REVIEWING THE REVIEWERS
Well, I'm thrilled. After 10 months of almost unanimous praise and rave reviews from both readers and critics (including being nominated and winning a Book of the Year Award from FOREWORD magazine), I finally got a nasty review of my book, "SURVIVING ON THE STREETS: How To Go Down Without Going Out" (Loompanics). And face it, nasty reviews make for such more interesting copy.
Its somewhat ironic, though hardly surprising to me, that the first negative review comes from a so-called homeless newspaper, REAL CHANGE NEWS from Seattle. Ironic because every actual homeless person I know (which numbers in the hundreds, including most of my friends) that has read my book has raved about it; a typical comment being; "Finally somebody writes the truth about whats really going on out here. So its more than laughable to see this homeless rag that purports to speak out on behalf and support The Homeless (and no doubt recieves a hefty chunk of grant money from the public coffers for this worthy endeavor), being the first to slam my book. The reviewer, self-described "White Liberal" Wes Browning, variously referred to me in his snotty-ass review as "bitter", "burned-out", "ex-alcoholic", "ex-druggie", etc. All of which are true, I suppose, but no other descriptions of my alleged character were mentioned. Probably the most laughable thing Browning wrote was:
"Mr. Backwords has the least to say about the majority of the homeless because he knows very few of the majority, because they avoid him and his drugged-out reality in droves." Geez,if only that were true! I could get some peace when I walk down the street instead of being pestered by every other homeless person. Of course the presumption is that self-appointed "homeless activist" Wes Browning speaks on behalf of The Homeless (unlike me). Even more galling is his presumption that The Liberal Perspective is somehow synonomous with The Homeless Perspective. Writing with the self-righteous indignation that his ilk is famous for, Browning was particularly irked by my take on 1.) Black Crime, 2.) Mass Immigration, and 3.) My contention that HIV has nothing to do with AIDS. 1.) Browning vigorously disputed my notion that blacks are committing a hugely disproportionate amount of street crime (Geez, what can I say in rebuttable to that, except that I keep forgetting that White Liberals don't actually live in the real world with the rest of us). 2.) Likewise, on the issue of Mass Immigration, Browning didn't even bother to respond to anything I actually
said, but instead chose to make up things I never said and that vigorous dispute those notions (way to go, Wes!). 3.) Even more shocking and delusional was his response to the "HIV-doesn't-equal-AIDS" controversy. Browning brilliantly asserts that there's an incredible "danger" if I'm wrong, but if he's wrong it "amounts to squat." Oh REALLY? Billions of dollars in wasted research is your idea of "squat", Mr. Browning? As well as freaking out millions of people for decades to come over a so-called "sexually-transmitted plague" that never really existed in the first place? As well as directing billions of dollars in funding down a blind-alley while hundreds of thousands of people are dying of a mis-diagnosed illness? If you're wrong, this amounts to "squat"??? You really have to wonder about the minds of some of these people.
On the other hand, if I had written a book that portrayed myself as a poor pathetic victim of society, who sat on my ass begging for money and appealing for more welfare, and who blamed all my problems on Reagan and Bush and landlords and yuppies and cops...you can bet that Wes Browning would have been applauding my book like a penguin clapping his hands, as well as crying endless crocodile tears of compassion for my incredible plight. Because in truth, most of what I've seen of the so-called "Homeless Press" is nothing but Pity Rags, and glorified panhandling scams, full of mealy-mouth White Liberals exactly like Wes Browning. He claims I'm a "thorn in the side" of White Liberals like him. When in fact all I'm doing is holding up a mirror for him to look at himself in (its no wonder he gets so agitated at the reflection). And further, your review, and your papers, are hardly the last word on me and my book. In fact, I'm the last word on YOU.