Righteous Dopefiend by Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg is an ethnography following several homeless heroin addicts in San Francisco’s Edgewater Boulevard (not the real name of the area) between 1994 and 2006. The book starts by describing its primary subjects and the area they inhabit, immediately establishing them as persons first, homeless or addicted second (Bourgois & Schonberg, 2009). The authors maintain it even when these people experience hardships or act aggressively or violently towards one another. Furthermore, they make a point of showing the views of both sides in conflicts (Bourgois & Schonberg, 2009). This personal approach continues through the entirety of the book, allowing the reader to better empathize with these people and the situation in which they find themselves. By putting the reader in the middle of this situation, the ethnography frames it as something that affects specific people, rather than dry statistics or a general narrative disconnected from any person.
The book’s discussion of ethnic differences in attitudes and behaviors is also interesting. It goes into fascinating detail regarding the complex interracial relationships of Edgewater Boulevard’s homeless. Maintaining the same personal tone, the authors’ narratives highlight that while this community’s interracial relationships are governed by stereotypes and racist attitudes, its people would often “purposefully transgress ethnic practices” (Bourgois & Schonberg, 2009, p. 42). Furthermore, the insights into the different ethnicities’ attitudes towards the pragmatic side of their life, such as their choice of drugs and methods of their use, shed more light on the similarities and differences. Overall, the book provides an informative account of the lives of San Francisco’s homeless heroin addicts, while giving these people a personal voice, allowing the reader to emphasize with them and gain a closer understanding of the complex situation in which they find themselves, as well as the factors that led them there.
References
Bourgois, P., & Schonberg, J. (2009). Righteous Dopefiend. University of California Press.