Who is My Neighbor?

Phillip K. Tompkins is Professor Emeritus of Communication and Comparative Literature at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is the author of a number of books, including Apollo, Challenger, Columbia: The Decline of the Space Program. He has published articles in such journals as The James Joyce Quarterly, Esquire, Philosophy and Rhetoric and Communication Monographs. He is the Past President and Fellow of the International Communication Association and won the Peacemaker Award from the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2006. He is President of the Board of Directors of Housing Justice, the mission of which is to "give voice to the struggle for decent housing, affordable to all."

“A must read for anyone interested in creating a community-wide response to a complex social problem. Tompkins describes the tools used to create a movement for social change.” —Roxane White, Former Chair of Denver’s Commission to End Homelessness “In Who Is My Neighbor? Phillip Tompkins asks the right questions about homelessness in America. … Tompkins’s compassionate meditation does not have all the answers, but rather reflects the author’s willingness to put himself on the line by volunteering in the trenches while actively engaging the essential intellectual task of thinking through what the answers will turn out to be.” —Thomas A. Hirschl, Professor of Sociology, Cornell University “Phillip Tompkins blends a sophisticated analysis of the social, political, and economic conditions that have contributed to homelessness in the United States with a thoughtful examination of the communicative features of homelessness. This blend contributes greatly to a growing body of literature on urban communication, helping us understand better the ways in which communication in everyday urban life can transform individuals and communities.” —Daniel Makagon, College of Communication, DePaul University "This dynamic book is a must-read for communication scholars/activists interested in the social, communicative, and pragmatic aspects of fighting homelessness. While grounded firmly in the social scientific and organizational communication literature on homelessness, Tompkins personalizes and humanizes the statistics and the lives of the people he serves.” —Journal of Communication & Religion “Tompkins’s book takes us on a ‘road trip’ for the mind as we see through his eyes a decade of experience in volunteer work for a homeless shelter. … Overall, the book is a great read and offers marvelous insight into a difficult social problem.” —Gregory Desilet, author of Our Faith in Evil: Melodrama and the Effects of Entertainment Violence "I love this book. It is beautifully written, thoughtful, and thought provoking.” —Dan Lair, University of Denver

• Chapter One D own and O ut and on the R oad; Chapter TWO C hristmas in the S t. F rancis C enter; Chapter THREE T he H istory of H omelessness; Chapter FOUR M other T eresa, L iminality, and A beyance; Chapter FIVE S easons, C ycles, and R elative D eprivation; Chapter SIX P olice H arassment and D egrees of B eing; Chapter SEVEN T he S ocial C onstruction of K illers by M eans of C ommunication; Chapter EIGHT T he V isible H and of C ompassion; Chapter NINE A n E xistential L ook at H omelessness; Chapter TEN A C risis M eeting at the S helter; Chapter ELEVEN T he C ollective D iscipline of C ompassion; Chapter TWELVE C harity versus J ustice; Chapter THIRTEEN T he F aces of H omelessness; Chapter FOURTEEN D enver's R oad H ome;