An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy…

Wonder where the movie is ?
Stumbled into this early in year on the 'new book' shelf.
We should all read it. ( )

The book overall was a quick read. I was neither entirely drawn to it, nor did I dislike it.

I also felt like her story is not a unique one. People probably do what she did every day. That's not to take away from her being a great person...she is. I almost just felt like she wrote this to get money (which is certainly a legit reason to write a book) and/or to get Maurice money, and it felt less genuine because of that (especially with the letter at the end of the book...did he write that FOR the book only?) What is she doing with the money? Did they split the money? Did she donate it? One of the reasons I loved and trusted the author of Henrietta Lacks is that she disclosed the money issues to the reader up front.

I also found myself wondering whether the book would have been more interesting if Maurice had written it and Laura Schroff was the side-story, or even better, a book where their meeting and story was told from both of their perspectives. What was Maurice thinking all those years? I would've preferred this combo, and could have done without her family's back story, which I thought was horrible and sad, but which I felt she strained to put into the book to add more pages, or in an inappropriate attempt to compare her bad childhood with Maurice's. Though she gave us glimpses into Maurice's life, I felt it wasn't enough and would've liked to hear more from him. I felt like her writing the book alone (though they said they collaborated at one point) perpetuated an inequality that she was seeking to overcome...it didn't jive.

Overall, the story was sweet and motivational and I'm glad for the relationship they built, but it's not an amazing book. ( )

This is not a book I would have chosen for myself but since it was given to me as a Christmas gift and came highly recommended by my sister, I decided to give it a try. Laura Schrod tells the story of how she encountered a street child begging in NYC. She describes her relationship with the boy and how it evolved over the years. Very heartfelt. ( )

Poorly written. Story about author, Laura Schroff, ad executive for USA Today. She is asked for change by a young boy, whose name is Maurice.
She keeps walking. She turns back and takes him to McDonalds instead. They develop a friendship and she changes his life for the better.

Easy to read, but too much about the author and not enough about the young man. ( )

An excellent (true) story about a friendship between a white career woman and a black kid-to-man from the projects. I like learning about different people, different experiences, etc. and this did not disappoint. One cannot imagine what life is like for poor black kids in the inner city. It also, to me, demonstrates how litle it would take to change things, to give them some hope. Eminently readable. ( )