Book Review: Under the Overpass

Title: Under the Overpass
Author: Mike Yankoski
ISBN: 978-1-59052-402-2
Publisher: Multnomah
Publishing Date: Originally published in 2005 but this is a new edition that was just published at the end of 2010.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.

Synopsis:
Ever wonder what it would be like to live homeless? Mike Yankoksi did more than just wonder. By his own choice, Mike's life went from upper-middle class plush to scum-of-the-earth repulsive overnight. With only a backpack, a sleeping bag, and a guitar, Mike and his traveling companion, Sam, set out to experience life on the streets in six different cities: Denver, Washington, D.C., Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix, and San Diego.
For more than five months the pair experiences firsthand the extreme pains of hunger, the constant danger of living on the streets, exhaustion, depression, and social rejection-all by their own choice. They wanted to find out if their faith was real, if they could actually be the Christians they said they were apart from the comforts they'd always known...to discover what it feels like to be homeless in America.
Mike and Sam's story is gritty, challenging, and utterly captivating. What you encounter in these pages will radically alter how you see your world-an may even change your life.

About the Author:
Mike Yankoski and his wife, Danae, are graduate student at Regent College, Vancouver, Canada. Mike serves on the board of directors for World Vision U.S., and is a frequent speaker on a Christ-centered response to our world's great needs.


My review:
ike and Sam took on a challenge-the challenge to become homeless. Although they could stop at any time and return to their lives of a nice place to live, all the food they needed, and family and friends, they chose to stick it out for five months and completely immerse themselves to become homeless. The writing is raw and personal and gives you a good sense of what Mike and Sam experienced on this journey. Mike and Sam encountered other Christians and found that they were surprised by the reaction they received by some of them. The book made me think about being a Christian and my faith and how I react to seeing someone that is homeless or in need. I do know that this book has made me realize that I can do more in my life to show fully that I am a Christian and that I truly live by what that entails me to do and be.