1.        Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber.  (F)  After a five year absence, a runaway (now 18 years old) returns to her family in Miami to deal with the guilty secret that caused her to flee.  This is a multilayered novel about a family that comes apart at the seams—and finds its way together again.

2.        Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian.  (F)  A psychological thriller about a woman who was a victim of a vicious assault during college.  Upon graduation she begins working as a social worker in a homeless shelter and views photographs taken by a homeless man who had once been a world class photographer. She becomes obsessed with the photographs and begins to piece together a story of what his life must have been like.

3.        The Girls' Guide to Homelessness by Briana Karp.  (NF)  Karp delivers a heartwrenching and darkly funny memoir about her experience becoming homeless after losing her corporate job in the Great Recession.

4.        How to Increase Homelessness by Joel John Roberts.  (NF)  The cycle of blame immobilizes communities to do nothing about homelessness.  Roberts turns the tables against common arguments by proposing an absurd, tongue-in-cheek, philosophical conclusion- maybe we really actually want to increase homelessness in our community.

5.        The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.  (F)  Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own.  Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them.  But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what's been missing in her life, and when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

6.        Rachel and Her Children:  Homeless Families in America by Jonathan Kozol.  (NF)  This book, first published in 1988, is based on the months the author spent among America’s homeless.  It is an unforgettable record of the desperate voices of men, women and children caught up in a nightmarish situation.  With record number of homeless children and adults flooding the shelters this look at the homeless resonates even louder today.

7.        Reckoning with Homelessness by Kim Hopper.  (NF)  As an anthropologist and advocate, the author provides a deeper understanding of the roots of homelessness.  Using ethnography, literature, history and activism he places homelessness into historical context to trace the process by which it came to be recognized as an issue.

8.        Tell Them Who I Am:  The Lives of Homeless Women by Elliot Liebow.  (NF)  As a participant- observer Liebow has provided a moving study and intimate look at women living in homeless shelters.  The reader will look beyond stereotypes and see the diversity among them and see that many of their struggles are no different from our own.

9.        Under the Overpass:  A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America by Mike Yankoski.  (NF)  Mike, the author, and Sam, his traveling buddy set out to experience life on the streets in six different cities and put themselves to the test : Could they be the Christians they said they were apart from the comforts they’d always known?