The Concrete Killing Fields
Pat found her calling in the basement of the Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee where she discovered the “invisible people”—the homeless people who’d soon steal her heart and, all-too-often, break it. She didn’t set out to become an authority on homelessness; she hadn’t planned to work in Washington DC; and she most assuredly hadn’t planned on finding the healing she didn’t know she needed.
This book takes you from the concrete killing fields of Memphis to the snowy streets of New Hampshire, to the nation’s capital, and even to the President’s box at the Kennedy Center. Your eyes and your heart will be opened and you may discover that it is never too late to live out your dreams.
As a political insider, policy wonk, analyst, and activist, Pat had a front row seat as the Clinton Administration revolutionized the federal government’s response to homelessness. She learned how the federal government works to help homeless people—and how it too often doesn’t.
But she never lets the people she meets along the way—or the reader—forget why she’s there. Get ready for an intense insight into a lifetime of stories—of people you will get to know and stories about those who are invisible—all waiting to be told.
2016 WINNER
Beverly Hills 4th Annual International Book Awards
Social/Political Change Category
2016 FINALIST
International Book Awards
Autobiography/Memoir
2015 BRONZE MEDALIST
Independent Publishers IPPY Book of the Year
Current events II Category – Social issues/Public Affairs/Humanitarian
2015 – WINNER 2nd Place
National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Awards
Non-fiction Books
2014 WINNER
Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year
Autobiography/Memoir
What People Are Saying
With her gift of story-telling, deep sense of compassion, and rich Southern sense of humor, Pat takes you on a ride … a kaleidoscope of adventures that few ever experience.
The author takes the reader inside the hearts and minds of homeless people, on an unexpected journey to the gritty streets of Memphis and to the often ignored – yet ever present world of homeless people.
The Concrete Killing Fields makes clear that “there’s a person under there.”
“Readers, be warned! Pat’s ‘must tell’ testament is compelling and contagious, relentless and raw, inspired and inspiring! Read and digest The Concrete Killing Fields. You will not remain the same.”
— The Reverend Dr. Douglass M. Bailey, former rector of Calvary Episcopal Church (Memphis), President and founder, Center for Urban Ministry, Inc., Winston-Salem, North Carolina
“Pat Morgan is a model for all who have expressed concerns about the homeless population… I recommend her book to all who have similar concerns.”
— E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Founder, Treatment Advocacy Center
“The Concrete Killing Fields is not just a book about homelessness or struggles or pain. It is a beautifully written story about one woman’s journey to discover herself, fulfill lifelong ambitions, and do her best to provide relief, in whatever form, to those she encounters…with a goal of making this world a better place.”
— Betsy Bird, Captain, U. S. Navy (retired). Former Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Public Affairs, Washington, DC
“A searing glimpse into a lifetime of stories that will remain with you long after reading the last lines of the final chapter.”
— Dr. Jan Young, Executive Director, Assisi Foundation of Memphis, and Major General, U.S. Air National Guard (retired)
“A blend of memoir, social advocacy, and stories about homeless men in Memphis, Tennessee, The Concrete Killing Fields is at once deeply personal and broadly drawn. Perhaps most compelling, Morgan doesn’t hold back about the frustrations of working not just with the system, but with the homeless themselves…
The author even proposes a “Twelve Steps for Do-Gooders” based on the model followed by Alcoholics Anonymous. This powerful document, delivered with concision, artfully describes the difficult balance that many advocates and social workers must strike in order to be truly helpful.
In step four, for example, she writes, “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself and the ‘help’ I was trying to provide to others, often rendered unrecognizable because of my frustration and anger at the very people I wanted so much to help.” Where the book shines the brightest is in Morgan’s descriptions of those very individuals.”
— Foreword Book Reviews 5-Star Review