Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness

Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of HomelessnessBuy it now: Print | Digital

100% of proceeds go to support InvisiblePeople.tv.

“I had it all and ended up on the streets.”
-Elvin

“I put a smile on my face for my kids’ sake.”
-Cecilia

“I’m hoping I can survive another day.”
-Eddie

Mark Horvath Talking to Ka'e k'eThese are the gritty, unfiltered voices of America’s homeless. This epidemic is putting families, children, veterans and executives on the street. While their stories are often ignored, they’re not invisible, thanks to the efforts of InvisiblePeople.tv founder Mark Horvath. He travels the country collecting and sharing raw, unedited videos and gives voice to the nation’s homeless.

These are the stories of real homeless people, collected and retold from InvisiblePeople.tv videos. Interspersed with those real life stories are reflections from social media experts, nonprofit heroes, technology executives and more, sharing their connection to homelessness and how the inspiring example of InvisiblePeople.tv has impacted them. You’ll also find common misconceptions about homelessness and suggestions for how you can get involved.

It’s time to move beyond the stereotypes and stop looking away. It’s time to open our eyes.

“We’re homeless, we’re not less human.” -Tish

Featuring contributions from: Brad Abare, Chris Brogan, Wendy Cohen, Lee Fox, Jessica Gottlieb, Alan Graham, David Henderson, Jeff Holden, Michael Ian, Becky Kanis, Natalie Profant Komuro, Jeff Lilley, Geoff Livingston, Heather Meeker, Brandon Mendelson, Stefanie Michaels, Scott Monty, Shannon Moriarty, Chloe Noble, Stephanie Rudat, Kari Saratovsky, Lisa Truong, Nedra Weinreich and Scott Williams.

Special thanks to: Brian White of TriLion Studios for the cover design, Ronald Cox for the interior design, Bradley Watson for writing, and Josh Cody and Michael Buckingham for ideas and support.

Reviews & Press

Interviews:

Guests Posts & Mentions:

Reviews & Reactions:

  • “I found this short book to be both moving and challenging. … I warmly commend this book to anyone who has the courage to care.”
    Choose The Cross, Nov. 12, 2010
  • “By way of storytelling, Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness, makes the homeless community accessible to those of us who are otherwise detached.”
    The Huffington Post, Nov. 10, 2010
  • “Want to be inspired by the work of others – like Mark Horvath? Check out this essential book.”
    Scott Monty, Nov. 10, 2010
  • “Before I met Mark Horvath homelessness=drunks looking for booze money. Now I see them as people. Read their stories.”
    Michael Buckingham, Nov. 10, 2010
  • “If you want to put a real, human face on homelessness, read these stories.”
    Jason Boyett, Nov. 10, 2010
  • “I have now read it four times in just a few days… and I cry each time.”
    Kat Armstrong, Nov. 9, 2010
  • “It’s about giving, and triumph, and using social media for good. It’s about changing our world.”
    Jessica Gottlieb, Nov. 9, 2010
  • “To make an issue matter, tell a story about it. To make a person matter, let him tell his own story.”
    Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog, Nov. 9, 2010
  • “From my brief look at the book, I’m a little ‘wrecked,’ as Mark Horvath likes to say.”
    Tim Bursch, Nov. 9, 2010
  • “Aside from the hopeful fact that every contributor to this book is working in some way to alleviate the plight of America’s homeless, the feeling I got from reading it was a dull ache in the pit of my stomach.  Homeless is real, it sucks, and it has a human face.  What we’re doing to help isn’t enough.”
    Help a Mother Out, Nov. 9, 2010
  • “I am not familiar with Mark Horvath’s work and I’ve not read the book, but I’m going to get a copy. I admire Kevin’s passion for help others and maybe that is a good enough place to start.”
    Engage Your Target Audience, Nov. 9, 2010
  • “When I received a note from Kevin Hendricks asking me to contribute my thoughts to a book to support Mark Horvath’s nonprofit InvisiblePeople.tv, I jumped at the chance.”
    Nedra Weinreich, Nov. 9, 2010
  • “Stories matter. Stories make a difference. Stories are the reasons that we do what we do.”
    Poverty Insights, Nov. 9, 2010
  • “Open Our Eyes both celebrates and supports Mark Horvath’s work through InvisiblePeople.tv.”
    Collide Magazine, Nov. 9, 2010
  • Included as one of the books Jonathan Blundell is looking forward to adding to his nightstand.
    Stranger in a Strange Land, Nov. 3, 2010

Spread the Word

We need a lot of help spreading the word about Open Our Eyes. Here are a few ways you can help:
Thanks in advance.

Tweet it, Blog it, Like it
You can easily spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, your own blog or wherever you can. Here are a few short links to help you out:

Some sample tweets:

  • “I put a smile on my face for my kids’ sake.” -Cecilia, a homeless mother. Read her story & others in Open Our Eyes: http://ow.ly/2ZNWt
  • “We’re homeless, we’re not less human.” -Tish, a homeless mom. Read her story & others in Open Our Eyes: http://ow.ly/2ZNWt
  • “I had it all & ended up on the streets.” -Elvin. Learn how close homelessness really is from the book Open Our Eyes: http://ow.ly/2ZNWt
  • Homeless advocate @hardlynormal used $50 & an iPhone to reach the homeless. Read his story & support his work: http://ow.ly/2ZNWt

And if you’re having fun on Twitter, you can follow all the book’s contributors.

Write an Amazon Review
Find the book, scroll down to the Customer Review section and click on “Create your own review.” You will need to be logged in. You don’t have to write anything long or fancy. If all else fails you can just say “This book is awesome.”

Interviews
Interested in interviewing Mark Horvath or any of the contributors for your blog or media outlet? Let us know and we can make it happen.

Buy Multiple Copies
Get some extra copies to hand out to friends. We’ve got a 10-copy multipack for $70, shipping included. $30 will go to InvisiblePeople.tv. Contact us if you need more copies.

Like It!
You can show the book some love by liking it on Facebook. Then suggest your friends check it out.

Graphics
Here are some graphics you can use to help spread the word:

300 x 300 Not Less Human (green):

Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness

125 x 125 Not Less Human (green):

Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness

300 x 300 Not Less Human (yellow):

Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness

125 x 125 Not Less Human (yellow):

Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness

300 x 300 Contributor:

Help the homeless: I wrote a chapter. You can buy a copy.

125 x 125 Contributor:

Help the homeless: I wrote a chapter. You can buy a copy.

Full cover:

Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness
Click for a larger version

A work-at-home dad wrestles with faith, social justice & story.