The Emptiness of Our Hands by Phyllis Cole-Dai & James Murray - Used

In 1999 Phyllis Cole-Dai and James Murray lived by choice on the streets of Columbus, Ohio, the fifteenth-largest city in the United States. They went to the streets with a single intention: to be as present as possible to everyone they met, offering them sustained and nonjudgmental attention. Such attention is the heart of compassion.

This book chronicles their streets experiences. It will thrust you out the door of your comfortable life, straight into the unknown. It will force you to confront what might happen to you, and who you might become, if suddenly you had no home. The meditative narrative is accompanied by pinhole photographs shot by James using cameras he constructed from trash.

This is the third edition of the book, lightly edited. Though recounting events that occurred in 1999, it remains as relevant today as ever.