A Fish Has No Word For Water: A punk homeless San Francisco memoir

by Violet Blue

Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2022

About the author

Violet Blue has authored and edited over 40 books, including five (Bronze, Silver and Gold) IPPY award-winners, some of which are now in eight translations. Violet was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, when Ms. Winfrey featured Violet's book on women and pornography (11/17/09). That book is also excerpted and featured on Oprah Winfrey's website, as well as in O, The Oprah Magazine.

Violet owns and operates Digita Publications (digitapub.com), an indie digital publisher of e-books and audio books. Rather than a royalty system, Digita books share all sales with the authors fairly and transparently, featuring books in both DRM-free versions and for Kindle on Amazon.

Her online sexuality blog, Tiny Nibbles, is one of the Internet's longest-running sex blogs, and has won many accolades and awards. For her day job, Ms. Blue is a journalist on hacking, crime, cybersecurity, privacy, and at-risk populations for outlets ranging from Engadget to CNET, and occasionally outlets like CBS News, CNN and O the Oprah Magazine.

Reviews

[Carolee Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really had no idea what to expect when I backed this, and I found it to be a beautiful, heartfelt story. Not of a “bygone San Francisco,” as others have said — the troubles catalogued in this memoir are still very much present, from the city that can’t help its unhoused or its drug-addicted, to the city officials blinded by greed, to a public health system that can’t manage a raging disease — rather, what brightened this memoir for me was the idea that individual actions make a difference. That our communities hold us up. And that support comes from many directions.

If you’re interested in local history, punk, solidarity groups, or just an uplifting story, this book is for you.

[Kris Freedain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down.
I've followed Violet on Twitter (& now Mastodon) for many years now; she always has interesting things to share, and I've long considered her an important voice to listen to. This book proves it. Her honesty and openness in sharing a glimpse of the life she has been through, the life she rose above, shows a resilience and strength I am I awe of. Violet, you are amazing.

[Gregg R · Rating 5 out of 5]

The homeless crisis in the U.S. is a national disgrace. This book is an honest, clear-eyed portrait of the regrettably predictable causes of homelessness (drug abuse, sexual abuse, homophobia, racism, blinkered entitlement, abandonment, bad decisions, bad luck) and it's all-too-often heartbreaking consequences (poverty, hunger, hopelessness, disease, ostracism, and death). A Fish Has No Word For Water is also a heartwarming and encouraging portrait of someone who refused to give in to her undeserved situation and fought for herself and her chosen family and friends. We will truly not be a civilized nation until we resolve as a nation to help those in need. Reading this book emphasizes that even the smallest kindness may help save a life. Highly Recommended!

[Luke Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the opening page and I defy you not to finish the book.

This is an amazing story that will grab you from the first paragraph. Try the first page, if that doesn’t hook you then move on. ;)

[Alex Cruise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, it would've been 4/5 but the copyediting was pretty spotty

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This goes straight to my favorite books of the year