Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women

by Elliot Liebow

"One of the very best things ever written about homeless people in the nation."—Jonathan Kozol.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Anthropology, Feminism, Poverty, Politics, Social Justice

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Elliot Liebow was an American urban anthropologist and ethnographer. His works include Tally's Corner and Tell Them Who I Am, both being micro-sociological writings shaped as participant observer studies of people in poor areas.

Dr. Liebow, born in Washington, dropped out of high school to join the Marine Corps in 1942 and saw action in the South Pacific during World War II, when he earned his high school diploma through correspondence courses. He received a bachelor's degree in English literature from George Washington University in 1949 and pursued graduate studies in ancient history at the University of Maryland before turning to anthropology.

In 1984, after being told he had less than a year to live, Dr. Liebow left his post with the National Institute of Mental Health and began volunteering at a soup kitchen and a homeless shelter for women. He wrote that once he realized he was not about to die immediately, he decided to do what he did best as a field anthropologist: he began taking notes. The result was "Tell Them Who I Am."

Tally's Corner was his PhD dissertation for Catholic University of America.

For many years, Dr. Liebow was chief of the Center for the Study of Work and Mental Health of the National Institute of Mental Health. Under his leadership, the center, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, financed research into issues like the democratization of the workplace, the quality of work life, women on welfare and the relationship of work to mental health. Since 1990, he held the Patrick Cardinal O'Boyle Professorship at the National Catholic School for Social Service of the Catholic University of America in Washington.

Reviews

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the late 1980's, after being diagnosed with cancer, Elliot Liebow spent a lot of time at homeless shelters for women in the D.C. area, namely The Refuge. He wanted to know how homelessness affected these women's lives (or how their lives affected their homelessness) During his time there, he got to know the women personally, and over time the women he saw frequently went to him to talk about their experiences. He explores all different aspects of their lives: jobs, family, friendships, their daily lives at the shelter, the impression they have the community, and the impression the community has on them.
Needless to say (and pardon my french), their lives suck. No one wants to be homeless. If there's one thing that Liebow really wanted to convey, it's that women were not homeless because they had mental health issues or because they had addiction problems or that they were disabled physically or that they didn't have money or a caring family-- There are many women who are mentally or physically ill, with addiction, family problems what have you, who have homes. Whatever excuses we throw out there, those are not the reasons that women are homeless.
They are homeless because they don't have a home.

And it's shocking to me, that this book was published around the time I was born, so this book is 22 years old, and Liebow suggests that all these women really need, more than anything else, is a support system, and a job with a living wage. Many of these women have jobs. Many of these women have multiple jobs. But they are homeless because they do not have a home. They do not have a home because they cannot afford a home, and they cannot afford a home because they have jobs that don't have a living wage. 22 years and we are still fighting the same fight for a living wage. If that's not something I don't know what is.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hello,

This book is informative but quite boring. I didn't have a problem putting it down a few times to do something else instead. It clearly and accurately describes many the lives of homeless woman, which was enlightening but also frustrating for me. I felt like the author had mixed feelings of compassion and sympathy for these woman, but at times didn't at all. This is a good book to read if you're attempting to see different perspectives of life and want to gain the knowledge of the life of a homeless woman.

Smiles,
Kimberly

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was for a class my husband took in college. He didn't read it but I did. I wanted to become a pro bono lawyer for homeless men and women and their families. Ten years later I still think that if I were to do anything besides teach it would be this. This book made me think differently. I have picked it up many times to read it again and again.

[Geoffrey Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book is now over twenty years old, it still proves useful in the classroom. As an ethnographic study of a women's homeless shelter, it provides a strong introduction to some of the issues that women experiencing homelessness face, issues that sadly still confront women today. There are moments when it's a bit dated, and in class, it's useful to provide students with updated data and information about today's reality. But it's written in very accessible language and continues to provide a thorough and engaging overview to the issue.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned alot about the lives of homeless people and the numerous complications they face on a daily basis. Interestingly, many of their problems, like getting a job, seem similar to those of illegal immigrants. I can't imagine getting out of a shelter bed in the morning, being sick with a fever, and going to lay a park bench all day. Book is very eye-opening.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

INCREDIBLE!

[Jody Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worthwhile in that we begin to understand why some of the "obvious solutions" may not be solutions after all.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She said there was no way she could get off her part-time job early enough to attend the meetings, and she was told she'd have to choose between the job and the shelter."

This is an older book so it doesn't capture the lives of modern homeless women, but it's a good look into the shelter system.

I especially like the explanation of contrast between two of the shelters as they're explained how they enforce the rules - by understanding how each shelter sees their role (one as a roof over women's heads and the other as a means to stop being homeless) we can better understand why their policies are or aren't working.

I think this book serves its purpose to help humanize women experiencing homelessness for the average person. Very few people that don't work with those experiencing homelessness interact with people considered homeless and this book gives a reasonable picture of some of the lives of some of those women. It particularly highlights the dilemma that many women face where they can't get a job while living at a shelter or they're making to much to get any financial support but not enough to pay rent.

It's a bit of a dense read that doesn't go really in depth in examining the shelter system, but it's a good look into learning from other peoples experiences.

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for $1 at a random UMD used book sale and it was definitely one of the better dollars I've spent. It was very eye-opening, and some of the topics I found to be the most revelatory were the issue of storage for unhoused people, the frustration that comes from constantly being asked to answer questions, and learned powerlessness.

While I felt the author portrayed the women's stories with objectivity and compassion for the most part, I don't understand why he felt the need to comment on the women's appearance, weight, and whether people found them attractive. Maybe he thought it was an important part of a complete characterization, but I found it off-putting, and I felt like it didn't add much to their stories.

[Adanna Newby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book about the lives of homeless women living in the DMV area. This book is set in the 1980s, so some of the information is a little outdated, but I found the stories of the women to be engrossing and I learned so much about the causes that led them to where they were.

I will say that Kim is a pedophile, and I wish she was referred to as such in the book. “Powerfully attracted to teenagers” - to the point where she follows the family of a 14 year old when she’s almost 30 to continue their “relationship” - is not a strong enough description of what she was doing.

[Madison Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell Them Who I Am by Elliot Liebow is an inspiring book written about the lives of homeless women. Liebow becomes immesered into the lives of these women, sharing their trials and joys. Tell Them Who I Am opened my eyes, and it will stay on my mind for years to come. The hardships that these women face is like nothing I’ve heard before; simply living being extremely difficult for them. This book is one that everyone should read, showing the importance of not taking for granted even the smallest of things.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liebow just does not miss with this ethnography. Another book for my sociology of homelessness in America class, similarly to Rachel and Her Children I would highly recommend to anyone seeking to increase their empathy for those experiencing homelessness.

[Dcwdmw · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book about homeless women, I came away with a better understanding and look into their lives along with a close up on some of our "broken" systems here in the US.

I'm glad I read this book.

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very moving book.

[Cindy Mans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. I could not put it down.

[Bracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great study of homeless women in the US in the late 80s/early 90s. Very well written and changed the way I think of poverty, homelessness and how bad we're failing them as a community.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 I appreciate the idea and goals of this book, and it did offer some helpful insights. If felt very dated however in language and information. Often a struggle to pick up

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing. Reads like a report. Yes, it contains information on specific people, but it is dry and boring.
Skip it, find something more well written.

[Daron Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book every single person should read

[Randy · Rating 2 out of 5]

In 2024, this book is incredibly outdated and filled with ethical quagmires that would remove all of its credibility today. I read this book for a course, and regretted it all the awy.

[Oriyah N · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second ethnography on a homeless population, (the first being Sidewalk, which I thought was fantastic, and that certainly colored my opinion of this book, demoting it by a star.
It was interesting, moving, and important. It was potentially outdated (I'm not sure what the policies are in the US in 2016)...but it was also one-sided. The author calls for increased and improved government services for the poor and homeless, and while in theory it all sounds fine and dandy, having moved from the US to a socialist country, and being friends with many people who are eligible for supplemental income from the government, I can say resolutely that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Even without the stigma (which doesn't exist here, at least among the people I know) it still brings with it a demoralizing effect, and isn't particularly accessible, even to those who qualify. There must be a better solution out there.

Regardless of my opinion that differs from the author's, this book earned itself only 3 stars primarily because I felt it dragging. I usually love this sort of thing. In this case, I didn't. It was definitely good, but also definitely not great.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring and dull. The guy's simply not the writer that, say, David Simon or Mark Bowden are, to put some snap into his sketches of assorted homeless women and the lives they lead in a couple shelters in DC.

His point of 'it could happen to anyone!' is kinda undercut by the fact that pretty much everyone it happens to in his book...it couldn't happen to anyone. It can happen to any woman who's already destitute, and has a habit of taking up with alcoholic and abusive men, and possesses few marketable skills, and is maybe borderline retarded. Yeah, among that crowd, IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE.

He vacillates a lot between trying to 'tell it like it is' and not trying to assign blame anywhere. On the one hand, none of these women should be homeless; on the other hand, a lot of them are kinda fucked up and it's not so surprising. On the one hand, social services deal arbitrarily, almost capriciously with the women; on the other, they're doing a hard job with arbitrary and inadequate support from the legislature, &c., &c.

I get it, I get it! It's a bad bad world, and it's hard! Anything else you got for me? I've heard this song.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best book I've read that truly, deeply, with little bias explores what it means to be homeless and does so as an observer in a very intimate way. The author was a sociologist who started out to do this initially as a labor of love to fight his diagnosis of cancer, then realized he was going to die and turned his observations and experiences into a study which became a book. It is honest, truthful, enlightening, very depthy, and painful...but not without hope. The meat of the book was collected and written mostly in the mid-1980's and it is quite interesting to see how little homelessness has changed. I'm sure programs and numbers and styles and approaches and a myriad other things have changed but the causes and effects of homelessness are essentially unchanged. To me, this speaks deeply to the human condition and our collective susceptibility to its fragility. This books uncovers and exposes it all. A must read for all humans.

[4fabfelines Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book give the case histories of quite a few women in shelters and homeless states over a period of years.
It tells the stories of the women from their perspective in their language.
Some of the women are mentally ill or challanged some are just abused and downtrodden.
This tells the stories from a clear veiw point that they see from. Whether they are jaded from drugs, abuse and/or predudice..
These women tel it like it is.
Some of the stories are triumphant, the women going on to have a apartment and going back to restoration with families and friends.
Some of the other women dont do so well and this also tells what happened and why.
Good book to partner with another called "Under the Overpass."

[Sandy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's my own fault, I'm sure. This book is nearly 20 years old now and our language and, hopefully to some extent, our attitudes have changed. However, I found myself stumbling over the author's use of terminology and what I perceived to be a slightly patronizing attitude. I wanted to like the book so much; it's an intriguing concept. But I couldn't make it through. I'm not faulting the author--I'm sure if he were to be writing this book today there would be a different feel to it. But I don't feel it has aged well. As I've got a stack of books about homelessness on the side of my desk that I need to read within the next month or so, I didn't feel I could continue to take time on this one, so I've set it aside.

[Michelle Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell them who I am was a great read. what better way to share the stories of homeless women than to be right there with them day to day as they face each struggle and try to dig themselves out of the situation they are in.
Unless you have been there, you don't really understand. Elliot Liebow does a great job in connecting with each woman and sharing her story, how she feels and the tough choices she must make each day that people who are not homeless, are oblivious to.
To gain a better understanding of how some women live, and how you can help people, read this book. It will touch your heart and your soul.

[Sally Ooms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by an anthropologist who quit his job with the Institute of Mental Health when he was diagnosed with cancer and spent the last days of his life relating to and recording the lives of homeless women. Liebow worked in the shelter, and conducted his research by spending his time with the women —not just observing, but taking part in, their lives. These were lives filled with uncertainty and fear of the world outside. Readers are a witness to the women’s humanity and are urged to drop their stereotypical notions of the homeless. While this is one segment of the homeless population, my intensions in Finding Home are similar. I have interviewed both homeless women and men.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking. The plight of those at the bottom of society is so hopeless. Not only do they have very limited economic resources, but they are also more likely to experience many different forms of abuse. The author researched at three DC area shelters over several years and was able to tell they story of the shelter's inhabitants. One interesting part was the follow up with the women years later. The lucky ones were in subsidized housing. The author shows a fair portrayal of the women, how personal decisions and social factors both contributed to their homelessness.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about homeless women isn't exactly hip and happening, and it's probably fairly elementary if you already have a firm grasp on issues facing the homeless. But I didn't, so I found this book to be pretty enlightening. It's a fast and non-academic read that will get you thinking about homelessness and the issues surrounding it. This is a valuable book that tells its story in the voices of its subjects.

[Lola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in the participant observer style which I didn't care for too much; would've been more interesting to me if written as a story. Information on the homeless women & how they came to be living in a shelter. They had to get up & out of the shelter by 7 A.M. & wander the streets, go to the library or other indoor places to get away from the weather; they then could return to the shelters at night for a meal & a cot to sleep on.