Natalie on the Street [Paperback]

Ann Nietzke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1994

Unwavering exploration of homelessness, mental illness, the condition of being old, female, and alone

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nietzke worked at a Los Angeles psychiatric shelter when she began this diary of her unusual friendship with a 74-year-old homeless woman, who violates "every conventional notion of 'femininity' and forces us to remember death." Death, the prospect of a dead woman on her sidewalk, is what impels the author to prod the recumbent Natalie into life. "Hey Lady... are you sick?" Nietzke asks. "No," replies Natalie, "I just haven't combed my hair yet." Such small touches of dignity-fresh lipstick and moist towelettes-and the determination to "keep moving," despite cold, filth, hunger, and harassment, demand uncommon courage. "To endure homelessness," Nietzke writes, "for any extended period of time and still maintain integrity of the self requires more 'sanity' than many of us possess." Natalie, for example, is as fiercely possessive of her plastic bags and cart as any Beverly Hills property owner is of Bentley and pool, reorganizing her collection the way one might redecorate a house. Nietzke's modest acts of compassion-an apple, clean underwear, water for bathing-become Natalie's first steps towards treatment of her schizophrenia and life off the street. It's an emotional journey, as Nietzke struggles with her own inner turmoil, hostile neighbors and indifferent bureaucracies (one agency offers Thanksgiving turkeys to people who don't own stoves). Nietzke courageously treats Natalie as something other than another ugly feature of the urban landscape, revealing through her personal testimony, Natalie's human face.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Natalie is a 74-year-old homeless woman suffering from debilitating mental illness that prevents her from properly caring for herself. She takes up residence with her shopping cart and bags in the author's central Los Angeles neighborhood for a few months. Natalie's paranoia prevents her from seeking public assistance and sometimes from accepting help from people in the neighborhood. The author, though sometimes rebuffed, gives Natalie kindness, conversation, food, and some relief from her degrading existence. Novelist Nietzke's writing is superb, and her descriptions of Natalie, her belongings, the horror of her life, and people's positive and negative responses to her are vivid, explicit, and painful. But Nietzke also gives us hope by showing that caring people can make a difference. Highly recommended for all readers.
Judy Mimken, Boise, Id.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: CALYX Books (November 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934971412
• ISBN-13: 978-0934971416
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,950,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Candid account of interactions with homeless schizophrenic., January 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Natalie on the Street (Hardcover)

Ann Nietzke provides a portrait of homeless life on the street through her direct experience with a woman named Natalie. Nietzke creates a relationship with Natalie, who has a mental illness, most likely schizophrena. Through Nietzke's daily journal accounts, readers see the stark realities of homelessness: the struggle for food, clothing, retaining possessions, and the struggle for personl safety. In Natalie's case and many others like her's, the life struggle includes her gender, her age, and the distortion of delusions and hallucinations from her untreated mental illness.

This book is disturbing at times, which is where its value lies. Homelessness is ugly. This book lets us who always have had a place to live inside, sheltered,know what is involved in the struggle for the homeless individual. After reading this book, it is clear that the answer is not simple, particularly when mental illness is part of the picture.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, August 11, 2009

By 

T. Spurlock "NurseT" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Natalie on the Street (Paperback)

This was required reading for a BSN program. I was engaged in Natalie's story and wanted to see how the book ended. It was an easy read and I would recomend it to anyone. I had no idea about some of the issues the homeless face everyday, and I think we all need to be more aware.

4.0 out of 5 stars Reading this book changed my perspective of the "homeless", April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Natalie on the Street (Paperback)

I was touched by this book. If there were more Ann Nietzkes in the world, the world would definately be a better place. It is always so easy to look the other way, Ann didn't. To the author, thank you for sharing your experience with us.