In the Open : Diary of a Homeless Alcoholic

This book is startling, a brutal first-person narrative of life on the drunken underside of America. It's also often infuriating. Donohue is obviously intelligent and seems to have chosen his life in the gutter. While one might honestly wonder why we should listen to a drunk who sleeps in ditches expound on esoteric economic theories, the quality of the writing and the power of the narrative carry the day. In the Open is a peculiar book that disturbs as it enlightens.