Joe Rodríguez has taught at the university and slept on a steam grate at a college during winter. Not at the same time, of course. Writing a novel about the homeless requires a wid...view moreJoe Rodríguez has taught at the university and slept on a steam grate at a college during winter. Not at the same time, of course. Writing a novel about the homeless requires a wide reach and diverse experience. In Southern California, your profession doesn’t matter as much as your car because you could wind up living in it. For example, many ex¬-soldiers are homeless, including veterans of color. The author served in Vietnam and has firsthand data on flophouses. The joke about the minister, the rabbi, and the priest has a new twist. After their houses of worship were demolished during gentrification and redevelopment, they wound up as bunkmates in the only downtown shelter.view less