booklife.com
“Everybody sleeps somewhere,” community development professional Madden writes in this illuminating survey of the ongoing housing crisis—and a possible path forward. That declaration is the heart of Bittersweet Lane, in which Madden blends memoir, history, and urgent reportage to lay bare the crisis from both personal and professional perspectives. He argues that an “underlying bias” has long shaped housing policy: that “some are worthy of this help, some aren’t.” Madden demonstrates the harm this principle still causes, often drawing on his own experience; he writes with clear eyes and moving frankness about coming from a legacy of poverty. That history has fueled Madden’s work within the housing world as a project manager and also his passionate advocacy for solving the housing crisis.
