Photo courtesy of Tracy Kidder. Kidder, above, talked about his new book, "Rough Sleepers," on April 18th at the Odyssey Bookshop.
By Melanie Duronio ’26
Features Editor
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder visited the Odyssey Bookshop on April 18 to speak on his newest book “Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People,” published in Jan. 2023 by Random House. The novel details Dr. O’Connell’s life’s work: creating a healthcare program for the homeless community in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. O’Connell, “a lively man with silver hair,” as the author called him, currently serves as the president of the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program. He began working with the homeless population in 1985 at the request of two senior doctors while studying at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Initially, he thought he would spend only a year bringing healthcare opportunities to the homeless, but instead, it became “his life’s calling,” according to the Odyssey Bookshop’s promotion page.
“What they were trying to figure out was how to ameliorate some of the deepest suffering that lurked in the city, and that job seemed challenging enough,” Kidder said. “How do you treat a person who has no place to live? … [Or] people who don’t know where they’re going to find their next meals? … In medical school, questions like that hadn’t come up.”
While writing, Kidder spent five years in Boston following Dr. O’Connell and his colleagues, observing their work and listening to their stories. In the past, they treated those with rotten teeth, scabies and AIDS, many of whom had been discharged from hospitals with blood pouring from their noses and ears. Kidder recounted one story of an elderly man who had cancer invading the left side of his head, one that could have been treatable if he was given access to a doctor sooner.
“How maddening it felt [for O’Connell], to witness deaths that could have been prevented,” Kidder said.
Kidder was also struck by the “visual irony” of Boston, with beautiful art galleries, boutiques and cafes located on the same streets where homeless people would sleep in cardboard boxes at night. He noticed the apathy that they were treated with by the general public as well, as if they were invisible to others in their community.
“Some of us perform a mental trick, a sleight of mind that allows us to step over the body of a man sleeping in the doorway or drive past a woman with a cardboard sign dissolving in the rain,” Kidder said. “Sometimes we can do this without quite seeing them.”
In comparison, Dr. O’Connell and his colleagues emphasize a style of medicine where the patients’ humanity comes first, offering as safe a space as they can to those they treat. Dr. O’Connell formed friendships with some of his recurring patients, such as a woman named Gretel. Once, before a surgery, she requested that he take a photo of her. Estranged from her children, Gretel wanted to ensure that a picture of herself existed in case they ever wanted to go looking for her. Ever since, O’Connell has taken photos of any patient who has come forward and asked, some of which still hang on his wall to this day.
O’Connell’s patients would also look out for one another outside of the healthcare building. Kidder recounted the story of a man named Tony, dubbed the “night watchman” by his peers, for preventing conflicts during the nights to ensure no harm came to anyone as they slept. Tony often joked with Kidder during their interviews as well, recounting humorous stories and anecdotes from his time on the streets of Boston.
It was through these conversations with both O’Connell and his patients that Kidder realized the need for empathy for the homeless community, especially from outsiders.
“Look at [homeless people] that you meet on the streets. Look at them, speak to them … treat them like human beings because they are human beings,” Kidder said.
South Hadley resident and audience member Vanessa Farnsworth agrees with this sentiment. Originally from New York City, she worked at various homeless shelters and witnessed many of the same hardships as Dr. O’Connell and Kidder.
“In that position, I would want someone to extend kindness to me,” Farnsworth said. “It’s very emotional because you have people that are not only in very precarious and difficult positions, but they’re also usually unable to advocate for themselves.”
Those who come into the shelters are often in situations where there is no affordable housing available for them and they are in danger of losing their possessions. They do not necessarily have the specific skills or financial resources to leave these situations. Farnsworth appreciated how Kidder drew attention to this in both his novel and his talk, and how he emphasized the importance of community with Dr. O’Connell’s work.
“I was really excited to come here and hear [Kidder] speak and I loved hearing what he said about the doctors. I thought what he was saying was so poignant and important, about looking at someone and communicating with them,” Farnsworth said.
““I was really excited to come here and hear [Kidder] speak and I loved hearing what he said about the doctors. I thought what he was saying was so poignant and important, about looking at someone and communicating with them.””
Kidder does not present a direct answer to homelessness in the United States within “Rough Sleepers,” nor do O’Connell and his team. However, he encourages readers to support organizations such as the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program and, as always, treat those around them with kindness.
Similarly, Farnsworth further encourages people to volunteer at homeless shelters and soup kitchens in their area whenever possible and offer assistance in a skill they are competent in.
“Will they end homelessness? Probably not in their lifetimes, certainly not in mine,” Kidder said. “But I’d like to think that they’re running pathways … into the darkness that others might follow. They offer the rest of us some relief, something approximated … the big goal probably won’t be done tomorrow … but look at all the good stuff that’s been done today.”