Do Something for Nothing
by Joshua Coombes
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 27 May 2021 | Archive Date 14 Jun 2021
Talking about this book? Use #DoSomethingforNothing #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
When you're on the fringes of society, being recognised can mean everything.
In 2015, while working at a London hair salon, Joshua Coombes took to the streets with his scissors to build relationships with people sleeping rough in the capital, and began posting transformative images on social media to amplify their voices. These stories resonated and thousands of people got involved in their own way. From this, #DoSomethingForNothing was born - a movement that encourages people to contribute their skills and time to those who need it. This book explores themes of love, acceptance, shame and perseverance, while inviting us to see ourselves in one another and challenge the negative stigmas surrounding homelessness. Through the simple act of a haircut, Joshua takes you on a journey into the lives of people experiencing homelessness in different cities across the world.
Featuring before-and-after photographs, street art and stories, this book is an inspiring and uplifting account of one man's experiences with people who have more in common with all of us than you might imagine.
A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to organisations dedicated to assisting unsheltered people, as well as supporting future not-for-profit art projects.
Advance Praise
'A simple, big-hearted and world-shaking idea.' - Nick Cave, Singer/Songwriter
'Joshua's stories show the power that empathy and compassion can have to turn a common, everyday act into something potentially transformative.' - Michael Sheen
'Hope, optimism, kind curiosity, and real human connection. This book will make you want to do something, just because you can.' - Emma Gannon, Author of The Multi-Hyphen Method
'This is a moving and inspiring book about how we can be better people' - Johann Hari, Author of Lost Connections and Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs
'Coombes believes that small acts of love can make a big impact.' - Morgan Freeman
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781911632160 |
| PRICE | £16.99 (GBP) |
Featured Reviews
Stacey H, Reviewer
Such a beautiful book. The smallest of things can make a homeless person's day. This was an amazing story and I love the selfless ways of the author. Very well written and illustrated.
stephen h, Reviewer
Found this book very interesting as a hairdresser who gives homeless people haircuts and we learn about their life and how after the cut they feel more humane and the photos before and after
The_Secret_Bookreview ., Reviewer
Through the simple act of a hair cut, readers are taken on a geographical and emotional journey into the lives of humans experiencing homelessness in different cities across the world.
The stories within this book were inspiring and heartfelt, showing a side of society that we very often ignore, when clearly we shouldn’t. Thank you, Joshua, for bringing these stories, these people, to light.
This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
Molly M, Reviewer
Such a wonderful book. It really does capture something of the human spirit and that kindness and simple acts of care can change so much. Definitely recommended read
Lucy F, Reviewer
When Joshua Coombes stopped to chat to a homeless man on a street in London in 2015, he never imagined that it would lead to a whole lifestyle change & a movement that has spread worldwide. Joshua was a hairdresser & had his tools in his backpack. When he offered the man a haircut, he did so much more: he showed that he cared, that he had time for them. He offered a “normal” conversation, a chance to be seen & heard. This simple gesture became #DoSomethingForNothing - a movement that encourages people to use their skills and give their time to those who need it. He acknowledges that a simple haircut is not going to solve anyone’s problems or solve homelessness, but the very act of listening has made a huge difference.
Joshua began posting images on social media to amplify the voices that are so often unheard, and has since travelled all over the world to raise the awareness of homeless people and find ways to have their voices heard, often partnering with artists, and this book shares glimpses of his experiences in London, and other cities across the world.
I really liked the way that each chapter was the story of just one person (or in a handful of cases a couple or family) and told their story in a way that really brought out their personality, their uniqueness, and also had the photo of that person before & after their haircut. The pictures were sensitive – they were about the person not their clothes/location/background or anything else.
Overall, this is one of those books that you should read – it makes you see “homeless people” as individuals and reminds you over & over that the most valuable thing you can give to another person is your time. Money cannot buy time.
Joshua says in the introduction that “This book isn’t about homelessness; it’s about humans and showing up for one another where we can … Thank you for reading and seeing people who can so often be invisible”
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
#DoSomethingforNothing #NetGalley
Readers who liked this book also liked:
