"Broke," The Man Without the Dime

A stark, first‑person portrait of early‑20th‑century urban poverty, this memoir follows a man who grew up in a comfortable Midwestern family before tragedy thrust him into a world of hardship. He recounts his childhood along the Mississippi, the loss of his father, and the education that took him from Boston to the rugged plains of Colorado, setting the stage for a radical shift in purpose.

Driven by compassion rather than self‑interest, he turns his attention to the invisible millions forced to survive in municipal lodging houses, workrooms, and street corners. Vivid descriptions of crowded dormitories, cold wagon‑beds, and the daily indignities endured by the destitute bring the era to life, while his personal resolve to challenge societal neglect forms the heart of the narrative. Listeners will be drawn into his earnest quest to understand why basic needs are denied, and to witness the beginnings of a lifelong crusade for the forgotten.