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Stuart: A Life Backwards
Stuart A Life Backwards
Author: Alexander Masters
In this extraordinary book, Alexander Masters has created a moving portrait of a troubled man, an unlikely friendship, and a desperate world few ever see. A gripping who-done-it journey back in time, it begins with Masters meeting a drunken Stuart lying on a sidewalk in Cambridge, England, and leads through layers of hell?back through crimes and...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780385340885
ISBN-10: 0385340885
Publication Date: 5/2007
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 2.8/5 Stars.
 17

2.8 stars, based on 17 ratings
Publisher: Delta
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Rev avatar reviewed Stuart: A Life Backwards on + 95 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Stuart, the focus of Alexander Masters' book, is as enigmatic and polarizing as real people tend to get. There is a reason that Masters introduces us to Stuart now, rather than beginning at the childhood that spawned this creature.

Stuart is akin to a horrific train wreck that you can not tear your eyes away from; he is scary and depressing, repulsive and untantalizing, yet somehow silumtaneously mesmerizing and endearing. You wouldn't want to share an elevator or a dark alley with this character, but you might somehow find yourself compelled to do so anyway. Not only to hear the outlandish tales of the chaos that Stuart has both wrought and endured, but for the occasionally glimpses of the wise and witty soul buried beneath layers of abuse, neglect, and self-loathing.

Masters takes the reader backwards through Stuart's life, exposing events as the occurred, then revealing events that laid the groundwork prior to them. Like an archeologist peeling back layer after layer of cultural sediment and fossilized civilizations, Masters removes the grimy layers of Stuart one anecdote at a time. By the time you reach the core of such a being, the young child faced with emotionally crippling systematic abuse, you can feel pity for the man's origins, but you still might not be able to bring yourself to forgive him for what that child has begun. That's probably how Stuart would like it.

Forwards or backwards, Stuart's life is an engrossing story worth reading. But reading it backwards, believe it or not, tends to make more sense.
reviewed Stuart: A Life Backwards on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Hysterical, depressing, optimistic, and shocking, and all completely true. Alexander Masters writes the true story (backwards) of Stuart, a homeless man living in England. He admits that there's no way to predict what's going to push a human being to the outside of society, but he certainly paints a picture of what COULD do it, and how even the dregs of society can sometimes have a strange nobility.
girlinthemoon avatar reviewed Stuart: A Life Backwards on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A no-holds-barred look at the life of a man living among a certain class of homeless - "chaotic" homeless, who, as the title suggests, have multiple sources for their current problems. Masters does write Stuart's story backwards, in an approachable [not coldly journalistic] way. An emotional, eye-opening read.
Rev avatar reviewed Stuart: A Life Backwards on + 95 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Stuart, the focus of Alexander Masters' book, is as enigmatic and polarizing as real people tend to get. There is a reason that Masters introduces us to Stuart now, rather than beginning at the childhood that spawned this creature.

Stuart is akin to a horrific train wreck that you can not tear your eyes away from; he is scary and depressing, repulsive and untantalizing, yet somehow silumtaneously mesmerizing and endearing. You wouldn't want to share an elevator or a dark alley with this character, but you might somehow find yourself compelled to do so anyway. Not only to hear the outlandish tales of the chaos that Stuart has both wrought and endured, but for the occasionally glimpses of the wise and witty soul buried beneath layers of abuse, neglect, and self-loathing.

Masters takes the reader backwards through Stuart's life, exposing events as the occurred, then revealing events that laid the groundwork prior to them. Like an archeologist peeling back layer after layer of cultural sediment and fossilized civilizations, Masters removes the grimy layers of Stuart one anecdote at a time. By the time you reach the core of such a being, the young child faced with emotionally crippling systematic abuse, you can feel pity for the man's origins, but you still might not be able to bring yourself to forgive him for what that child has begun. That's probably how Stuart would like it.

Forwards or backwards, Stuart's life is an engrossing story worth reading. But reading it backwards, believe it or not, tends to make more sense.
mers avatar reviewed Stuart: A Life Backwards on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
In "Stuart", Alexander Masters makes the homeless plight a true human condition. There is now a face and a name attached to the people of the streets. For myself, I will probably never see someone on the streets again without thinking about Stuart Shorter. Funny sometimes, tragic always, this book should be required reading for all people so that our culture might grow a heart that new, realistic programs may be developed to help these people that feel "irrelevant".
Read All 10 Book Reviews of "Stuart A Life Backwards"

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oolalatte avatar reviewed Stuart: A Life Backwards on + 13 more book reviews
An interesting read that gives you a peak into the life and mentality of a homeless man and his struggles to get through the day and off the streets. I feel that people advocating for the homeless and working to help in this area should read this book to get insights about the homeless mentality so they can better incorporate that into the programs they develop. But then again, maybe they know this but just can't figure out how to make such changes. Although I often found the author a little annoying with all his complaining, I guess that is how most people view the homeless and so it is appropriate for the book. I am amazed at how trusting the author is with Stuart and that is great. I'm glad that he gave someone like Stuart a voice.
Rev avatar reviewed Stuart: A Life Backwards on + 95 more book reviews
Stuart, the focus of Alexander Masters' book, is as enigmatic and polarizing as real people tend to get. There is a reason that Masters introduces us to Stuart now, rather than beginning at the childhood that spawned this creature.

Stuart is akin to a horrific train wreck that you can not tear your eyes away from; he is scary and depressing, repulsive and untantalizing, yet somehow silumtaneously mesmerizing and endearing. You wouldn't want to share an elevator or a dark alley with this character, but you might somehow find yourself compelled to do so anyway. Not only to hear the outlandish tales of the chaos that Stuart has both wrought and endured, but for the occasionally glimpses of the wise and witty soul buried beneath layers of abuse, neglect, and self-loathing.

Masters takes the reader backwards through Stuart's life, exposing events as the occurred, then revealing events that laid the groundwork prior to them. Like an archeologist peeling back layer after layer of cultural sediment and fossilized civilizations, Masters removes the grimy layers of Stuart one anecdote at a time. By the time you reach the core of such a being, the young child faced with emotionally crippling systematic abuse, you can feel pity for the man's origins, but you still might not be able to bring yourself to forgive him for what that child has begun. That's probably how Stuart would like it.

Forwards or backwards, Stuart's life is an engrossing story worth reading. But reading it backwards, believe it or not, tends to make more sense.
Rev avatar reviewed Stuart: A Life Backwards on + 95 more book reviews
Stuart, the focus of Alexander Masters' book, is as enigmatic and polarizing as real people tend to get. There is a reason that Masters introduces us to Stuart now, rather than beginning at the childhood that spawned this creature.

Stuart is akin to a horrific train wreck that you can not tear your eyes away from; he is scary and depressing, repulsive and untantalizing, yet somehow silumtaneously mesmerizing and endearing. You wouldn't want to share an elevator or a dark alley with this character, but you might somehow find yourself compelled to do so anyway. Not only to hear the outlandish tales of the chaos that Stuart has both wrought and endured, but for the occasionally glimpses of the wise and witty soul buried beneath layers of abuse, neglect, and self-loathing.

Masters takes the reader backwards through Stuart's life, exposing events as the occurred, then revealing events that laid the groundwork prior to them. Like an archeologist peeling back layer after layer of cultural sediment and fossilized civilizations, Masters removes the grimy layers of Stuart one anecdote at a time. By the time you reach the core of such a being, the young child faced with emotionally crippling systematic abuse, you can feel pity for the man's origins, but you still might not be able to bring yourself to forgive him for what that child has begun. That's probably how Stuart would like it.

Forwards or backwards, Stuart's life is an engrossing story worth reading. But reading it backwards, believe it or not, tends to make more sense.


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