
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Tom's Story is about the author's friendship with Tom Hogan, a First Nations man who was perpetually homeless, a self-described chronic alcoholic, and a person who had episodes of psychosis. He was also a great storyteller and a gifted Woodland style artist.
Jo-Ann first met Tom in 1998 when she volunteered to co-ordinate an art group for people who were homeless. She was an outreach worker and an HIV counsellor at the time. During the sixteen years of their friendship, she spent countless weekend and evening hours sitting on sidewalks beside Tom, listening and observing, then heading home to write it all down.
With Tom's permission, she wrote about the hard realities of his life – a traumatic childhood, sleeping in bug-infested shelters, or panhandling in the sub-zero weather for just one more bottle. She became Tom's ally when he entered and left recovery programs, or simply searched for a safe place to live. Sometimes she helped; sometimes she got in the way. Other times, she tried to walk away, but she was always compelled to seek him out again to follow his story.
Tom's Story is a unique and raw window into the lives of people who are homeless and marginalized because of addictions, mental illness, and generational trauma. This book is a testament to the power of hope, friendship, the generosity of people who own nothing, and using art to promote healing. It is also a strong argument for the harm-reduction model of managed-alcohol programs.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: October 27, 1998
- Chapter 2: January 7, 1999
- Chapter 3: February 26, 1999
- Chapter 4: April 16, 1999
- Chapter 5: May 23, 1999
- Chapter 6: November 1, 1999
- Chapter 7: April 23, 2000 - Easter Sunday
- Chapter 8: October 21, 2000
- Chapter 9: December 16, 2000
- Chapter 10: Christmastime, 2000
- Chapter 11: January 27, 2001
- Chapter 12: February 12, 2001
- Chapter 13: April 22, 2001
- Chapter 14: June 2, 2001
- Chapter 15: June 9, 2001
- Chapter 16: June 11, 2001
- Chapter 17: June 14, 2001
- Chapter 18: July 6, 2001
- Chapter 19: July 22, 2001
- Chapter 20: August 14, 2001
- Chapter 21: August 28, 2001
- Chapter 22: September 16, 2001
- Chapter 23: Christmas Day, 2001
- Chapter 24: January 12, 2002
- Chapter 25: February 2, 2002
- Chapter 26: February 6, 2002
- Chapter 27: March 29, 2002
- Chapter 28: Christmas Day, 2002
- Chapter 29: January 12, 2003
- Chapter 30: June 21, 2003
- Chapter 31: October 16, 2004
- Chapter 32: October 2, 2005
- Chapter 33: January 12, 2006
- Chapter 34: December 18, 2007
- Chapter 35: December 13, 2010
- Chapter 36: July 12, 2011
- Chapter 37: January 16, 2012
- Epilogue: January 14, 2014
- Afterword
- Appendix A: Tom Hogan’s Adoption Disclosure Papers
- Acknowledgements