Waiting for Nothing

by Tom Kromer

Book Overview

Waiting for Nothing, first published in 1935, is a sobering, first-hand account of the author's life as a homeless man during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The book, a classic portrayal of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1951682394
• ISBN13: 9781951682392
• Release Date: May 2020
• Publisher: Orchard Innovations
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Hunger pangs and injustice in the Great Depression

Kromer's sparse prose evokes the twin horrors of poverty and hunger. The text is sharp and clear and reads at a very fast clip. Throughout, Kromer feels a sense of burning injustice. He is deeply upset by class inequality--at wealth in the face of poverty, at gluttony in the face of starvation. His character is tormented by unfairness to the point that he would consider robbing a bank. Through his prism of hunger, the world is divided into haves and have-nots, and the haves are divided into those who are decent enough to help and those who are cold and mean. Description is Kromer's main bag here and he does it well. Cold winds, ratty clothes, women prostituting themselves for a meal--it feels immediate and real. These are the words of someone who has been there. I would recommend the book strongly, particularly to young and remedial readers. The prose is so honest and basic that this book could be easily mastered by kids in junior high school. Struggling readers in community college, prison, and 4 year universities would also enjoy this gripping portrayal of poverty in America. For more mature readers, the book is still rewarding, although lacking some sort of direction or greater authorship.