Needham Connects - Rough Sleepers book discussion

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder brings readers into a universe that is both urgently near and yet for many, feels hopelessly distant to help us better understand the journeys of some folks who “choose” to sleep “rough,” meaning without shelter. By following the critical work of Dr. Jim O’Connell and the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program he helped to establish, readers learn to question their own assumptions about people’s experiences and see health care giving through a unique lens. As a traditionally trained doctor, Dr. Connolly shares lessons he learned from trusted mentors like nurse Barbara McInnis who helped him understand the importance of human connection before trying to tackle vital signs, “you have to just be there and be present, and if need be, stand with them in the darkness.”

While not unrelated to the broader conversation in our society about “how to end homelessness”, Rough Sleepers brings…