A compilation of essays, stories, poems, parables, and art, The Long Loneliness in Baltimore depicts nearly fifty years worth of experiences in southwest Baltimore ("Sowebo"). Through the establishment of Viva House, Brendan Walsh and Willa Bickham are able to restore hope to the hopeless. Viva House, the temporary home and soup kitchen for those living in Sowebo, provides love and community to many. This eye-opening book gives insight into what is it really like to be one of the "powerless" constantly oppressed by the "powerful." Coming out in a turbulent time for Baltimore city, this book exposes social injustices while promoting the message that hope will prevail.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 My mother’s family history is rich with tradition. She told me stories of when she was a little girl, and I loved hearing about her family’s history. It gave me a sense of continuity. #2 We have lost our culture and our faith, and we are afraid to be either proud of our ancestors or ashamed of them. We have adopted a bourgeois mediocrity that would make it seem like we are all Americans, made in the image and likeness of George Washington. #3 We did not search for God when we were children. We took Him for granted. We were taught to say our evening prayers, and then we would not pray anymore unless a thunderstorm made us hide our heads under the covers and propitiate the Deity by promising to be good. #4 I can remember my religious experiences from when I was a child. I can remember the happy hours on the beach with my brothers, and fishing in a creek for eels, and running away with a younger cousin to an abandoned shack in a waste of swamp around Fort Hamilton.

A compilation of essays, stories, poems, parables, and art, The Long Loneliness in Baltimore depicts nearly fifty years worth of experiences in southwest Baltimore ("Sowebo"). Through the establishment of Viva House, Brendan Walsh and Willa Bickham are able to restore hope to the hopeless. Viva House, the temporary home and soup kitchen for those living in Sowebo, provides love and community to many. This eye-opening book gives insight into what is it really like to be one of the "powerless" constantly oppressed by the "powerful." Coming out in a turbulent time for Baltimore city, this book exposes social injustices while promoting the message that hope will prevail.