This book is mandatory reading for anyone grappling with the treatment of poverty, mental health, and homelessness in the modern American city. Gong writes a book that is consistently provocative, yet always modest and humane; that is deeply theoretical, yet always grounded and readable. By contrasting the treatment regimens associated with the poor and the very wealthy, Gong illustrates the shortcomings of approaches that are overly punitive or overly civil libertarian. The middle class, however, is largely absent from this book. Too affluent for public services and not affluent enough for private services, their absence is one of the most damning facts of the American mental health system.

Sons, Daughters, and Sidewalk Psychotics was a really interesting read. I appreciated the humanity and compassion the author brought to such a difficult topic.