Surviving on the Streets: How to Go Down Without Going Out [Paperback]

Ace Backwords (Author)

Book Description

Series: Spare Change? | Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Ace Backwards gives us our first real foray into the daily life of street people. Intended to be written as a how-to for anyone comtemplating or more likely thrust by circumstances into street life, it is an uncensored and candid look at an entirely different world that exists co-dependently with the one with which most of us are familiar. Ace himself admits that no book can teach you to survive the countless turbulent pitfalls awaiting you on the street - each street person's situation is unique. However, this book offers specific tips on street survival that worked - and some that didn't, which might be just as valuable for those who could learn from Ace's mistakes. For those of us who will never live on the streets, this book gives a brutally honest peek into an alien world from the eyes of a native.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ace Backwards first hit an on-ramp with his thumb out over thirty years ago. He has lived on and sometimes off the streets, but now seems to have settled into a life enmeshed in the street scene.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Loompanics Unlimited (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559502010
• ISBN-13: 978-1559502016
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,514,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two thumbs up GOOD SIR!, March 9, 2004

By 

Charissa Struble (Arkansas City, KS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surviving on the Streets: How to Go Down Without Going Out (Paperback)

Truly inspiring account of life on the streets. Ace tells it like it us and doesn't sugarcoat or fabricate details to get better ratings. Although I have a permanent place to call home, I found his book very informational and helpful to all walks of life. A "dumpster diver" myself, I can't get enough of diving stories! People should be ashamed of themselves for all the waste they create! I take that back, bless the wasteful, selfish people of the world for giving my life a purpose! To all those found at the bottom of a can, I commend you for doing what you do! Keep up the good work Ace! You are my new hero! :)

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will want to pass this book along to your friends., November 26, 2004

By 

Blingus "Flava Flav gave me that name" (Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surviving on the Streets: How to Go Down Without Going Out (Paperback)

Even if you've never been homeless, and have little chance of ever becoming homeless, you will still enjoy this book. Beyond it's "how-to guide" format, it's a great read on so many levels. First, it will make you think about your modern American existence in a whole new way. Secondly, it will give you an interesting counterpoint to whatever your current view is of the "homeless situation." Plus, Ace knows how to tell a story. Many of his anecdotes will have you laughing out loud...especially if you've ever spent any time in Berkeley. His likable personality shines through in his writing style, which is intelligent, sardonic, somewhat bitter, and witty.

Those who are using this review space to trash homeless people have obviously not read this book. Ace Backwords does not promote "free-loading," "trashing public property," or "scamming people." He writes about using your wits to survive, in an interesting and intelligent way.

Even if you don't agree with everything he has to say, you will still enjoy the book and want to talk about it with your friends. Read it, pass it on, and have an interesting conversation.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stories, Great Advice, February 9, 2003

By 

Tony the Tour Guy (Gotham City, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surviving on the Streets: How to Go Down Without Going Out (Paperback)

I've been an Ace Backwords fan since the days of his legendary "Twisted Image" comics. In this volume Ace tells us what it's REALLY like to be homeless in the Bay Area from personal experience. This is autobiography, not journalism or "participant observation," as the anthropologists call it.

Ace pulls no punches, describing both the horrors and the joys (yes, there are many) of living on the streets. His stories can be both touching and hillarious, and he offers lots of practical advice to people caught down on their luck. Some is very Politically Incorrect, but when you have to survive by your gut instincts, rhetoric ceases to be important. If you're looking for a portrayal of homelessness to reimforce your own thoughts on the problem, be they flaming liberal or neo-fascist, you WON'T find it here!

While Ace is strong on story-telling and practical advice, he's not so good at sociological analysis or epidemiology. Ace should research such matters a little more carefully before making blanket statements about cause and effect with social problems. One of the firs things on learns in Research 101 is "correlation does not necessarily indicate causation."

These problems aside, this is a great, quick read.