Synopses & Reviews
Review
“Martha Aladjem Bloomfield knows the power of stories to heal. Her deeply personal journey into the lives of the formerly homeless reveals their search for home as uniquely American. In doing so, My Eyes Feel They Need to Cry becomes a timely call to action and a critical blueprint for change.”
—Vincent Delgado, Academic Specialist for Civic Engagement, MSU Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, and Co-Founder of the Refugee Development Center
Review
“This uniquely original enterprise is about offering a new home for the homeless—a home of a life revisited and fulfilled in a newly found sanctuary of poetry, story, art, and humanization. Martha Aladjem Bloomfi eld’s book is not a work of charitable compassion but an empathically sparked glimmer of hope and recognition for the socially outcast.”
—Haim Hazan, Professor, Social Anthropology, Tel Aviv University
Review
“The homeless live from one day to the next, ever focused on satisfying their hunger, thirst, and need for sleep. Listen to them bring back their memories of brighter days, and offer them your understanding. By enabling them to express themselves through music, art, or storytelling you’ll awaken in them self-confidence and human dignity!”
—Ilja Hradecký, Founder and Director of Nadeje (“Hope”), Czech Republic
Review
“Engaging the stories of hope from some of the darkest corners of society, this book and project uplift and illuminate the humanity of those who have been marginalized.”
—David Votta, President of the Board of Directors, Michigan Oral History Association, and Community Engagement Librarian with the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services
Review
“It is the combination of the very first and last lines in Bloomfield’s book that teaches us the challenge of developing resilience. All remaining lines in My Eyes Feel They Need to Cry show readers that learning to set and express goals—especially while experiencing the depths of despair—functions as the tool to bounce forward toward success. Each individual’s story in this book represents the power of personal adaptation, and thus the possibility to change future generations.”
—Darlene A. G. Groomes, Associate Professor, Oakland University
Synopsis
As intimate as they are inspiring, these stories of transformation, drawn from the oral histories of formerly homeless adults, testify to the determination of the human spirit. This collection gives voice to the traditionally voiceless, inviting men and women from a variety of backgrounds to share their experiences of what it was like to live on the street and of how they discovered the inner motivation to change the course of their lives in a positive direction.
About the Author
Martha Aladjem Bloomfield is a writer, artist, oral historian, photographer, educator, researcher, and former Community Outreach Liaison at the Michigan Historical Museum.