Think of Perth and images of violent crime and gangs of bored, angry youth don't spring to mind immediately. But misery knows no borders. Jamet's documentary montage of homeless youth on the streets of Perth offers few comforts, but she has an unflinching gaze. Woven into her account of life as a streetie is a series of cameos of friends and others, displaying an array of problems. Drug abuse including paint and petrol sniffing, is widespread. Police, without the resources to respond to the difficult needs of young people, naturally become the enemy. This is a brave, painful book that raises questions about the public response to a problem that isn't going away. Intelligent, adventurous publishing.
Mike Shuttleworth
Also published in: Big Weekend, Sunday July 21, 2001.
At only 119 pages, Streetkid In The City is a quick read but it is not an easy read due to its subject matter and structure. Eighteen year old author Delphine Jamet is a streetkid and her collection of stories about people who live on the streets - some as young as nine - is a grim account of broken lives, that seem unlikely to improve in the future. The stories are from homeless people in Perth but its tales of alcohol and substance abuse, violence, crime and government intervention are played out daily in almost every city, town and community. The people canvassed all seem to have a common background of being in fractured and abusive households or relationships and while their lives may consist of little more than taking drugs, avoiding the police, boredom and crime, it is a lie they have become accustomed to and accept to a certain degree.
With the exception of one young woman, there are no happy endings for any of the people and efforts by government authorities to break their poverty cycle or stay in foster car usually fail to change their circumstances. The young homeless are widely considered as troublemakers and criminals and while the book does not dispute this stereotype, it does remind the reader they are also victims of violence, crime and abuse who have the extra hassle of being frequently dismissed and ignored by police. The contempt each group generally has for each other is illustrated through attacks, arrests and common distrust and ensures a relative peace between cops and streetkids is unlikely to ever occur. Streetkid In The City confronts an issue that many people ignore. It offers an insight into a way of life that exists on our city streets that is alien, confronting and difficult to understand for many of us.
David Saunders
This is a bleak if interesting little book and best not read in one sitting. Delphine Jamet interviewed many streetkids in Perth over a two-year period with an empathy that makes it hard to distinguish her from those whose lives she recorded. This is explained at the end of the book in the chapter Last Word where she reveals that she was a streetie among streeties, the defiant BMX rider thumbing her nose at the police as she listened to the stories of those around her. The freedom that streetkids crave become as much a trap as the ritual they scorn in 'normal' people; it is easy to become 'chained to freedom' so that you never attempt to tackle 'any long term goals' she says as one who knows. That there is a camaraderie amongst street people is evident, a sharing of goods, stolen or scammed (begged), but there is also treachery in the desperation for drugs or perhaps food. Certain characters reappear, the insouciant thirteen year old Jay who looks eight and stole a policeman's bike when his back was turned and had been known to escape from a locked police car; Jesse the skilled shoplifter and staunch friend; Calem from a good home who can't stay away from the streets and the drugs. There are many stories, one of the saddest is of Jazmin, a fifteen year old mother apprehended on the 'rumours' that she shakes her three month old son when he cries.
Delphine Jamet is mostly non-judgemental towards the streetkids but her attitude to the police is ambivalent - there are 'good cops and bad cops', many ignore you when you are in trouble and pick you up for stealing a newspaper - and she indicates an interest in using her inside knowledge to work more positively for those she lived amongst. Who is this book for? I don't think it offers a siren-call to the streets for impressionable readers so much as an insight for those like Delphine who might like to help whether as volunteers or future social workers. At the back of the book there are helpful lists of books and support groups in all States.
Sally Harding
'You might think it is easy to live on the streets, but those who have broken through the barriers of homelessness know it can be a challenge just to stay alive and sane.' Delphine Jamet is the teenager author of Streetkid In The City , her account of how she and others meet that challenge just to stay alive and sane. She has survived on the streets of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth where she now lives, and where most of the events in this book take place. 'I wanted to write about this hidden world full of hope, freedom and people searching for something in life'. And she does just that. This book is divided into five chapters that record Jamet's observations, recollections, anecdotes, interviews and opinions on the subject under the headings of 'On The Streets', 'Juveniles', 'Police & Security Guards', 'Crime' and 'Life Issues'. The book also contains two appendices offering a 'recommended reading list' and providing a number of useful, 'street-related' contacts around the country. In short, this is kind of 'Lonely Planet Guide' to life on the streets, full of plain spoken, honest and unadorned glimpses into a world with which we often have brief and superificial encounters but about which we have little real experience or understanding.
There is no narrative here, although there are plenty of characters, some of whom we meet once, and some who return in later chapters under different headings. In many ways, Streetkid In The City is like a journal full of research notes and brief, thumbnail sketches. Whilst the 'hit and run' style of the book might, at times, leave the reader feeling short-changed and wanting to delve more deeply into the snatches of stories we are offered; the collection as a whole is a rare and valuable insight into an experience of life that is often romaticised in works of fiction, but rarely presented in such a straightforward, down-to-earth and philosophically positive way as it is here.
CT
Streetkid In The City by Delphine Jamet is a collection of short stories that describe events in the lives of streetkids in Perth. The stories in this book are based on what people told the author. The introduction to the book makes the reader immediately aware of the streetkids' "challenge just to stay alive and sane". In the first chapter, entitled On The Streets, the readers is introduced to some of the characters that live on the streets of Perth. The author is keen to point out that "living on the streets is not as bad as people make out," mainly because the freedom "cannot be compensated for in any way." One thing that I found interesting was that streetkids actually enjoy being on the streets, and that most of them would prefer the streets to a house of their own. There are five chapters in total, each of them dedicated to different aspects of street life. One that captured my interest concerned Life Issues, e.g drugs, alcohol and their relation to crime.
This book is aimed mainly at teenagers, and each of the chapters uses what is known as "street talk". This is very easy to understand and it makes the book feel more authentic, because a 'streetie' is actually writing it. I thought it was good how the book uses different fonts, and you can instantly tell whether you're reading a biography or whether the author if telling you some background information. Delphine Jamet's book was very entertaining. It was also eye opening and it enabled me to glimpse into the lives of people who live in a totally different world to mine. I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults, either for pure entertainment or to gain a deeper level of understanding of streetkids.
Todd, aged 16, Canberra ACT
Streetkid in the City written by Delphine Jamet, and published by Allen and Unwin, is a novel retelling the stories and lives of street kids living in Perth. It is a realistic book that tells the real stories of these people who live and survive the police, drugs and the city.
This book is appropriate for people aged 14 and up. It is an excellent read, and tells the truth of these street kids, telling us about their lives and the way that they live them on the city streets. I would give this book an 8/10 for readability and the involvement of the reader that it has. The author has written this book to make you, the reader, feel like you know the characters in the novel. I recommend Streetkid in the City to anyone who is looking for a realistic book to read, and find out the truth about street kids.
Amelia, aged 15, Canberra ACT
Here we are back in (Robert) Drewe's Perth, but 50 years or so later. This slender volume, written by former streetkid Jamet, is a pavement-level view of life on the streets in the WA capital. Jamet introduces us to the characters, the junkies, the dealers, the car stealers, the shoplifters, the paint sniffers, the fraternity of the Perth streets. It could be any major city in Australia, a millennial nightmare, where good and bad cops face an unending parade of children who, for whatever reason, find they no longer have a traditional home. A rare insight.
She's sitting on the edge of the bench, shivering with cold, her clothes thin and lined with dirt. Streetkid In The City is about the rawness of street life. Set in Perth, this book contains stories of streeties, drugs, police, violence, detention centres and being a teen. It shows what it's really like for the many hundreds that line our streets . . . from the story of Roxy, a wheelchair-bound single mother reading palms to support her family, to Calem, who has a home, but chooses the streets. From the dangers of drugs and violence, to the lonely parks and alleyways, this book will open your eyes to the reality of homelessness. An excellent informative read for ages 12-112.
Rhiannon Wells
"It is a completely different world. All I have is my bike and my clothes but that’s all I need. I can sleep in the park and if I get into any trouble, my bike is a quick getaway," reflects Delphine Jamet who has been living on the streets, on and off, since she was in Year 11.
While Delphine realises the dangers associated with street living and is determined to put a stop to it, the lure of the streets remains a strong one.
"The excitement of the city at night has always been a rush for me. Living there made life seem more thrilling. I love the lights, the noise, the people, the early morning smells and the excitement."
Delphine, who has had her share of emotional and social problems, ended up on the streets because she wanted to be ‘free’ and to be with people on her level. Delphine says that she was chained to freedom and living on the streets left her free to roam as she pleased. Despite her various setbacks, Delphine has managed to stay loyal to one of her greatest passions, writing.
"I’ve been writing since I was nine. I used to do a lot of fantasy stuff and crime. All of it is sitting in a cupboard somewhere. Writing is such a good way to express your self. I don’t normally do that very well, I don’t talk that much. I find writing my thoughts down much easier," says Delphine.
In fact, she has put pen to paper about her experience on the streets. ‘Streetkid in the City’ is the young author’s first published work.
"I wanted to write about this hidden world full of hope, freedom, and people searching for something in life and I thought it would be interesting to share with others what happens on the streets."
Delphine’s book has already sold some 3,000 copies in Australia and the United Kingdom but being a published author still feels surreal.
"It hasn’t set in. I go to a book store and when I see my book on the shelf I think to myself, ‘I don’t know the people who have bought my book and who I’m reaching out to, but they know me. People in Britain know me."
While living on the streets is a period of Delphine’s life, which she has no regrets about, she is keen to get it out of her system. She also encourages others to steer clear of street living.
"I have learned stuff that I would not have normally been given the chance to learn such as survival and safety, and how to respect people. It’s a lot harder to make friends on the street than under normal circumstances because street people are a lot less trusting. But being on the streets is no fun and it’s not a good life, especially as an adult. It’s hard."
Getting published has fuelled Delphine’s other dreams. She wants to study music and scriptwriting, and wants to have established 19 businesses by the time she is 30 years old. She has 19 business ideas!
"I have so many ideas that can benefit the community. People have said that I am too young but I have held onto my dreams and I have determination. That’s what will make me succeed in the future. Everything I have planned for my future will come true if I can see myself doing it."
Mona Caltabiano
