for our imperfections. And mostly, it was about the goodness that lies deep inside us, even when our clothes are tattered, our emotions are troubled. That goodness, that pure state of unselfish love, is the cord that holds us all together. I found it in J.C., and he found it in me."

One Women's Writing Retreat
Have a Great One! A Homeless Man's Story is about a panhandler named J.C. struggling to survive in New York City. But it is also the story of a woman on a journey of self-discovery. It is the story of the bond that can form between two people who make a connection by chance, and find enough courage to tell each other the truth. It's about coming to an understanding: that some mistakes in life can be rectified, while others never will. Yet, the message in the book is uplifting. If you let go of blame and let in compassion, you can grow and make a difference in the world.

The book is also a story about risk. Though the author adds many current statistics about homelessness, she rarely sat at a desk to passively research her work of non-fiction. She braved the elements to record interviews. Sometimes she feared she was being followed and at other times she sensed she was being conned. She lost sleep worrying about her new friend if he didn't show up at a meeting. And her friend lost sleep worrying about her. J.C. also took many risks. He trusted a stranger. He told stories about his life he had never admitted to anyone. He confronted people he had hurt in the past, risking rejection. He faced his own confusion and fears. Despite the odds, J.C. dared to hope. The book itself is a risk. You will wonder why a major publisher did not buy Have a Great One! and what we're missing when writers lack the conviction to distribute their own work.

Laurie's powerful book gets to the root of what it means to be human. It reminds us that unconditional love only occurs when we learn to accept each others' differences. Forgiveness, laughter, sharing hot coffee on a frigid day, these are moments of selflessness that make our time on earth worthwhile.
I won't tell you the details of what occurs when and where, or repeat statistics about the homeless. To do so would diminish the effectiveness of Laurie Anthony's book. You need to experience the author's every word, to tunnel through her emotions, while she tries to make sense out of what went wrong in another person's life. Don't expect easy answers or solutions. Have a Great One! is a story about telling the truth.

C. T. Atherton, One Women’s Writing Retreat

http://www.priarieden.com



Anitra Freeman
Review by Anitra Freeman

In 1998, Laurie Anthony took a year off from teaching. She and her husband T.J. moved from Columbus Ohio to Manhattan so that their son Joey could attend the Professional Performing Arts High School. After a lifetime of donating to the needy and working with her students to do the same, she was face to face with homeless people.

Forming a friendship with J.C., a charming panhandler on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 57th Street, Anthony began to research homelessness. She and J.C. began this book as a joint project to tell the world J.C.'s story, and through him, the story of homelessness. The project transformed both their lives.


This is a tale of healing through relationship. Both J.C. and Anthony make journeys that take them from fear and isolation to a greater sense of responsibility for their world.

It is also a thorough discussion on homelessness, far more clearly and in far less room (198 pages) than any of the other treatises I have read over the years: from who the homeless are and why they are homeless, to what shelters are like, what programs really work, and where you can find out more information.

Laurie Anthony is a remarkable person to start with, possessing both the investigative skills to seek the truth about homelessness and about J.C. and the emotional skills to confront her fears and J.C.'s.

"My time spent with J.C. was a learning experience for me," writes Anthony. "Relating to someone who had a unique perception of reality, and finding ways to form a genuine relationship in spite of that, was an ongoing challenge. Many of my feelings surfaced-feelings of anger, frustration and powerlessness, but once I accepted his reality as his own, I was able to return to genuine compassion. My struggle was a difficult one, but I finally felt at peace with myself."

Anthony's patience did not extend to dealing with the traditional publishing world, and she published this book herself. She has a website http://www.anotherwaytohelpthehomeless.com, which not only markets this book, but also presents information about homelessness and ways to help, reviews other books, assists networking, and grows daily.
Anthony's patience did not extend to dealing with the traditional publishing world, and she published this book herself. She has a website http://www.anotherwaytohelpthehomeless.com, which not only markets this book, but also presents information about homelessness and ways to help, reviews other books, assists networking, and grows daily.

J.C.'s story is not a simple one, but as Anthony unfolds it we can recognize, as she does, that although we all make bad choices. at times, looking back, we all made the best choices we could.

"The story I did get from J.C, although incomplete, was more than just words," Anthony describes. "His story was about the resiliency of the human spirit and mind when faced with difficulties. It was about human weakness and pain and the importance of forgiving ourselves for our imperfections. And mostly, it was about the goodness that lies deep inside us, even when our clothes are tattered and our emotions are troubled. That goodness, that pure state of unselfish love, is the cord that holds us all together. I found it in J.C.-and he found it in me."

Pain and punishment seldom helps people to make better choices; love and support does. J.C. got love and support from Anthony, and from others; he also receives 50% of the profits from the sale of this book. He has been in an apartment for over a year now.

Laurie Anthony is currently working on a children's book, Saturday's Cups, the story of a young girl and her mother who go into the city each Saturday to visit their homeless friends. She is also collecting notes for a book continuing the story of "J.C. and me."




The Vines Network
TheVinesNetwork | Biography Reviews - Have a Great One! by
Laurie Anthony: Healing Through Relationship
by anitra2001 on April 12, 2001


Have a Great One!
A Homeless Man's Story
By Laurie Anthony, 1999
Anthony Publishing
Box 3522
Dublin, OH 43016
ISBN: 0-9675298-0-8
$12.95 +$3.20 shipping + handling
In 1998, Laurie Anthony took a year off from teaching. She and her
husband T.J. moved from Columbus Ohio to Manhattan so that their son
Joey could attend the Professional Performing Arts High School.
After a lifetime of donating to the needy and working with her
students to do the same, she was face to face with homeless people.
Forming a friendship with J.C., a charming panhandler on the corner
of Seventh Avenue and 57th Street, Laurie began to research
homelessness. She and J.C. began this book as a joint project to
tell the world J.C.'s story, and through him, the story of
homelessness. The project transformed both their lives.
This is a tale of healing through relationship. Both J.C. and Laurie
make journeys that take them from fear and isolation to a greater
sense of responsibility for their world.
It is also a thorough discussion on homelessness, far more clearly
and in far less room (198 pages) than any of the other treatises I
have read over the years: from who the homeless are and why they are
homeless, to what shelters are like, what programs really work, and
where you can find out more information.
Laurie Anthony is a remarkable person to start with, possessing the
investigative skills to seek the truth about homelessness and about
J.C., and the emotional skills to confront both her fears and
J.C.'s.
"My time spent with J.C. was a learning experience for me. Relating
to someone who had a unique perception of reality, and finding ways
to form a genuine relationship in spite of that, was an ongoing
challenge. Many of my feelings surface—feelings of anger,
frustration and powerlessness, but once I accepted his reality as
his own, I was able to return to genuine compassion. My struggle was
a difficult one, but I finally felt at peace with myself."
Anthony's patience did not extend to dealing with the traditional
publishing world, and she published this book herself. She has a
website, Another Way to Help the Homeless, which not only markets
this book, but also presents information about homelessness and ways
to help, reviews other books, assists networking, and is updated and
expanded regularly.
J.C.'s story is not a simple one, but as Laurie unfolds it we can
recognize, as she does, that although we all make bad choices at
times, looking back, we all made the best choices we could.
"The story I did get from J.C,, although incomplete, was more than
just words. His story was about the resiliency of the human spirit
and mind when faced with difficulties. It was about human weakness
and pain and the importance of forgiving ourselves for our
imperfections. And mostly, it was about the goodness that lies deep
inside us, even when our clothes are tattered and our emotions are
troubled. That goodness, that pure state of unselfish love, is the
cord that holds us all together. I found it in J.C.—and he found it
in me."
Pain and punishment seldom forces people to make better choices;
with love and support, we can make better choices. J.C. got love and
support from Laurie, and from others; he also receives 50% of the
profits from the sale of this book. He has been in an apartment for
a year.
Laurie Anthony is currently working on a children's book,
"Saturday's Cups", the story of a young girl and her mother who go
into the city each Saturday to visit their homeless friends. She is
also collecting notes for a book continuing the story of "J.C. and
me."


This article appeared on TheVinesNetwork (http://www.thevines.com)