Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing
Review: An interesting account of the world of the homeless. This bio goes to show you that a few wrong steps and you too could be out on the streets. It sure is not pretty either. Lee Stringer gives a good account of how he found himself in this unfortunate predicament. The stories sound very real if a bit disjointed. It would have been nice if Stringer detailed how he quit his drug habit and was able to find shelter in Mamaroneck. Also, his off and on residence at the Street News does alter his perspective somewhat. However, these stories particularly the one about the reverend trying to bilk funds for his real estate business is quite captivating. Well worth a read as it goes quite fast.
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Summary: Absolutely FANTASTIC book
Review: As Kurt Vonnegut says in the opening pages of this book, Lee Stringer can write. Vonnegut isn't lying.Lee Stringer is ruthless in his description of how corruption and greed overcome the true hearts of men - how the problems of homelessness can never be solved unless there is true caring, courage and compassion on the part of our leaders. The most encouraging part of this book is the excerpts from "Ask Homey," a column written by Lee Stringer in the newspaper "Street News," where he directly addresses the issues of the homeless without pause. Lee Stringer also changes the mentality that homeless people are people that somehow scrape the bottoms of the buckets of accountability, dignity, and humanity. They are most certainly not - they are people that could be your next door neighbor...or are, for that matter. Don't miss this one. it is an unforgettable read, especially the second or third time.
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Summary: Finding Stringer
Review: Forgive the crass reference to an upbeat kind of literary movie, Finding Forrester (did the author of Grand Central Winter study with a Pulitzer novelist???), but if I one day decide not to reread Grand Central Winter, it will be because Caverly Stringer's picture is finally on the walls of the highest academies of writing, thinking and living. Take a bow you angels for ushering him into our own reading and living.
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Summary: It could have been much more
Review: I stuck the book out for about 2/3 of it always hoping for some point to be made from the various unconnected stories he tells, but most have no point or real end...such as the story of the blonde hooker who becomes central to his life for many months or the even less understandable the defrocked Greek priest who wants to be in the newspaper.Very little of this book is about how it is to be homeless or to sleep under subway tunnels etc. It's mostly about his hustling newspapers and cans and taking drugs,but even that is surface level & not very detailed.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting reading
Review: Lee Stringer can write! This book is what more books should be, entertaining. It's amazing to get this man's thoughts and philosophies from the precise time when he was homeless and addicted to drugs. Wonderful to read and fun to discuss. I speak with confidence when I say "You will enjoy this book."
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Summary: STRAIGHT FROM THE STREET
Review: Lee Stringer doesn't coddle the reader with sentimental babble about what it is like to be homeless. Other books and authors have done that job. He tells his story without apology or sociological mumbo jumbo. He tells it staight.And sometimes when the truth hits you it is hard to take. Grand Central Winter is Stringer's story of his life and those of selected aquaintances on the streets of New York. A love affair with crack cocaine resulted in him becoming jobless and homeless thus joining a culture reviled and rendered invisible by the mainstream. From Lee's report we see those who are homeless from a wider perspective. Some are addicts to drugs and alcohol, others are former residents of mental institutions that have been closed and still others are trying to make it out of their situation but find themselves in a Catch 22 merry-go-round. The "homeless" are a diverse and wide group. You will find yourself laughing at some of the escapades that Lee encounters. You will get angry at the government bureaucracy and "charity" agencies that are more concerned in keeping the homeless invisible rather than attacking the problems of homelessness. Stringer doesn't make himself into a hero nor does he do the same with the people he meets. You see all of their faults but you begin to respect those who keep trying and revile the ones who attempt to exploit the homeless for political or social engineering reasons. By reading this book you will get a much clearer picture of the complexity of homelessness. Lee doesn't claim to have the answer nor does he make himself the poster boy for the homeless. He forces you to wake up in his sharp and unardoned prose. Look at these people that you pass every day. They are subjects of concern not objects to be trashed. Read this challenging book and awaken yourself to action.
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Summary: An Honest Book
Review: Lee Stringer was a self-confessed crackhead. He lived on the streets of New York City for almost ten years before he was finally able to kick his habit and return to what most of us would consider a normal life. However, don't feel sorry for Mr. Stringer. He doesn't want your pity or need it. Even while living the life of a junkie he was able to maintain his dignity and humanity. He paints an honest picture of life on the streets as he hustled to find enough redeemable aluminum cans to pay for his next dime bag of crack. You may not like everything that Mr. Stringer has to tell you, but what he says will open your eyes.
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Summary: Amazing Writing
Review: Lee Stringer's writing so impressed me that I began sharing it with students in my writing courses to illustrate a variety of points--the power of emotion in honest writing, the plight of the homeless in a rich country, the power of writing to pull a soul from the mire. If my introduction doesn't tempt you to read this book, Kurt Vonnegut's will. In this short book, Stringer tells his street stories which have the power to make a grown man swear and choke back tears at the same time; I've witnessed this myself more than once. This book is written with a mix of grit and fragmented paragraphs to produce an amazingly unique style that illustrates the dark and haunted caverns in the writer's mind. Stringer found his way off of drugs and mean streets by writing about his experiences and sharing them in the homeless publication Street News which he later went on to edit. His stories are raw and loud. This country cares too little for its disenfranchised, and too easily looks away from the homeless and downtrodden (Stringer says,"They see only a phenomenon to which they have already adjusted"). Stringer's words will thread readers' hearts with the compassion they require to truly live an examined life in the USA. And besides, the guy is so quotable: "It's the guilt, fear, and stones in your own heart that take you down;" or "Heroism, as I see it, requires a deliberate decision to assume avoidable risks specifically--not incidentally--for the sake of another." Stringer's is an important voice. Do not miss this book.
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Summary: An Eye-Opening Account
Review: My view of the homeless people I encounter will change as a result of reading Stringer's tale, and I suppose shattering the ignorant, apathetic, uninformed myths I believed is reason enough to read it. Stringer forces the reader to view the homeless as real people, with pasts and stories to tell and reasons for being in their predicament. He is sharp and creative in his attempts to stay fed, clothed and sheltered. He must be. He shows hope, which I once believed many homeless men and women to be without. He describes the homeless as people desperately trying to be alone, which is one of those nuggets that makes you put the book down and really think it through. Bravo to Stringer for not only showing the world what he has been through and overcome, but for doing it eloquently and firmly. My only real criticism of the book is its length (or lack thereof). For twenty bucks, I'm expecting smaller type, smaller leading and, in general, more.
Rating: 
Summary: If I could give this book a big fat ZERO--- I would
Review: Oh man... this book was absolutely terrible. I was expecting to learn a little bit about the lives of homeless people-- you know-- all of the suffering that they endure etc., etc. Instead, what you get here is a story about a homeless man and how he works for a newspaper. He goes on and on discussing his position at the newspaper and never really elaborates on anything else. At first, I couldn't put the book down. I was patiently waiting for some intriguing stories about life as a homeless man. Then I decided to put the book down about 3/4 of the way through. I gave up. Boring, boring, boring. This book will cure anyone's insomnia-- it put me to sleep- that's for sure. ZZZzzzzzz.....
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