My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A raw, honest, and captivating portrait of a homeless young woman as she navigates through seeing a murder, dealing with a complicated past, and making choices many would judge her.

AT THE EDGE OF THE HAIGHT is a stunning read which opens up a world to the reader many don’t get to know or experience. Seligman manages to balances the dangers of living on the street with the friendships forged between those in these pages. Her characters make their choices and don’t look outside themselves for validation.

What makes this book good is the realness it exudes. Maddy, her friends, and all the adults they encounter read as honest portrayals rather than a caricature of what you would think a homeless teen, a parent of a dead son, or a street cop act. Not once within these pages did I not feel an authenticness to the people I met. To me, the story showed reverence to their situations while still shinning a light on the hazards of this issue. Now, I don’t know any homeless teens. I could be wrong.

This book will make you think. It will make you feel. It will ask you to question how you would react in the circumstances presented. It may even make you think twice before making a knee-jerk judgment if you see a homeless individual on the street. AT THE EDGE OF THE HAIGHT i

Thanks to netgalley and Algonquin for the early copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Maddy is 20 years old and homeless in San Francisco, after aging out of the foster care system. She’s had a rough life and has a dog to keep her company and a few friends.

When she witnesses a fellow homeless dying, she is thrown into the world of their family as they pull her into their grief and offer to take her in.

This story is about her life on the streets and I found it insightful as I have not seen homeless kids as the topic in another book. I don’t know how accurate this is to how homeless live but it seemed realistic to me.

I enjoyed this story and I’m glad I read it and that the author decided to tackle this topic.

okay, i finished this one and i definitely recommend adding it to your TBR list. 4/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕

At the Edge of the Haight is a story about loss, homelessness, family dysfunction, and finding ourselves. the author explores what home is, what it means to fit somewhere if you’ve never fit anywhere before; how you find home.

this is a well-written story about a young woman who is unhoused, offering a glimpse into lives of those we often ignore or refuse to truly see.

thank you so much @netgalley & @algonquinbooks for the ARC! 🖤

3.5/5
I have mixed feelings about this book/story. I really wanted to like it a lot but not sure I couldn’t get into the story for some reason. This story shows the life of homeless teenagers, their struggles, bonds, challenges etc....

"They figured if I was gone I'd be someone else's problem...I told the social worker the same thing I told everyone else, I wasn't looking to go anywhere, there wasn't anywhere to go."

These words are so haunting, so sad when you realize this sense of defeat is coming from a 20 year old who should have the excitement of their whole life ahead of them.

At The Edge Of The Haight by Katherine Seligman is a story that could take place anywhere in our country about the thousands of homeless young people we would rather not know about or see as anything more than not our problem.

Maddy is 20 years old and has lived in the secluded hiding places of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park since she aged out of the foster system. She has created her own family with her dog Root, her boyfriend Ash and their friends. They spend their days and nights constantly moving through food banks, shelters and the streets. In some ways it is a life they have become comfortable living in.

Everything changes when Maddy finds a murdered homeless boy and his killer standing nearby. Running from the scene she knows the false safety she has believed in is gone. Soon the police, the dead boy's parents and the killer are all looking for her and she doubts she can keep running away from all of it.

The author brings all these characters to life by making them so real. No one, especially Maddy, is perfect. They are all flawed and that makes their decisions relatable and understandable. Maddy made me sad, angry, annoyed but also proud, sympathetic and, thankfully, hopeful.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The death that is the basis of At the Edge of the Haight is from Katherine Seligman's own life. However, this book is much more about the life of the homeless in San Francisco. The book has a rather sanitized approach to telling this story. This makes me wonder about the target audience. The messaging that help is always available is important but seems more suitable to a young adult audience.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/01/at-edge-of-haight.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher's blog tour.

<i>Thank you Algonquin Books for providing me with an e-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

3.5 stars

Twenty year old Maddy Donaldo, a homeless woman in San Francisco, has lived a relatively simple life until she and her dog Root witness the murder of a boy in Golden Gate Park. Now, everyone seems interested in Maddy and what she saw, ultimately changing her relationship with people both new and familiar. From friendships, estranged family members, shelters, police, and understanding oneself, <i>At the Edge of the Haight</i> gives a glimpse into what it's like to be young and homeless.

This was a very easy book to read, full of interesting characters and conversations. It definitely gave me a better idea of what homelessness can look like and made me consider some things that I haven't thought about before. Although this book is centered around homelessness and a murder, it's a relatively quiet book that has a heavier focus on characters and themes rather than plot. I think the pacing was a bit abnormal compared to the other contemporary realistic fiction novels that I've read, but I still thought it was enjoyable. The writing style is simple in the way that it leaves readers with vivid descriptions, well-thought-out internal conflict, and memorable characters, without being overwhelming to read. This novel is marketed as an adult novel, but I think young adult readers would enjoy it too due to the style of writing. (I think new adult would be the best age group to categorize this book!)

Overall, <i>At the Edge of the Haight</i> is a thoughtful book about homelessness and discovering what one wants in life. I would recommend this to YA contemporary readers and anyone looking for a quiet book that deals with heavy subjects.

20 year old Maddy and her faithful dog Root have made a home of the Golden State Park in San Francisco. When Maddy witnesses a murder, her life is spun around by the investigation and the victim’s parents desperate for answers. But don’t expect a thriller. This is a story about the meaning of home, creating a family, and a young woman making decisions for herself.

The most powerful part to me was how people treated Maddy - assumptions, saviorism, manipulation, disgust. Everyone seemed to know what’s best for Maddy and wanted to “help” while expecting something in return. It’s a poignant depiction of the mistreatment toward the homeless community.

My critique is that this felt slightly under-written. I very much cared for Maddy, but we only get the tip of the iceberg emotionally. The emotional distance made it difficult to full invest in her story. The plot is also a bit disjointed without a natural flow.

I applaud Katherine Seligman for crafting a young adult novel that takes on this important topic with compassion.

At The Edge Of The Haight is a new adult fiction novel that is sadly very realistic. Katherine Seligman does not provide answers or solutions. Seligman showcases the lives of homeless people in San Francisco, California in the section called The Haight.

I would like to say that I have no experience with this lifestyle, but I do. Seligman does not address families living on the street, but the young people who end up there. In graphic detail Seligman describes the harsh environment and the hunger. There is nothing pretty about living on the streets, but for some there is no other choice. Seligman utilizes Maddie, Ash, Fleet, Hope, Root, and Shane to showcase some of the “whys” and in Shane’s case sometimes you will never know why. For many outsiders, they cannot accept not knowing or even the knowing. Seligman does not shy away from this dichotomy.

There are no heroes in At The Edge Of The Haight. There are just kids trying to control their own lives in this way. Some do not do well inside of four walls and feel trapped. Fleet is one of these souls and is actually my favorite character. Fleet is steadfast yet lost at the same time. I have seen many people on the street who are very similar to her.

The Haight is slow-paced and told from Maddie’s point of view. Seligman does not make her wise or even incredibly foolish. Maddie is just another person escaping her past life of being invisible. Her mother has mental health issues and the last Maddie sees of her she is in a half-way house. Maddie’s father disappeared when she was very young. Maddie lived with her cousins until she graduated high school and then she left Los Angeles and went to San Francisco. A place she didn’t know and with no one she knew living there. She found the nearest park to sleep and there began her new life at eighteen-years-old.

There is no huge drama. Seligman just shows the reality of the now. At The Edge Of The Haight gives readers a glimpse into some of the mindsets of those you may step over as you walk down the street. Read this book and illuminate your world with the souls living in The Haight.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

At the Edge of the Haight by Katherine Seligman
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After aging out of the foster care system, Maddy Donaldo becomes a homeless twenty-year-old living in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It's not the ideal life, but she finds comfort within her friend circle and her dog. The day that she comes across a young man who has been stabbed, her life is unpended. Not only does she have to think about where she will sleep, how to get food, and how to stay out of jail for the dumbest of things (like sitting on a sidewalk), she now has to deal with a certain someone that was also at the scene of the crime, the police wanting to bring her in for questioning, and the grieving & overbearing parents of the young man that ultimately died.
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I thought this book would focus on the murder, but instead, At the Edge of the Haight is a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a homeless youth. Maddy just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and it is unfortunate that she got caught up in the whirlwind that came afterwards. It is heartbreaking and eye-opening to see someone live this life, when so many of us got the opportunity to pursue our dreams, go on to higher learning, or start a family, instead of having to go hungry, turn to drugs to numb ourselves, or not know where we'd sleep each night...
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Thank you to @algonquinbooks and @kr.seligman for the advanced reader's copy. Pub Day: 1/19/2021
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Maddy is a homeless young woman in San Francisco who happens upon a murder victim in Golden Gate Park and must decide if it's worth her already dubious safety to "do the right thing." What follows is a richly descriptive and socially aware story of the homeless community in the Bay area.

The author, Katherine Seligman, does a fantastic job giving unique voice to a community of people most of us would sooner forget from our own discomfort. Maddy and her friends are as distinctive from each other as any other friend group, but as a group they are stronger for also having to survive together against the cold, the cops and other people that might prey on the disadvantaged. Maddy herself is a compelling character whose own past is so difficult to see through that she struggles but begins to grow into herself.

While the novel unfolds much like any murder mystery, it's primary focus is not to thrill, but provide

Thanks to Algonquin Books for including me on the blog tour for this book and providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 2.75 stars rounded up

I'm honestly conflicted about my thoughts on this book and I'm not quite sure how to rate it. The main problem for me is that I don't really feel anything about it. I didn't hate it but I didn't really like it either. I was expecting this to be a lot more plot-driven, especially as the story starts off with a bang as Maddy stumbles across this dead boy and his murderer; but this was much more character-driven and we follow the lives of these homeless youth across a season. The problem was that I didn't connect to or really care for the characters at all and thus didn't feel invested in this story, although I found the lens into homelessness in America intriguing enough to keep on reading.

I thought the book was well-written for the most part, although there were some pacing issues and scene transitions that felt very clunky; but I did read this in one day because it wasn't a difficult book to consume. As an international reader, what attracted me most to this story was the premise focusing on the homeless in America. Despite knowing that homelessness is an issue, I think it's easy for those who come from non-Western or developing countries to naively believe that homelessness doesn't exist in Western or first-world countries. Seligman paints a well-nuanced picture of what it's like to be homeless in a large city like San Francisco, and the reasons why young people end up living on the streets. I actually enjoyed learning about the daily routines that Maddy and her group of friends developed to survive and how they went about securing food and a place to sleep, but also how they're completely vulnerable to the environment and to a society that sees them as vagrants and good-for-nothing problems. That said, as someone who comes from a country where social security is basically non-existent, it was fascinating to learn that even as a homeless person in America, people still have some sort of security net through homeless shelters and free clinics, and access to other free resources to better their lives should they want to.

As our protagonist, Maddy was difficult to empathise with because she was very closed off and came across as brusque and cold most of the time. She even had a frustratingly blasé attitude towards the friends who were supposedly her family in the story. I do understand her jaded and defensive attitude stems from what happened to her as a child with her mother and living with her abusive cousins. That said, I just never really understood her motives in the book. Such as why her attitude towards being involved with the murder investigation changes so drastically half-way through. Why she was so adamant about remaining on the streets and refusing any form of support that was offered to her--though I did understand why she refused Shane's parents because they were aggressively overbearing and had no concept of boundaries. I also had difficulty following the ending and understanding the sudden decision she makes, the angsty scenes with Ash, and what it all meant for her story. It's an open ending which I didn't actually mind because it was realistic but there's no sense of any kind of resolution and left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

Overall, while this was not the fast-paced plot-driven story that I had expected, I am still glad that I read it. I thought Seligman did really well in connecting us to those who are a part of society that many don't give the time of day to understand. Following these young people through a season on the streets was illuminating and humanising, and I think the author really excelled in this aspect of the story. That said, the lack of connection to the characters combined with a weak and meandering plot made it difficult for me to feel invested in what I was reading, and I'm still unsure where the author was trying to bring the story.

My review will be posted on my blog after 23 January.

At the Edge of the Haight is the story of Maddy Donaldo, a homeless woman in her early twenties, who has built a life and a found family on the streets of San Francisco. She lives in Golden Gate Park with Ash, Fleet, Hope, and Root, her dog. But one day Maddy witnesses the aftermath of the killing of a homeless boy, Shane, and the man who murdered him. All of a sudden, Maddie's life changes irrevocably. The police and Shane's parents are hounding Maddy for information and all the while trying to convince her into getting off of the streets.

This book is about a lot of things but overall it is a small portrait of the everyday life of a homeless young person. Readers will follow Maddy and her friends around a normal day in which they visit the nearby shelter for food and clothing, try to make some cash from tourists, and move around enough to keep the cops from citing them. Maddy's internal dialogue and her life in the park are the main focus, the murder is secondary. This book was definitely one that punched me in the gut at the end and also made me think about agency. There are many reasons that young people become homeless and the adults in their lives don't always know best.

At the Edge of the Haight first intrigued me because it is a story of homelessness in San Francisco, which is something I was a witness to for the year I lived there. I think often we believe that homelessness is caused by addiction or mental health downfalls. However, sometimes it is just a matter of circumstance. In this case, Maddy became a participant in the foster system with no reliable family members. She makes her way to San Francisco and finds a group that some might consider her family. When she witnesses another a boy dying in Golden Gate Park, her world begins to shift. This is a brilliant debut from Katherine Seligman. It's a coming of age story about Maddy learning what home and family means to her. Maddy's character development was beautiful to watch and the way she found kinship made me see a different side to homelessness. Obviously, this is single story out of millions and a piece of fiction, but I like to think there's some truth that comes out of it. I hope this novel opens the eyes of readers who have yet bear witness to this pandemic.

I was drawn to this novel because I’m always interested in stories set in San Francisco, and also because Katherine Seligman is an SF-based journalist who has focused on homelessness and other social issues in her work. Not surprising, this novel has won the 2019 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.

This novel starts off with a bang, as it begins with Maddy, a homeless 20-year old, coming across the body of a dying young man in Golden Gate Park. Even more distressing, the killer is also still there, and Maddy realizes she could be in danger if the person responsible can recognize her on the streets. Maddy then struggles with what to do about the crime she has witnessed, and we see the aftermath of her decision.

I enjoyed seeing the interactions of Maddy with her friends, and I do think the novel gives a nuanced portrayal of why young people can be unsheltered, especially in a city like San Francisco. I felt like the actual story moved a bit slow at some parts despite getting to the main conflict at the beginning, and I do wish the storytelling was a bit more evenly paced. In fact, I felt like the “murder mystery” aspect of the story took a backseat in some ways, which I was not expecting. But Seligman’s description of San Francisco and the unsheltered population was carefully and respectively crafted, and it’s eye-opening to see how the city pushes certain groups of people out of certain spaces and polices their every move. If anything, the social commentary is stronger than the actual plot of the book, so I would keep that in mind if this is a story that interests you.

Thank you again to Algonquin Books and Netgalley for introducing this story to me and providing an e-arc. It was honestly a refreshing change of pace to read a story set in San Francisco that wasn’t about the tech startup life.

📖 book review 📖

Happy Pub Day @kseligman ✨✨

At the Edge of the Haight by Katherine Seligman

In this award-winning fiction debut, we follow 20 year old Maddy Donaldo and her dog, Root, as they experience homelessness in the San Francisco area. After witnessing the death of a young boy also experiencing homelessness and being seen by the killer, Maddy is faced with pressure on all sides and questions about staying in the home and with the family she’s created for herself or returning to her parents where she’s more likely to be physically safe.

As someone who works with people experiencing homelessness everyday, I know it will be easy for many readers to see young Maddy and her friends as people who are purposefully making bad choices, bucking the rightful system, and abusing the resources freely given when they decide they want to. People experience homelessness for many reasons and some people do indeed choose it while others do not. This can be because they don’t to take part in a society that has demands and rules for each individual, etc. Seligman does an amazing job pushing readers to really contemplate this issue and see these people as actual people instead of just the issue they face as we walk along with Maddy and her friends.

My rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @algonquin for my ARC!
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At The Edge Of The Haight
By Katherine Seligman

On my way home from work every day, I pass by a small homeless encampment under the bridge. One night, I saw a young family with teens as I was waiting for the stop light. In that brief moment, I saw the residents of that small homeless community and wondered to myself how they are surviving. They seem t have formed a community where each of them care for each other, protecting each other, and supporting each other.

Reading this book by Katherine Seligman “At The Edge of the Haight”, really brought me back to what happens in those lives - the homeless population whom we feel are a part of society’s on-going issue, a sign of a deteriorating community, a nuisance, or a problem with the way mental health is being addressed in this country. Seligman did a fantastic job of portraying a very realistic picture of the lives of the young homeless and how some find this as a chosen lifestyle.

The story is entirely captivating, immersive, an eye-opening glimpse into the lives of these young people – including their struggles in this emotional and thought provoking read.

I really enjoyed and loved this book.

On the surface. At the Edge of the Haight seems set up to be a mystery/thriller about Maddy, a homeless 20-year-old living in San Francisco who happens to witness the final seconds of a murder. And it is a mystery. But the biggest part of the story is that is pulls back the curtain on the gritty, dangerous lives of the many homeless youth who live in the shadow of the Golden Gate Park.

Maddy has cobbled together a street family of sorts, fellow teens and twenty somethings who've banded together to help each other survive. They follow a routine: free breakfast from the shelter, panhandle or give unsuspecting tourists tours of the Haight during the day, set up together in the park to sleep at night, roll up their possessions and try to vacate the park in the morning before the cops run them out.

One night on the way back to their designated sleeping spot, Maddy (and her constant companion, her loyal dog Root) literally stumble over the body of a dead teen. He's been murdered and it's fresh, so fresh Maddy spots a figure running away from the scene. A terrified Maddy tries to keep what she saw to herself - both out of fear of the fleeing suspect finding her or her distrust of the cops - but eventually the police and the dead boy's parents discover that Maddy was there, and they bring her into the investigation.

As the cops and parents investigate, the reader gets immersed in life on the street for kids like Maddy. We wonder how did she get there? How did her friends find themselves on the street? We see them both through the eyes of tourists passing by and either pretending they're not there; or the ones who ask if they can take their picture. Most of them drink or use drugs to endure their life. It's gritty, and sometimes hard to read.

Little by little we get clues - both as to how the boy was killed, and how Maddy's life led to her homeless life.

The boy's parents take an interest in Maddy, hoping to save her where they couldn't save their son. As a reader, I wanted to save her too. And her dog. And her sweet but hapless boyfriend.

The final word: At the Edge of the Haight is a gritty, raw, slow burn of a book that is an unflinching look at life - and death -- among the homeless in San Francisco.

In California, from 2018 to 2019 the unsheltered population grew by 16 percent, as Katherine Seligman explains in her Author's note for this story.

At the Edge of the Haight tells a story we don't see often, one of a vulnerable population and a young woman in that population trying to get by with the help of her friends and dog.

Maddy is homeless and living outside in Golden Gate Park. One day her dog, Root, gets loose and she follows him only to discover a body in the bushes and the alleged murderer standing nearby. She runs off, but the fear the murderer will find her still chases her. Then the police want to talk to her and so do the murdered boy's parents. From there Maddy has to decide how to move forward, accept help from strangers or move on with her life in a different way.

When I picked up this book & read the synopsis I thought it might be a slow, deep read. So I wasn't expecting to start it at 8pm and stay up till 2am to finish it in one sitting. I really enjoyed this book and the obvious research and time the author had to have spent working to capture the intricacies of homelessness. I also loved Maddy's relationship with her dog, Root. He's her everything, just like my dog is, and there were moments in the book where I related to her because of that relationship. This is a beautiful, unique, coming of age story and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. At the Edge of the Haight is out Jan. 19.

4 stars

A powerful, moving novel about the everyday grit of young homelessness tinged with empathy, endurance, and subtlety. Definitely not easy to forget.

Writing: ★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★
Characters: ★★★★

Living in the homeless community in San Francisco, Maddy has banded together with a small group of others in the Golden Gate Park. Struggling to survive, the last thing Maddy expects to experience is a murder.

Having been an unwilling yet captive witness of a young man's murder, Maddy quickly finds herself drawn in to the investigation with the local police and with the murdered man's parents. Maddy didn't sign up for this—and she certainly doesn't want to give up the secrets of her history in order to help the police and the family find closure.

But will she decide to open up given the circumstances? If she does, what then?

I know the above description is pretty vague, but I really didn't want to give too much away about the novel. It's one of those that you really need to experience first-hand and not read in a blurb. I was surprised at how much this novel moved me—which sounds callous, as obviously a novel about young homelessness is one that you'd automatically assume would be moving. And I did assume it would be. But at the same, I guess I underestimated how much it would move me as a reader. There's a lingering thread of sadness mixed with hope mixed with a sense of trapped circumstance in this, and it's an intense cocktail to experience.

This is a powerful debut that is grappling with some heavy, contemporary topics. I'm glad I got to follow Maddy's journey, however hard. I occasionally wished for more depth, but overall a very satisfying story.

Thank you to Algonquin for my copy in exchange for an honest review.