Book Clubs

Dear Convener,

In almost every community in the U.S., we all are seeing visible signs of homelessness that are heart-wrenching, disturbing, and sometimes confusing. Thank you for joining the conversation about the challenging topic of homelessness in your group and your willingness to explore your own relationship to homelessness in thought and in action.

• Reading Guide for The Man in the Dog Park - The Book

In addition to your reading of The Man in the Dog Park: Coming Up Close to Homelessness, below are a few additional resources that you and your group can access to complement your reading and enliven your background for discussion.

• View the film. This 14-minute animated documentary film is a great complement to the book. It is focused specifically on the topic of “Stigma” and goes well with chapter 3 from the book “The Stigma of Being Homeless.” It provides a provocative way to spark reflection and conversation about how we think about and talk about “homeless people.”
• Consider your Response. After having watched the film, think for a minute about your overall response; select one or more of the following phrases to consider.
  After watching the film,
  I was most surprised by . . .
  The most memorable part for me was when . . .
  I would say that I was most challenged by . . .
• Start a Conversation. You can start discussion with your own prompts and/or by selecting from questions about the readings and film provided by the author/writer
  • Questions for the book: Download book questions here.
  • Questions for the film/chapter: Download film questions here.
  • Download Chapter 3 of the book here.
  • At the end of each question set, we also provide questions that other readers have submitted that worked well in their groups. Please contact us if your group has questions they would like to share with others.
• Meet co-authors Ross and Cathy, as they discuss their book. This 16-minute YouTube video is really a preview of the book, and some of its central ideas, that your group may choose to look at before reading. But it may be particularly meaningful for those who have already read the book, too, in order to meet the three authors, and hear Ross, a homeless veteran and co-author, and Cathy discuss their book. Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDf4Kd3oExQ